Thomas Johnston Grier Biography


	This biography appears on pages 16-21 in "History of Dakota Territory" 
	by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				THOMAS JOHNSTON GRIER.  

	Thomas Johnston Grier, whom the Daily Call characterized as 
"Lead's best friend and her people's," was the superintendent of the 
Homestake Mining Company for thirty years, or until death called him on 
the 22d of September, 1914. In the famous Black Hills district of South 
Dakota the Homestake Mining Company developed its interests with such 
signal success that the region is today second to no other mining 
district in the world. The business management of the company, which 
has for more than a generation never failed to declare a liberal 
dividend annually, creates admiration among miners and mining experts 
of the world as well as among the captains of industry and fianance. 
Wide experience and sound practical judgment are evident in every 
feature of the control of this colossal enterprise. The man who was 
responsible for the uniform a advancement and to whom more than to any 
other is due the high reputation and wide prestige which the Homestake 
mines enjoy is Thomas Johnston Grier, the late efficient 
superintendent, a man not only familiar with every detail of the mining 
industry, but also the possessor of business tact and executive ability 
of high order, as his thirty years of successful management attest. The 
manner in which this gigantic enterprise is conducted led someone to 
remark, "It is a huge and highly efficient manufacturing plant with 
gold as its product." Back of every such mammoth concern is a strong 
personality and in this instance it was that of Thomas Johnston Grier, 
a man whose business ability and executive force were equaled by his 
keen sagacity and his broad humanitarianism.  

	Mr. Grier was born at Pakenham, Ontario, Canada, May 18, 1850, 
and was the fourth in a family of ten children, six sons and four 
daughters the others being: J. R. H., who died in Montreal in 1911; 
George E., now a resident of Iroquois; Annie M., the wife of Gilbert 
Fell, of Ogden, Utah; William John, who died at San Francisco in 1909; 
Elizabeth V., the wife of Arthur Williams, of Montreal; Margaret A., 
who died at Anaheim, California, in 1883; Albert E., who died in 
Denver, Colorado, in 1907; Charles Allen, who died in Iroquois in 1882; 
and Georgetta Clara, now the wife of Charles Withycomb, of Montreal.  

	Thomas Johnston Grier spent his youth largely in Iroquois, 
Ontario, Canada, where, in the acquirement of his education, he passed 
through consecutive grades to the high school. His first practical 
business training and experience came to him as a clerk under his 
father in the post office and while thus engaged he devoted his leisure 
moments to the study of telegraphy. At the age of seventeen he went to 
Montreal and became an employee in the main office of the Montreal 
Telegraph Company, with which he was connected until 1871. He then 
crossed the border into the United States and made his way to Corinne, 
Utah, where he was employed as an operator by the Western Union 
Telegraph Company for about two and a half years. He was then placed in 
charge of the operating room at Salt Lake City, where he continued for 
four years.  

	The year 1878 witnessed Mr. Grier's arrival in the Black Hills, 
at which time he entered the employ of the Homestake Company as 
bookkeeper. Six years later, or in 1884, following the demise of Samuel 
McMaster, he was appointed to the vacant position of superintendent of 
the company and so remained for three decades, honored and respected 
alike by stockholders and employee. Under his direction was developed 
the largest gold mine in the world, but Mr. Grier, although he had 
every opportunity to do so, never became a stockholder, feeling that he 
could serve the interests of both employers and employee with greater 
fairness and justice if he was not financially connected with the 
corporation. He was, however, president of the First National Bank of 
Lead. Working his own way upward, Mr. Grier never forgot the feet that 
he won his advancement and was therefore in sympathy with the humblest 
employee. Any man with a just grievance was sure to obtain an audience 
and recognized the feet that fairness would be meted out to him. It is 
probable that no other superintendent of a like corporation in the 
United States ever enjoyed so fully the respect of the employees - 
respect which he won by reason of his great consideration and fairness 
to the man who earns his bread by honest toil. As manager and 
superintendent he was also ever looking out for the welfare of the 
corporation which he represented. He was given carte blanche in regard 
to the control of affairs and he continually studied out methods to 
promote efficiency and produce more substantial results. Under his 
direction many millions of dollars were expended in improvements which 
have added to the value of the plant and promoted its efficiency. In 
this connection the Daily Call wrote:  

