Thursday Evening Speaker Series: Tom Connor, Joplin’s Zinc King

The Thursday Evening Speaker Series is free of charge and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Unless otherwise noted, programs will be held at the Missouri State Archives, located at 600 W. Main Street in Jefferson City. The series is underwritten by the Friends of the Missouri State Archives.

Born in Ireland, Tom Connor lived the classic American rags-to-riches story. He witnessed several of the Civil War’s major battles as a newsboy with the 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, then spent a decade wandering around the U.S. working various odd jobs before ending up in southwest Missouri. Connor soon developed a knack for knowing which tracts of land had rich zinc deposits beneath. He bought thousands of acres of land containing the ore and was a millionaire by the time he turned 31. He also “grubstaked” countless other miners, furnishing picks, drills, and other supplies in exchange for a percentage of royalties if a strike resulted. Unlike Joplin’s other mining kings, Connor never built a mansion for himself, preferring to spend his money on others. He gave thousands of dollars to churches and charities in Joplin land his hometown of Tiffin, Ohio, but his greatest gift was “the finest hotel property in this part of the country.”

Presented by author Chad Stebbins