JOYCE, DAVID 1825 – 1894

JOYCE

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 6/8/2011 at 15:13:10

Clinton Morning Age, Wednesday December 5, 1894, P. 4
LYONS
D. JOYCE DEAD.
THE LUMBER KING PASSES AWAY TUESDAY.
At Minneapolis – Two Paralytic Strokes the Cause – Brief Review of his Life.
David Joyce, known all over the Northwest as one of the most successful saw mill operators and lumber kings, died at Minneapolis at 4:20 a. m., Tuesday morning.
Some two weeks ago he suffered a stroke of paralysis while there on business, from which he did not recover sufficiently to return home, and two days ago he suffered the second stroke, which proved fatal, life remaining twenty-four hours after the death seal had been placed on the long time vigorous physical man, controlled by an indomitable will, a will and mind which knew not failure, or could not encounter any conditions it did not feel able to contend with successfully.
The only son, W. T. Joyce, and the ever faithful wife and mother, were with him during his last days, who wire that they will reach here over the Q at 5:15 this morning, when the body will be taken to the family home in the south part of the city, after which arrangements for the funeral will be announced, it yet being not known here whether the burial will occur in Oakland or occur in the far east where relatives have been interred.
Mr. Joyce had been in the north some time, called there by the forest fires which destroyed considerable property he was interested in, and looking after these losses he probably over-exerted himself, as his health had been feeble for some years, thus bringing on the dissolution.
His had been a busy life, he ceaselessly striving to acquire property and as earnestly looking after it when acquired, in person, doing work which would have been a task for several ordinary men and minds. He was eminently successful, and dies probably the wealthiest lumberman in the northwest, and perhaps in the world, no estimate of his vast wealth being possible to approximate.
At the time of his death he was president of the First National Bank, Lyons; Trinity County Lumber Co., Groveton, Texas; Langford & Hall Lumber Co., Fulton, Ill.; Benjamin Machine Co., Chicago; Crescent Springs Railroad Company, Crescent Springs, Wis.; secretary and treasurer of Barronett Lumber Co., Barronett, Wis.; and Shell Lake Lumber Co., Shell Lake, Wis. He was also one of the heaviest stockholders in the White River Lumber Co., Mason, Wis.; Park Hotel, Hot Springs, Ark; and the Mississippi River Logging Co. and several enterprises of the last named company. He also held stock in a number of Chicago banks, and owned large tracts of timber land in Wisconsin and Texas. All these enterprises, together with his mill in this city and the many lumber yards in various towns in the State, were looked after by him personally.
He was not partial to personal or public honors, so was little of a politician. Despite this he was elected without opposition as mayor in 1872 and served four years. He took much interest in school and municipal matters, and as an advisor was frequently consulted.
A stern man of great will power, he would rule, yet ask his men today, and many of them have served him for years, and they will tell you that he was just and generous, honest in purpose as well as act.