	"Under his regime was built the great water system which supplies 
the company's works, the city of Lead and other towns. The Spearfish 
hydroelectric plant was completed during his term of office, the great 
Ellison hoist, the viaduct connecting the mills with the railway system 
of the company, the Star and Amicus mills, adding to the capacity of 
the company's milling plants, and other works which, while adding to 
the efficiency and the output of the company, have given employment to 
hundreds of people. Under him the work of building the new B. & M. 
hoist, the power plant and boiler plant, which is now under way, was 
started. The Recreation building was conceived by Mr. Grier, and the 
plans for its completion carried out by Chief Engineer and Assistant 
Superintendent Richard Blackstone. It is one thing that will stand as a 
monument to Mr. Grier, and a reminder of the thought and care which he 
gave to the interests of those who worked under him." As manager for 
the Homestake Company Mr. Grier superintended the efforts of twenty-
five hundred people with a payroll of two hundred and twenty five 
thousand dollars per month, the mines turning out over six million 
dollars in gold and owning over sixteen million dollars worth of 
property. The business was largely developed through the efforts of Mr. 
Grier. Labor troubles in 1908, when the company was obliged to take 
issue with the Western Federation of Labor, were finally settled after 
Mr. Grier had put into effect a card system, by which all employee 
declared they would not become affiliated with the union. This has 
since been in effect and the soundness of his judgment in the matter is 
indicated in the feet that neither riot nor murder accompanied the 
labor trouble and there were few arrests for disturbances, so perfectly 
were his orders executed by his subordinates.  

	Perhaps one of the greatest public testimonials of the business 
worth and ability of Mr. Grier was given at the time when the United 
States Industrial Commission made its recent investigation of the 
Homestake Company, going carefully into all details with the result 
that the commission made the public statement that they had never found 
any corporation so equitably managed or so perfectly systematized as 
the Homestake under what they termed, "Mr. Grier's benevolent 
despotism."  

	On the 8th of August, 1896, Mr. Grier wedded Mary Jane 
Palethorpe, of Glasgow, Scotland, and they became parents of four 
children, Thomas Johnston, Evangeline Victoria, Lisgar Patterson and 
Ormonde Palethorpe. Mr. Grier also had two stepchildren, whom he 
regarded with the same love and affection that he entertained for his 
own. These are James and Madge Ferrie. His home was his recreation.  

	A little more than two weeks prior to his death Mr. Grier, 
accompanied by his wife and two sons, went to California and at Los 
Angeles, on the 22d of September, 1914, he passed away He was a life 
member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, a member of several 
of the Masonic bodies and also of the organization known as the 
Homestake Veterans. His religious faith was evidenced by his membership 
in and regular attendance at the services of the Episcopal church. When 
the news of his death was received in the city in which he had so long 
lived it was said that old men that had been in the employ of the 
company for over thirty years could be seen on the street crying like 
children over the loss which they regarded as personal. Every form of 
public amusement or entertainment was cancelled or postponed from the 
time the news was received until after the funeral, and not only in 
Lead but in every portion of the country public tribute was paid to the 
memory of the man who was so highly revered where he was best known. 
Perhaps something of the nature of Mr. Grier's splendid life work can 
best be gleaned from the remarks made by Professor Commons, of the 
industrial commission, after his investigation of the Homestake 
properties and their management. He said:  

	"I would like on this question of the underlying causes that you 
have brought out, I would like for my personal use, not as stating any 
idea of my colleagues, to state to you what seems to me to be our 
purpose and line of suggestions which, from my standpoint, would be of 
use in the work that we have to do. As I stated at the beginning, we 
are required by congress to investigate the underlying causes of 
industrial unrest, and to make recommendations for legislation to 
congress and, naturally, to the states. If we find unrest, what are its 
causes and what legislation we should recommend as a remedy.  

