John Caldwell Calhoun Mayo (September 16, 1864 – May 11, 1914) was an American entrepreneur, educator, and politician. He is known for attracting corporate interest in the

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...

deposits of

Eastern Kentucky Eastern may refer to: Transportation * China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

and Southwestern Virginia, leading to the development of commercial

coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

in the region. The creation of the broad form deed is also attributed to Mayo in the early 1900s.

Early life

Mayo was born in Gulnare, Kentucky to Thomas Jefferson Mayo and Mary E. Leslie Mayo. His family moved to

Johnson County, Kentucky Johnson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,680. Its county seat is Paintsville. The county was formed in 1843 and named for Richard Mentor Johnson, War of 1812 general, United ...

in 1870 from

Pike County, Kentucky Pike County is a county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 58,669. Its county seat is Pikeville. The county was founded in 1821. With regard to the sale of alcohol, it is classified as a moist county– ...

where they established their home in Paintsville. Mayo attended subscription schools until he enrolled to

Kentucky Wesleyan College Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. The college is known for its liberal arts programs. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Ken ...

in Millersburg. He graduated class of 1879 and began teaching school in Paintsville at the age of 22. While attending college, Mayo had realized the potential of

and other mineral deposits in the Big Sandy Valley.

Rise to wealth

During his teaching tenure, Mayo began to buy land and

mineral rights Mineral rights are property rights to exploit an area for the minerals it harbors. Mineral rights can be separate from property ownership (see Split estate). Mineral rights can refer to sedentary minerals that do not move below the Earth's surfa ...

in using his teaching salary. He would in turn sell the land or the rights to the land to eastern

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

and coal companies at a considerable profit, while convincing them to invest in exploration and

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

of the region. Mayo formed a

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

company in 1888 that specialized in acquiring land and mineral rights in

and Southwestern Virginia. In 1889, the company became known as the Paintsville Coal and Mining Company. Within two years, the Paintsville Coal and Mining Company owned nearly all of the Elkhorn Creek Coalfield. John C

Mayo's land began to increase in value in 1893. After he displayed coal from his land at the Chicago's World Fair, a wealthy businessman named Peter L. Kimberley purchased $10,000 in the company's holdings. This money was used to further expand the land and mineral rights owned by the Paintsville Coal and Mining Company. In 1901, Mayo founded the Northern Coal and Coke Company and transferred his landholdings in

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

, Floyd, and Lawrence counties in Kentucky into the company. This greatly increased Mayo's wealth as he received $250,000 and 25% in company stocks. The Northern Coal and Coke Company controlled in the Elkhorn Coal Field when it sold the company sold its land holdings and mineral rights to

Consolidation Coal Company Consolidation may refer to: In science and technology * Consolidation (computing), the act of linkage editing in computing * Memory consolidation, the process in the brain by which recent memories are crystallised into long-term memory * Pulmona ...

in 1909.

Mayo Mansion

By 1905, Mayo had amassed enough wealth to build a larger home in Paintsville. He had married Alice Jane Meek and they now had two children, John C.C. 2nd and Mary Margaret. Mayo had originally planned a modest twenty room house, but following trips to the

Bluegrass region The Bluegrass region is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It makes up the central and northern part of the state, roughly bounded by the cities of Frankfort, Paris, Richmond and Stanford. The Bluegrass region is characteri ...

of Kentucky, and having in 1904 acquired

Varina Farms Varina Farms, also known as Varina Plantation or Varina Farms Plantation or Varina on the James, is a plantation established in the 17th century on the James River about south of Richmond, Virginia. An property was listed on the National Regi ...

