Ohio County, West Virginia Biography of Edwin J. PAYNE ************************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: Material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. These pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor. Submitted by Sue Schell , March 2000 ************************************************************************** The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc., Chicago and New York, Volume II, Pg. 399 & 400 BIO: Edwin J. Payne, Ohio Co., WV Edwin J. Payne, who came to West Virginia less than twenty years ago, has had a cumulative career in the coal industry, piling up one interest and responsibility upon another, and is one of the busiest and most successful men in his line at Huntington. The Lake & Export Coal Company, of which he is president, operates some of the large mines in the bituminous fields of West Virginia and Kentucky, and handles the product both for domestic and export trade. Mr. Payne was born at Newport, Kentucky, March 29, 1883. His father, William A. Payne, was born in Illinois in 1852, was reared in the vicinity of Newport, Kentucky, and after his marriage lived in that city. For a number of years he was an employee of the American Express Company, and operated the Eureka Tackle Block Manufacturing Company. William A. Payne, who died at Newport in 1905, was a republican, a member of the Episcopal Church and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He married Flora Ello, who was born at Newport, April 16, 1855, and died at Huntington, West Virginia, in November, 1920. Her two sons are Harry V., connected with a hardware business at Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Edwin J. Edwin J. Payne acquired a grammar and high school education at Newport, attended Bartlett’s Business College of Cincinnati in 1899, and subsequently pursued a mining course with the International Correspondence School of Scranton. Beginning at the age of eighteen, he was in the service of the Louisville and Nashville Railway Company for two years, and in 1904, about the time he attained his majority, he came to West Virginia and at Rend, now called Minden, became secretary to the general manager of the W. P. Rend Coal Company. This company sold out to the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company in 1905, but Mr. Payne retained the same position and was with that organization for eight years, serving in various capacities at the mines and in the office of the general superintendent at Chain. In 1912 he became secretary to George M. Jones, son of the late C. T. Jones, in the management of the C. T. Jones estate at Oak Hill in Fayette County. At the same time he became secretary of the Amherst Coal Company, and in 1913, when these interests took over the Virginia-Buffalo Coal Company, Mr. Payne was made its secretary and also secretary of the Argyle Coal Company. In 1914 he helped organize the Amherst-Fuel Company, and was vice president and general manager of these interests until 1917. He organized in 1917 the E. J. Payne Coal Company, but on account of the war sold out to the Logan Pocahontas Fuel Company of Charleston, and acted as general sales manager of the Main Island Creek Coal Company until July, 1919. At that date he assisted in organizing the Lake & Export Coal Corporation, of which he is president. This is a West Virginia corporation, with Mr. Payne, president, H. E. Moran, of New York City, and F. L. Poindexter, of Huntington, vice presidents, and S. J. Hyman, of Huntington, secretary and treasurer. The corporation operates mines on New River, Coal River, in the Logan District of West Virginia and in the Big Sandy District of Kentucky. These various mines have a total capacity of 1,000,000 tons of bituminous coal annually. The main offices of the company are in the Lecco Building at Huntington, but in the sale and handling of the products offices are also maintained at New York City, Chicago, Norfolk, Detroit and in Paris, France. In addition to this corporation Mr. Payne has some individual interests in coal lands in Fayette County. He is a republican, a member of Trinity Episcopal Church of Huntington, and was twice master of Oak Hill Lodge No. 120, A. F. and A. M., at Oak Hill, West Virginia. He is a member of Sewall Chapter No. 23, R. A. M., at Thurmond, Huntington Lodge of Perfection No. 4, Rose Croix Chapter No, 4 of the Scottish Rite at Huntington, West Virginia Consistory No. 1 at Wheeling, and Beni-Kedem Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Charleston. Mr. Payne is a member of the Rotary Club, the Guyandotte Club and the Guyan Country Club of Huntington. He has one of the finest homes in the city, located at 2976 Staunton Road. In October, 1908, at Montgomery, West Virginia, he married Miss Margaret Baber, daughter of Dr. George P. and Amanda Baber, the latter resident Huntington. Her father, who was a physician and surgeon, died at Lansing, West Virginia, during Mrs. Payne’s early childhood. Mr. and Mrs. Payne, have two children: Edwin Kent, born September 1, 1909, now a student in the Greenbrier Military School at Lewisburg, West Virginia; and Dorothy Alice, born July 7, 1914.