Background

Horace V. Winchell was born on November 1, 1865, at Galesburg, Michigan, the son of Newton Horace Winchell and Charlotte Sophia Imus, both of old New England stock.

Education

Winchell studied at the University of Minnesota and the University of Michigan, and was graduated from the latter in 1889.

Career

Interested in the practical application of economic geology and attracted by his father and his uncle, Alexander Winchell, to a study of the iron-ore deposits of Minnesota, he worked first as assistant state geologist of Minnesota and then for the Minnesota Mining Company. His book, The Iron Ores of Minnesota (1891), which he wrote with his father, became a standard work of reference. Before the first production of ore was made from the great Mesabi range in 1892, young Winchell had prepared reports and maps of it, predicting its coming importance and explaining correctly the origin of the ores, but those interested financially refused to consider his predictions, and geologists disregarded or adopted without credit to him the early theories which he advanced.

The panic and depression of 1893 ended his explorations for the Minnesota Iron Company, and he established a laboratory and office in Minneapolis with F. F. Sharpless, but his professional engagements turned him toward the West.

In 1898, at the suggestion of David W. Brunton, he went to Butte, Montana, in connection with litigation between W. A. Clark and the Anaconda Copper Mining Company. This was the beginning of a long and mutually profitable engagement of his services by the Anaconda interests. As head of the geological department of this company, he served in the famous "apex law" suits against Frederick Augustus Heinze. His systematic organization of geological data and close studies of the occurrence of the ore set a mark for others to strive for, and encouraged mining companies to establish geological departments. Some of the results of his researches could not be published at that time because of lawsuits and commercial rivalry, but later geologists recognized his pioneer work in the explanation of the origin of ore deposits.

For two years (1906 - 1808) he was chief geologist for the Great Northern Railway, with headquarters in St. Paul, and his recommendations led to its purchase of extensive iron and coal lands. Still retaining a connection with the Anaconda company, he broadened his general consulting practice in 1908 and made examinations in many parts of the world. In particular, he testified as an expert in cases of mining law involving application of the puzzling "apex law, " on which he was a leading authority. While reporting in 1917 on mineral properties in the Caucasus and elsewhere in Russia, he witnessed the Kerensky revolution. He was elected president of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers in 1919. As one of the founders of the periodical, Economic Geology, he turned over to it the good-will and following of the old American Geologist.

In 1921 he removed from Minneapolis to Los Angeles. A generous interest in public service was shown by his earnest attempts to improve the tangled laws governing prospecting and mining; in the controversy over the Cunningham coal claims in Alaska he protested vigorously against the government's arbitrary cancellation of them. Horace Vaughn Winchell died on July 28, 1923, in Los Angeles, California.

Achievements

• The scientist, Horace Vaughn Winchell devoted his career to the observational and theoretical aspects of geology; he was the first person to map Minnesota's geology and mineral deposits, and discovered the valuable low-grade iron ore deposits of the Mesabi and Vermilion ranges. After his death his valuable library was given to the Engineering Societies Library of New York by his wife and the Anaconda company.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Geology of Pachuca and El Oro, Mexico

    (This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)

  • The Iron Ores of Minnesota: Their Geology, Discovery, Development, Qualities, and Origin, and Comparison with Those of Other Iron Districts - Prim

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • The Lake Superior Iron-ore Region, U.s.a.: A Paper Read Before The Federated Institution Of Mining Engineers...

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

Membership

From 1919, Horace Winchell was a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers.

Personality

Horace V. Winchell had a ready ability in expressing opinions both orally and in print, although in personality he was modest and generous.

Interests

• His wide interests included music, natural history, literature and art.

Connections

On January 15, 1890, Horace V. Winchell married his cousin, Ida Belle Winchell. The couple had a son, who died in infancy.

Mother:

Charlotte Sophia Winchell (Imus)

Sister:

Louise Denman (Winchell)

Sister :

Ima Caroline Stacy (Winchell)

wife :

Ida Belle Winchell

colleague:

F. F. Sharpless

Son :

Royal Winchell

Brother:

Alexander Newton Winchell

Alexander Newton Winchell was an American geologist.

Brother:

Avis Winchell Grant

Father :

Newton Horace Winchell

Newton Horace Winchell was an American geologist and archaeologist.

Uncle:

Alexander Winchell

Alexander Winchell was an American geologist, teacher and author.