Janin, Louis

Biography

Louis Janin (Nov. 7, 1837-March 6, 1914), one of three sons in a New Orleans family who followed the profession of mining engineer, figured prominently in Western mining for nearly sixty years. Educated at Yale and then at the Freiberg Mining Academy, Janin began his career out West in 1861, shortly after his return from Europe. He made his first mark on the profession in the early 1860's on the Comstock Lode, where he applied his scientific training to improving the extraction of silver from formerly-discarded tailings. In subsequent years, first in the employ of others and later in his own practice, he obtained experience on mining fields all over the Far West. Having established a considerable reputation as a consulting engineer for accuracy and discriminating judgment, Janin acquired a growing list of clients including investors in Mexican properties and, in 1873, the Japanese government. His many skills and the breadth of his experience particularly attracted litigants in mining suits, who regularly employed Janin to ascertain the facts of the matter or provide corroborative testimony. Although afflicted in later life with a variety of ailments, Janin carried on with his work for some years and attained the profound respect of his peers. The three sons of his marriage to Elizabeth Marshall, Louis, Jr., Eugene, and Charles, chose their father's profession, carrying on the distinguished family name with their own careers.

The collection consists of two letterbooks containing press copies of Janin's business and personal correspondence between 1878 and 1894, a number of incoming letters primarily from the Concepcion Mining & Milling Co. for the years 1887 through 1889, several property appraisals authored by Janin in the 1870's, and 47 notebooks and pocket diaries kept by Janin between 1859 and 1889, containing financial accounts, addresses, memoranda, experimental data, and rough notes for mining surveys.