The John C. Provost Papers contain correspondence, reports, minutes, certificates, news clippings, financial records, ephemeral publications, and memorabilia ranging in date from 1895 to 1973. The bulk of the material dates from 1895 to 1931 and either records the results of mining operations or describes the organization of a labor union.
Identification:
MSS-103
Language:
Material in English
Repository:
Arizona State University Library. Greater Arizona Collection P.O. Box 871006 Tempe, AZ 85287-1006 Phone: (480) 965-4932 E-Mail: archives@asu.edu Questions? Ask An Archivist!
Biographical Note
John C. Provost, mining engineer and labor leader, was born to Eugene and Mary D. (Millette) Provost in Jefferson, Wisconsin on June 28, 1867. He moved to Arizona from Cripple Creek, Colorado in the early 20th century. Provost claimed, leased, and managed mining operations in Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. He was prominent in labor organization and in 1912 became both the founder and first president of the Arizona Federation of Labor. Provost once stood as the Socialist Party candidate for Governor of Colorado but split with the Party on his return to Arizona. As a representative of the Labor Party, he served one term as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives and its Labor Committee, and subsequently officiated as that body's Sergeant-at-Arms.
Provost married Nettie May Poling (1872-1945) on September 22, 1902 in Colorado and the couple had three children: John C. "Jack", Maxine (Provost) Brubaker, and Arizona Millette (Provost) Jacobs. John C. Provost died of heart disease on September 17, 1931 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Scope and Content Note
The John C. Provost Papers contain correspondence, reports, minutes, certificates, news clippings, financial records, ephemeral publications, and memorabilia ranging in date from 1895 to 1973. The bulk of the material dates from 1895 to 1931 and either records the results of mining operations or describes the organization of a labor union. Box 2, folder 13 (1912) houses the proceedings of the Arizona Federation of Labor organizational convention. Box 2, folder 10 (1902) contains a brief greeting from fellow labor organizer Eugene V. Debs.
To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.
Copyright
Arizona State University does not own the copyright to this collection. We recognize that it is incumbent upon the researcher to procure permission to publish information from this collection from the owner of the copyright.