Los Angeles County
Biographies
HARRY P. TAYLOR
TAYLOR, HARRY P., Mining, Los Angeles, California, was born in Salt Lake city, Utah, February 10, 1876, the son of Gilbert H. Taylor and Eliza Jane (Riley) Taylor. He married Lois Meade Nesmith at St. Paul, Minnesota, December 30, 1903, and to them there have been born three children, Georgia Nesmith, John Gilbert and Jerome Nesmith Taylor.
Mr. Taylor received his preliminary education in the public school of Hailey, Idaho, supplementing this with a course at Oberlin Academy, Oberlin, Ohio, and a year’s special study at Cornell University. He finished his education in the Colorado School of Mines, graduating in the class of 1900 with the degree of Engineer of Mines.
Almost from the day of his graduation Mr. Taylor has been steadily engaged in mining, and in twelve years has established himself as one of the successful men of his profession.
Leaving school, he first went to Oregon and spent the years 1900-01 superintending mining operations on properties owned by officials of the Oregon Railway and navigation Company. He resigned in the last named year and became an examiner of mining properties for various individuals and corporations. His investigations covered a period of about four years and during that time he explored mining territory in Idaho, Nevada, Montana and British Columbia.
In 1905 he resumed actual mining work, going to Goldfield, Nevada, as Superintendent of the Mohawk-Jumbo Lease Company, which afterwards became one of the dividend-paying concerns of the State. At the time he entered Goldfield the boom of the famous camp was at its height and he was in the midst of the excitement. Some time after his arrival there he was employed by the Jumbo Extension Mining Company as an expert witness in their controversy with the Consolidated Mines Company, one of the historic litigations of Goldfield. Subsequently Mr. Taylor brought about a compromise between the contending parties and the suit was dropped.
Upon leaving the Jumbo Company he was appointed Consulting Engineer for the Florence Goldfield Mining Company, having charge of all the leases on the Florence properties. After holding this position for a time he decided to go into mining as an independent operator, and purchased a lease from the Florence Goldfield, afterwards organizing it, with two former classmates, into the Engineers’ Lease Company. Under Mr. Taylor’s direction this property was developed into one of the profitable properties of Nevada, it being of record that ore valued at one million two hundred thousand dollars was taken out of the property in a space of fourteen weeks. This was the most remarkably quick production ever known in the history of Nevada, and has stood as a mining record.
Mr. Taylor and his associates operated this property with great success until 1909, when they disposed of their interests and he moved to Los Angeles. He has lived there since that time, occupying a magnificent home which he has built in the fashionable Berkeley Square section of the city.
Since locating in Los Angeles Mr. Taylor has become interested in oil and mining enterprises in California, and also holds a valuable property in Old Mexico. His oil holdings are operated under the Kern Four Oil Company and the Engineers Oil Company, both of which he organized and in both of which he is President and General Manager. His mining work is done through the Potrero Mining Company, in which he also holds the office of President.
Mr. Taylor is a member of the Los Angeles Country Club, of the California Club and of the Alta Club, of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Transcribed 7-2-09
Marilyn R. Pankey.
Source: Press
Reference Library, Western Edition Notables of the West, Vol. I, Page 311,
International News Service, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Boston, Atlanta. 1913.
© 2009 Marilyn R. Pankey.
GOLDEN NUGGET'S LOS ANGELES BIOGRAPIES