	"Now, I might state what seems to me to be the summing up of this 
testimony, that is, the way it strikes me from my own point of view, 
not representing either the employer or the employee, but simply as a 
looker-on, you might say: You have here the most remarkable business 
organization that I have come across in the country. You have developed 
welfare features which are beyond anything that I know of, and they are 
given with a liberal hand. You have a high scale of wages, reasonable 
hours - very fair hours. There has been evidently great progress made 
in taking care of the employee in the hospital service, and you have 
taken care of the cost of living, have kept it down below what employee 
in other communities have been forced to pay. You have practically been 
able by your great strength here as a huge corporation, dominating the 
whole community, to look out for the welfare of your employee, and to 
bring in an admirable class of citizens. It seems also that you are 
influential in polities, that you secure a good class of officials, and 
that you have secured the enforcement of law, the reduction of 
immorality. It seems also that you make an effort to build up the 
religious life of the community and that your policy is broad and 
liberal in all respects. I take it also that this policy depends solely 
upon your personality. Such inquiries as I have made here indicate that 
in all eases the stockholders leave all these matters to you personally 
and that this broad policy has been carried out by you on your own 
initiative, and that you have felt that it was necessary, for the good 
of the community, the securing a fine class of labor here, which you 
have undoubtedly done, that you should hold the reins pretty tight on 
this community."  

	Adding that he had visited business men and talked with 
individuals in the camp, the chairman stated that from all he could see 
or hear the Homestake management had wielded its power with the utmost 
fairness, had encouraged the religious life and educational life of the 
community, and asked suggestions from Mr. Grier as to recommendations 
to be made congress as a basis for legislation, pointing out in, the 
course of his remarks the feet that another man in Mr. Grier's place 
might not exercise his power with the same fairness, justice and 
generosity that have characterized Mr. Grier's administration.  

	Splendid and well merited tribute to Mr. Grier was paid by one of 
the local papers which said:  

	"It was not his great executive genius alone, his ability for the 
management of a great property involving countless details and 
unlimited capacity for work, that Mr. Grier in his superintendency of 
the Homestake Mine made Lead unique in the industrial world. It was by 
the high character of the man - the honor, courage, justice and 
generosity. It was not merely a working policy that gave to Homestake 
employee and to Lead people in general whatever of good it lay in his 
great power to bestow - it was the big, fatherly heart that made it 
possible for every man to look to Mr. Grier for justice and generous 
treatment and never to look in vain. In the management of Homestake 
affairs Mr. Grier was given all power. It rested with him to institute 
and carry out policies and plans for the control of an industry upon 
whose successful working Lead and her people depend absolutely while 
all the Hills is to a great degree dependent upon it. How many men 
would have been able to lay aside every consideration of personal 
aggrandizement or personal ambition and think only of the interests of 
the employee of the company and the rights of the stockholders? There 
was no reason why Mr. Grier should not have been a heavy stockholder. 
No reason why he should not have been a millionaire many times over 
without in any way breaking the requirements of law and of honesty. 
There was no reason, that is, except the fine sense of honor that 
prompted him, feeling that not being a stockholder would place him in 
better attitude toward the company and its operatives, to refuse to 
profit himself by the increase in values brought about largely through 
him That unselfishness showed itself in many ways. Mr. Grier could have 
spared himself much of anxiety and of effort had he been less concerned 
for the welfare of others and more for his own. But in all things the 
well-being and happiness of those under him and the interests of the 
company whose property he controlled came before any personal 
consideration."  

	A modern statesman and philosopher has said: "In all this world 
the thing supremely worth having is the opportunity, coupled with the 
capacity, to do well and worthily a piece of work, the doing of which 
shall be of vital significance to mankind." Such an opportunity came to 
Mr. Grier and well did he improve it and his career illustrates the 
saying of another eminent American statesman, "There is something 
better than making a living - making a life."