James MacNaughton
James MacNaughton, circa 1901
Born(1864-03-04)March 4, 1864[1]
Bruce Mines, Canada West
DiedMay 27, 1949(1949-05-27) (aged 85)
Calumet, Houghton County, Michigan
OccupationBusiness executive

James MacNaughton (born March 4, 1864), also variously known as "the King of Houghton County", the "Czar of the Copper Country" or simply "Big Jim" was an American business executive. He was general manager and the third president of the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, including during the Copper Country Strike of 1913–1914.[1]

Biography

MacNaughton was born in Bruce Mines, Canada West on March 4, 1864. His father brought his family to Calumet after he found employment with the Calumet & Hecla. In 1876 and aged 12, MacNaughton followed his father's footsteps by becoming Hecla's water boy in Hubbell, Michigan. In time, he progressed to switch tender and then an engineer of the stationary engine on the mine tram road.[2]

After graduating from a high school and receiving a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Michigan, MacNaughton moved to the engineering department.[2]

He was offered to become superintendent of the Chapin Iron mine in Iron Mountain, Michigan and accepted this position. In 1901, Alexander Agassiz hired him to manage the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co. Under MacNaughton's management the company grew and employed 5,000 people in 1906. At the same time, MacNaughton reduced operating costs in half.[2]

During the Copper Country strike of 1913–1914 he organized mine owners and asked Governor Woodbridge N. Ferris to deploy the Michigan National Guard to secure control over mines. MacNaughton received death threats.[3]

When interviewed, MacNaughton blamed the Western Federation of Miners for the strike,

We have Croatians, Austrians, Hungarians, Italians from northern Italy, Poles, and other nationalities working for us, and they are industrious, loyal men; but they do not know our language or our customs, our laws, nor our ideals. They have been influenced by Western Federation of Miners' organizers and hired men who have been here in some cases for years. Constant dropping will wear a stone.[4]

In 1916, MacNaughton distributed bronze, silver and gold service medals designed by Victor David Brenner with images of Quincy Adams Shaw and Alexander Agassiz to long time workers of the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co.[5]

In addition to the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, MacNaughton managed the Ahmeek Mining Company, Allouez Mining Company, North Kearsarge mine, South Kearsarge mine, Tamarack Mining Company, Osceola Consolidated Copper Company, St. Louis Copper Company, Laurium Mining Company, La Salle Copper Company, Isle Royale Copper Company, Superior Copper Company, and the Centennial Copper Mining Company.[6]

MacNaughton also held a position as the Chairman of the Houghton County Board of Supervisors and became the first chairman of Miscowaubik, a private business club headquartered in Calumet, Michigan.[1]

He died after a long illness on May 26, 1949, in Calumet, Michigan at the age of 85.[7]

Recognition

The MacNaughton Cup was named in his honor in 1913 due to his support of amateur ice hockey.[8] It is awarded annually to the regular season conference champion of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lehto, Steven. Death's Door: The Truth Behind the Italian Hall Disaster and the Strike of 1913. Momentum Books, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Graham Jaehnig. James MacNaughton becomes superintendent of C&H, The Daily Mining Gazette, February 13, 2016
  3. ↑ Emily Riippa Schwiebert. Flashback Friday: Strikes, Codes, and Knives, Van Pelt and Opie Library, January 11, 2019
  4. ↑ Strike in the copper mining district of Michigan. Letter from the Secretary of Labor, transmitting in response to a Senate resolution of January 29, 1914, a Report in regard to the strike of mine workers in the Michigan copper district which began on July 23, 1913. Washington, D.C.: Govt. Print. Off., 1914, p. 55.
  5. ↑ William A. N. Severance. The Calumet & Hecla Mining Company Semi-Centennial Employee Service Medals of 1916: A Personal View, The Mineralogical Record, Axis Volume 13, Number 1, 2017
  6. ↑ Stevens, Horace Jared; Weed, Walter Harvey; Neale, Walter Garfield; Rand, Lenox Hawes; Sturgis, Edward Barney; Zimmerman, Joseph (1920). Mines Register: Successor to the Mines Handbook and the Copper Handbook ... Describing the Non-ferrous Metal Mining Companies in the Western Hemisphere, Volume 14. Mines publications, Incorporated.
  7. ↑ "James MacNaughton obit with some hint of regret by MacNaughton over strike". The Herald-Palladium. 1949-05-27. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  8. ↑ "Gopher hockey history: MacNaughton Cup". gopherhockeyhistory.com. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
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