Julius Kruttschnitt II (1885–1974) was an American-born mining manager, who helped to establish the mining industry in
Queensland, Australia
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
.
Early life and career
Kruttschnitt was born 7 May 1885 in
. He was the son of
Julius Kruttschnitt
Julius Kruttschnitt (July 30, 1854 – June 15, 1925) was a German American railroad executive.
Biography
He was born on July 30, 1854 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1873 and worked briefly as a s ...
and his wife Wilhelmina.
The elder Kruttschnitt was a railway engineer who would go on to become the Chairman of the Southern Pacific railroad company, which also laid tracks for their line in Mexico.
After an early education in
Belmont, California
Belmont is a city in San Mateo County in the U.S. state of California. It is in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the San Francisco Peninsula about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. Known for its wooded hills, views of the San Francisco ...
, Julius Kruttschnitt II went to
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, graduating with a B.Phil. in 1906. After a year of postgraduate work, he took a position as a mine surveyor with the Arizona Copper Company. Kruttschnitt married Marie Rose Pickering in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
in 1907.
He would join the mining department of the
American Smelting and Refining Company
Asarco LLC (American Smelting and Refining Company) is a mining, smelting, and refining company based in Tucson, Arizona, which mines and processes primarily copper. The company has been a subsidiary of Grupo México since 1999.
Its three large ...
(ASARCO) at their Reforma lead mine in Mexico in 1909. He then moved to
Asientos, Mexico to oversee their silver mine.
Kruttschnitt was recalled back to Tucson, Arizona in 1912 to oversee the company's mining department and remained there until 1930.
Management of Mount Isa Mines
In July 1930, Kruttschnitt took a position for ASARCO in Australia as general manager of
Mount Isa Mines
Mount Isa Mines Limited ("MIM") operates the Mount Isa copper, lead, zinc and silver mines near Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia as part of the Glencore group of companies. For a brief period in 1980, MIM was Australia's largest company. It has ...
Ltd, Queensland. It is probable that it was described as a short term position.
However the company was close to bankruptcy. After an agreement by ASARCO to make a million dollar loan to Mount Isa Mines Ltd,
the mine and smelters began producing their first lead bullion in mid 1931. Under Kruttschnitt's management, it would take six years until the mine cleared a profit in 1937 largely due to worldwide ore prices and the need for better extraction and milling methods,
and another ten before dividends were paid to investors. Kruttschnitt was well liked by the mine's employees, as he took an interest in providing better housing for employees and their families and improving community relations,
while General Manager. Kruttschnitt was appointed a director of Mount Isa Mines Ltd in 1931. He was later appointed chairman of the board in 1937, remaining in the role until 1953 when he retired as chairman. He continued on the board until 1967.
His wife Marie (née Pickering), also had a popular role in the Mt Isa community. She was active in the
Country Women's Association
The Country Women's Association (CWA) is the largest regional and rural advocacy group in Australia. It comprises seven independent State and Territory Associations, who are passionate advocates for country women and their families, working ...
, the Australian Inland Mission and, during the start of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, in the
Australian Comforts Fund
Australian Comforts Fund (ACF) was an Australian umbrella organisation for voluntary bodies set up after the outbreak of World War I. Many men and women worked at the ACF, including Alice Berry and Cyril Docker in WW2.
World War I
The Australi ...
. She died on 4 September 1940 from
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
; her body was returned to the USA for burial. In March 1941, a women's club which she had a major role in establishing was named the Marie Kruttschnitt Club in her memory. In 1944, he married his secretary Mrs Edna May Roger (née Maxted) in a private ceremony with Presbyterian rites at his home in Mount Isa. They moved to Twigg St, Indooroopilly in Brisbane after his retirement in 1953. This home was inundated by floodwater during the
Brisbane floods of 1974.
Memberships and awards
Kruttschnitt was also director of
Big Bell Mines Ltd, Anglo-Westralian Mining Pty Ltd, the Mining Trust Ltd, New Guinea Goldfields Ltd and several other companies. He was president of the Queensland Chamber of Mines, established in 1948,
for fourteen years. He was president of the
Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) provides services to professionals engaged in all facets of the global minerals sector and is based in Carlton, Victoria, Australia.
History
The Institute had its genesis in 1893 with ...
in 1939 and 1952. He was awarded a gold medal from the English
Institute of Mining and Metallurgy The Institution of Mining and Metallurgy (IMM) was a British research institution, founded in 1892. Members of the Institution used the post-nominals MIMM.
In 2002, it merged with The Institute of Materials (IOM) to form the Institute of Materials ...
in 1962. He was also awarded the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy's medal in recognition of his outstanding services to the mining industry of Australia in 1946. He was a member of the
American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. Kruttschnitt was a member of the
Australian Atomic Energy Commission's advisory committee on uranium mining from 1953-60. He sat on the board of the Faculty of Engineering at the
University of Queensland
, mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work
, established =
, endowment = A$224.3 million
, budget = A$2.1 billion
, type = Public research university
, chancellor = Peter Varghese
, vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry
, city = B ...
from 1954-62. He was granted an honorary Doctorate of Engineering in 1971 from the University of Queensland.
Later life
Kruttschnitt became an Australian citizen in 1965.
Kruttschnitt's second wife Edna predeceased him in 1967. He died at the St Andrew's War Memorial Hospital in Brisbane on 23 September 1974. Kruttschnitt was survived by two sons-Julius III and Ernest and two daughters Marie and Barbara from his first marriage and his step-son, Bruce from his second marriage. Kruttschnitt and wife Edna were both cremated and their ashes are interred at the Albany Creek Crematorium.
Legacy
The University of Queensland Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre at
Finney's Hill,
Indooroopilly
Indooroopilly is a riverside suburb 7km west of the Brisbane CBD, Queensland, Australia. In the , Indooroopilly had a population of 12,242 people.
Geography
Indooroopilly is bounded to the south and south-east by the median of the Brisbane Riv ...
was named for him in 1971.
His home,
Casa Grande
, settlement_type = City
, image_skyline = Casa Grande-Casa Grande Union High School-1920-2.jpg
, imagesize = 250px
, image_caption = Historic Casa Grande Union High School which now serves as the ...
, in Mount Isa is listed on the
Queensland Heritage Register
The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. As a ...
.
References
Further reading
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External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kruttschnitt, Julius, II
1885 births
1974 deaths
Australian business executives
American expatriates in Mexico
American emigrants to Australia