James W. Maney (January 3, 1862 – July 13, 1945) was an American

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

and

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

contractor A contractor is a person or company that performs work on a contract basis. The term may refer to: Business roles * Defense contractor, arms industry which provides weapons or military goods to a government * General contractor, an individual o ...

during the late 19th and early 20th century. He was an early resident of

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, and ...

, helped to shape its development, and lived there most of his life. He built railroads throughout the West, invented a widely used earth-moving tool, and lived in a now-historic home.

Early life

On January 3, 1862 James William Maney was born to Michael Maney and Johanna Hartnet Maney in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Both parents were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

and had immigrated from

County Kerry, Ireland County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

. The family later moved to

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, where James grew up on a farm.Thoburn, Joseph Bradfield, ''A standard history of Oklahoma,'' Volume 3, page 1085
/ref>

Career

At age 17, Maney began working for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

. By age 22 he had become a railroad contractor, which became his lifelong career. At the age of 22 he built three miles on the

Burlington and Missouri River Railroad The Burlington and Missouri River Railroad (B&MR) or sometimes (B&M) was an American railroad company incorporated in Iowa in 1852, with headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. It was developed to build a railroad across the state of Iowa and began oper ...

in the state of

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. His next contract was in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

. When

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

was opened for settlement in 1889, Maney built the second railroad into the state. Within months of the opening of the territory, he settled in the area which would become Oklahoma City. By 1900 he was reputed to be "the largest railroad contractor in Oklahoma." In addition to building railroads, he went into the mill and grain business, and bought large tracts of land in both rural Oklahoma and Oklahoma City. He also owned a controlling interest in the Jordan Valley Irrigation District in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and helped develop that land for agricultural purposes. He was instrumental in the development and growth of Oklahoma City. He worked closely with

Henry Overholser Henry Overholser (April 14, 1846 – August 25, 1915) was an American businessman, county commissioner, and important contributor to the development of Oklahoma City. He was the first to erect two-story buildings in the city, both of which were ...

and Anton Classen. He built a Victorian mansion in downtown Oklahoma City, where he and his family resided until his death in 1945. The house was later used as the location of the offices for the

Oklahoma Gazette The ''Oklahoma Gazette'' is a free alt-weekly paper distributed throughout the Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. T ...

and is now a

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

. The Maney House located north of NW 10th on N. Shartel. in Oklahoma City. The Maney Historic District in Oklahoma City is named for him and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. His former house is described as the oldest and most architecturally unique house in the historic district. He is known for his invention of an earth-moving tool called the Baker-Maney scraper, built by the Baker Manufacturing Company of

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

. The original model is in the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. Maney joined the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

, at the time a new society, and became Oklahoma's very first Grand Knight.

Marriage and death

On May 13, 1889 James William Maney wed Alphonsina Gerrer. Alphonsina was born in

Alsace, France Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

and lived there until she was a young teenager. James and Alphonsina had seven children, one of whom died during childhood at the age of 2 due to diphtheria. Alphonsina died following the birth of the seventh child due to blood poisoning. He was left widowed to raise the remaining six children. He died July 13, 1945,Oklahoma State University Digital Library
/ref> at the age of 83, and interred in the Maney family vault at the El Reno cemetery. Just a hundred yards away from the Interurban rail line from Oklahoma City to El Reno which he helped develop and construct for Oklahoma Railway.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maney, James W. 1862 births 1945 deaths Engineers from Pennsylvania 19th-century American railroad executives Businesspeople from Oklahoma City Businesspeople from Pittsburgh Victorian architecture in Oklahoma