Seeley W. Mudd
Encyclopedia
Col. Seeley Wintersmith Mudd (1861–1926) was a mining engineer. He was born in Kirkwood
, a suburb of St. Louis
, Missouri
on August 16, 1861. He attended Washington University of St. Louis, where he graduated in 1883 with a degree in mining engineering. In December 1885, he moved to Leadville, Colorado
, to work at the Small Hopes silver mine, then in bonanza. He became the mine’s manager in the summer of 1887. In 1901, he and his family (wife Della Mullock and sons Harvey S. Mudd
and Seeley G. Mudd) moved to Los Angeles
, California
, where he worked as a consulting engineer for the Guggenheim Exploration Company. He acquired his first capital by choosing to receive a percent of the findings instead of a fixed salary. In 1907 he started up the Ray Copper Mine in Arizona
, which is still in production.
In early 1914, just before World War I
, he partnered with Charles Godfrey Gunther for a drilling opportunity in the island of Cyprus
, where evidence of Roman
and Phoenicia
n mining of Copper ore had been found. After obtaining permission from the British government, which was ruling Cyprus at the time, Cyprus Mines Corporation
was formally launched and in March 1916 and shares of stock authorized. In the same year, he applied for a commission in the Engineer Officers Reserve Corps, and on February 12, 1917, he received his commission as a Major. In 1918 he became a Colonel in the U.S. Army.
The Engineering building at Columbia University
was named in his honor, as was the School of Philosophy building at the University of Southern California
.
Kirkwood, Missouri
Kirkwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,540. Founded in 1853, the city is named for James Pugh Kirkwood, builder of the Pacific Railroad through that town. It was the first planned suburb located west...
, a suburb of St. Louis
St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
on August 16, 1861. He attended Washington University of St. Louis, where he graduated in 1883 with a degree in mining engineering. In December 1885, he moved to Leadville, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, to work at the Small Hopes silver mine, then in bonanza. He became the mine’s manager in the summer of 1887. In 1901, he and his family (wife Della Mullock and sons Harvey S. Mudd
Harvey Seeley Mudd
Harvey Seeley Mudd was a mining engineer and founder, investor, and president of Cyprus Mines Corporation, a Los Angeles-based international enterprise that operated copper mines on the island of Cyprus. The science and engineering college Harvey Mudd College was named in memory of him...
and Seeley G. Mudd) moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he worked as a consulting engineer for the Guggenheim Exploration Company. He acquired his first capital by choosing to receive a percent of the findings instead of a fixed salary. In 1907 he started up the Ray Copper Mine in Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, which is still in production.
In early 1914, just before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he partnered with Charles Godfrey Gunther for a drilling opportunity in the island of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, where evidence of Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
and Phoenicia
Phoenicia
Phoenicia , was an ancient civilization in Canaan which covered most of the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent. Several major Phoenician cities were built on the coastline of the Mediterranean. It was an enterprising maritime trading culture that spread across the Mediterranean from 1550...
n mining of Copper ore had been found. After obtaining permission from the British government, which was ruling Cyprus at the time, Cyprus Mines Corporation
Cyprus Mines Corporation
The Cyprus Mines Corporation was an early twentieth century American mining company based in Cyprus. In 1914, Charles G. Gunther began prospecting in the Skouriotissa area after reading in ancient books that the island was rich in copper and noticing promising ancient Roman slag heaps in the area....
was formally launched and in March 1916 and shares of stock authorized. In the same year, he applied for a commission in the Engineer Officers Reserve Corps, and on February 12, 1917, he received his commission as a Major. In 1918 he became a Colonel in the U.S. Army.
The Engineering building at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
was named in his honor, as was the School of Philosophy building at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.