Marshall University - Chief Justice Yearbook (Huntington, WV)

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.JOHN' LAIXG John Laing, President of a large number of leading coal companies in West Virginia, was born near Glasgow, Scotland, August 21. 1865, the son of Alexander and Elizabeth Laing, and where his family had lived for years and had always been interested in mining. The birthplace of Mr. Laing is the same as that of Sir Harry Lauder, the famous Scotch humorist, and he and Lauder still maintain their childhood friendship. Mr. Laing’s parents emigrated to America in 1867, locating near Sharon, Mercer county, Pennsylvania. They lived in Mercer county and Mahoning county, Pennsylvania, until 1881, when the family moved to West Virginia, where they have lived ever since. However, before 1881 Mr. Laing had spent a year or two working in the mines of West Virginia. As a boy he worked in the mines of Fayette county. West Virginia, until 1898, when he was made manager of a company store. In the next few years he helped to organize the following companies, all of which were located in the low volatile coal fields of the state, namely: Sun Coal Company, Sun. W. Va.; Royal Coal Company, at Royal, W. Va.; Lanark Coal Company, Lanark. W. Va.. and Rush Run. Brooklyn, and Cunard companies in Fayette county: McAlpin Coal Company and Morrison Company in Raleigh county. He also organized and developed Main Island Creek, MacGregor and MacBeth companies in Logan county: the McKay Coal Cmpany in Gilmer county, the Sharon Coal Company, Sharon, W. Va., and the Wyatt Coal Sales Company in Charleston, which is the sales agency of all the other companies in which he is interested. For almost a third of a century Mr. Laing has stood at the front of affairs in his community and state. He was chief of the department of mines of the state from 1908 untiy 1916, serving under Governors Dawson, Glasscock and Hatfield. While serving in this capacity he was instrumental in establishing a rule that all superintendents, mine foremen and mine bosses should have certificates of competency before serving in any of those capacities. In 1903 Mr. Laing was married to Miss Margaret Slagle of Hanover, York county, Pennsylvania. lie has two daughters living, Louisa and Gertrude, and one, Margaret, is dead. One of his daughters is the wife of Dr. Herbert Garred, Baltimore, while the other was recently married to William G. Conley II. son of Governor Conley. Mr. Laing is vice-President of the Feather River Pine Mills, Inc., of Oryville, California: President of the Capital City Bank of Charleston; a director of the Ohio Valley Bank, Huntington : a director of the Plymouth Oil Company of Texas. He is a thirty-second degree Mason, a life member of the Society of Elks, a deacon of the First Presbyterian church. Charleston : President of the Charleston Union Mission, chairman of the finance committee of the Charleston Y.M.C.A. Politically he leaned toward the Republican party, but has never, outside jif taking .the l$eep interest, of a citizen, l een closely affiliated with politiekj'.linriiefi. !dow£vyr. £e ;fl. ‘Vrs'sl Wniyan active interest in civic and state'sffairs. Mr Tuning l jts ffiade-his rhtfrtJC in Charleston for the past twenty years.

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strumental in the development of the natural resources of our state, and whose interest extends to all fields of this modern age, we affectionately dedicate the 1930 Mirabilia. rive