JOHN D. MCMILLAN:

John Duncan McMillan was born in 1860, the third of five children born to John and Mary McMillan of La Crosse, Wisconsin. As a teenager John Duncan went to work as a bookkeeper for the W.W. Cargill Company in La Crosse. He remained with the firm until 1887 when he moved to Minneapolis and established the Osborne-McMillan Elevator Company with another former Cargill employee, Edward Osborne.

By 1917 the Osborne-McMillan Elevator Company employed 350 people and operated approximately 150 elevators including the Shoreham Elevator in Minneapolis, a chain of elevators along the Great Northern and Soo Line railways, and holdings in the Canadian Northwest. McMillan became president of the company and was also a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce, and the Duluth Board of Trade. He also served as a director of the First National Bank in Minneapolis and the Cargill Company (1910-1934).

John D. McMillan married Grace Ives (Nellie) Thomason on October 7, 1885. The couple had four children: John Russell (1886-1973), Margaret (1888-1894), Katherine (Mrs. Frank Shepard) (1895-1973), and Howard Ives (1897-1960). John D. McMillan died in 1941.

Biographical data was taken from W. Duncan MacMillan, MacGhillemhaoil (Wayzata, Minn.: Privately Printed, 1990) vol. 1, pp. 167-168.

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Personal papers:

Includes correspondence relating to family matters from John D. McMillan's daughter and son-in-law, Katherine and Frank Shepard (1932-1933); his niece, Mary Lou West (1932); and his sister, Dr. Mamie MacMillan (1932-1933). There is also a group of condolence notes McMillan received following his wife's death in February, 1933.

Additional correspondence includes letters from George H. Partridge (1912-1919), regarding McMillan's financial support of the Unity Settlement House in Minneapolis; Frederick D. Underwood (1907-1914), discussing Underwood's stock holdings in the Minnekota Elevator Company; and George H. Crosby (1918-1922), regarding McMillan's investments in the Crosby Iron Syndicate in Duluth, Minnesota. The remaining correspondence (undated, 1912-1926) consists of a few letters and several postcards from family members and friends.

There are a few legal documents related to family matters including McMillan's sister Mary's divorce decree from Emory J. Tull (July 27, 1898), an inventory and appraisal of the real and personal estate of Margaret Thomason of La Crosse, Wisconsin (November 30, 1914), and the last will and testament of McMillan's wife, Grace (December 11, 1931).

Other legal documents include a series of reports (1925-1928) submitted to the district court by John D. McMillan and the Minneapolis Trust Company documenting the discharge of their duties as trustees of Edward N. Osborne's will, and a, group of documents pertaining to McMillan's real estate holdings in La Crosse, Minneapolis, Whapeton (N.D.), and Becker County (Minn.).

The remaining personal papers consist of correspondence related to McMillan's hunting and fishing activities, a few unidentified photographs, miscellaneous receipts, and a small amount of material related to McMillan's genealogy.

Business records:

Includes articles of incorporation, minute books, stock certificate books, tax returns, a ledger, a cashbook, leases, lawsuits, bills of sales, and proxies documenting the early history of John D. McMillan's and Edward Osborne's business operations (1888-1943). Firms represented include the Osborne-McMillan Elevator Company; the Northland, Empire, Minnekota, and International elevator companies; the Lemert Grain Company; and the Missouri Valley Land Company.

A more detailed inventory outlining the key events, dates, and stockholders' and directors' names found in the records is located at the beginning of the series.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. John D. McMillan Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Processing Information:

Processed by: Frank Hennessy, May 1996

Catalog ID number: 990017329210104294

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Grain elevators -- Minnesota -- Management.

Grain elevators -- North Dakota -- Management.

Grain trade -- Minnesota.

Grain trade -- North Dakota.

Persons:

Crosby, George H., author.

MacMillan, Mary Emily, 1864-1936, author.

McMillan family.

McMillan, Grace E. (Grace Ellen), 1864-1933.

Osborne, Edward N.

Partridge, George H., 1856-, author.

Shepard, Katherine W., 1895-1973, author.

Tull, Emory J.

Tull, Mary R.

Underwood, Frederick D., author.

Organizations:

Crosby Iron Syndicate (Duluth, Minn.)

Empire Elevator Company (Minneapolis, Minn.)

International Elevator Company (Winnipeg, Man.)

Lemert Grain Company (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Minnekota Elevator Company (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Northland Elevator Company (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Osborne-McMillan Elevator Company (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Unity House (Minneapolis, Minn.)

Places:

Minneapolis (Minn.) -- Industries.

Document Types:

Bookkeeping records.

Photographs.

Postcards.

Stock certificates.

Occupations:

Grain elevator managers -- Minnesota.

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