, the Powhatan Plantation in Mayo's ancestral Virginia, he decided to build a mansion which would rival those he had seen. His plans were expanded for a

classic revival Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism wa ...

mansion with forty rooms. Construction broke ground in a swampy area. The construction crews filled in the swampy area and then went to work on building the foundation for the estate. Sandstone used in the foundation was mined from his father's farm on the other side of Paint Creek. The stones were then transported from the farm across a distance of three-quarters of a mile by an overhead tram. The stone columns surrounding the exterior of the mansion were each transported through the creek during dry periods on sleds pulled by twenty-oxen teams. The masonry for the mansion was performed by

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

stonemasons Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

from

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

. Originally, light was to be provided in the mansion by using carbide gas, but near the end of construction, Paintsville received electrical service. The plans for the mansion were changed to include electrical wiring. The mansion was also designed to include running water, by pumping water from a well to a cistern and then to the house as required. Rain water from the gutters went into the

cistern A cistern (Middle English ', from Latin ', from ', "box", from Greek ', "basket") is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by ...

and in turn to the house also. Construction of the mansion was completed in December 1912 with costs in excess of $250,000 ($ in dollars). Mayo Mansion was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

on May 3, 1974. Mayo office

Politics

Mayo was a millionaire by 1910, and he was already exerting political influence. He used portions of his wealth to help elect governors and congressmen. He also contributed heavily to the presidential campaign of

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of P ...

. He is the only eastern Kentuckian to ever be a member of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

Final years

In 1913, Mayo went on a three-month tour of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

, including

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and other foreign capitals. This tour was a trip of both business and pleasure. On August 20, he returned to Paintsville. An elaborate reception was given by John E. Buckingham, a close friend of Mayo. Citizens from all over the area went to welcome back "Johnson County's most prominent resident". Unknown to the guests at the reception, Mayo was already suffering from

Bright's Disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanie ...

. It was soon released to the public that Mayo was ill. Originally, the newspapers reported that Mayo had

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

and was resting at his mansion. Mayo didn't stay resting for long. A week later, Mayo conducted business as usual, but citizens of Paintsville could tell he was seriously ill. Specialists were soon called in from

. Mayo had been experiencing periods of unconsciousness according to reports. Bright's Disease had attacked the function of the liver, but news reports were still hopeful for a quick recovery. On March 1, 1914, Mayo was taken by special train to the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, where an entire floor was occupied. John C

Bulletins were issued almost daily on Mayo's condition, often conflicting. In late April, Mayo was finally moved to the

Waldorf Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schu ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

where another group of specialists were in wait to care for him. On May 9, it was announced that Mayo had developed

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...

. He died two days later, on May 11, 1914 at the Waldorf Astoria, which is now the site of the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from " Empire State", the nickname of the ...

. Nearly 5,000 people attended his funeral on May 14, 1914. Funeral services were held at what is now known as Mayo Memorial United Methodist Church, the same church that Mayo had built just across the street from his mansion and to which Andrew Carnegie had donated the pipe organ. The governor of the Commonwealth, James B. McCreary, brought a delegation of state officials to Mayo's funeral.

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

Clarence Wayland Watson and

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics *Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people *House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities *Legislator, someon ...

C. Bascom Slemp represented the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

. Citizens of Johnson County held a

vigil A vigil, from the Latin ''vigilia'' meaning ''wakefulness'' (Greek: ''pannychis'', or ''agrypnia'' ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word ''vigilia'' has become genera ...

at the train station until the train carrying Mayo's body pulled into the terminal. Mayo's body was transported to Mayo Mansion to lie in state. From the announcement of Mayo's death on May 11, until after the funeral, all of the towns businesses and banks were closed. At the time of his death, Mayo was the wealthiest person in the state of Kentucky with US $20 million in assets ($ in dollars).Whenever he could get a little money saved up he would buy an option on a piece of land
appalachianhistory.net. Retrieved 2014-07-01.

References

External links

''Death Claims John C.C. Mayo''
Big Sandy News. May 15, 1911. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mayo, John Caldwell Calhoun 1864 births 1914 deaths People from Pike County, Kentucky People from Johnson County, Kentucky Kentucky Democrats American real estate businesspeople Deaths from peritonitis American energy industry businesspeople 19th-century American businesspeople