John F. Malony

John F. Malony
Member of the Montana Territory House of Representatives from Dawson County
In office January 8, 1883 – March 18, 1883
Preceded by	District established
Succeeded by	George R. Tingle
Acting Mayor of Juneau
In office 1900
Succeeded by	Arthur K. Delaney
4th Mayor of Juneau
In office 1905–1906
Preceded by	George F. Forrest
Succeeded by	Herman Tripp
Personal details
Born	1857 Shieldsville Township, Minnesota Territory, U.S.
Died	June 1919(1919-06-00) (aged 61–62) Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Spouses	Unknown ​ (before 1895)​ Cora Cleveland ​ (m. 1899)​
Education	Shattuck School St. John's College (Minnesota)

John F. Malony (sometimes misspelled Maloney) (1857 – June 1919) was an American lawyer, capitalist, judge, politician, the first acting mayor of Juneau in 1900, and the 4th mayor, from 1905 to 1906. Born in the Minnesota Territory to Protestant immigrants from Ireland, he first was a judge and politician in the Territory of Montana before moving to Alaska after he was shot by an enemy.[1][2] He is best known as the appellant in the U.S. Supreme Court case John F. Malony v. Ohlin H. Adsit.

Malony is also known for being one of the founders of the Alaska Electric Light & Power (AEL&P), an important Juneau business since 1893. He was also affiliated with the Treadwell Gold Mine, representing the mine's company in legal issues. Malony was the president of AEL&P from 1905 until his death.[3]

Early life and education

John F. Malony was born in 1857 in present-day Shieldsville Township, Rice County, Minnesota, to Francis and Mary (née Donohue) Malony. His parents had moved inland after first settling in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada before 1841. He attended the Shattuck School and St. John's College. After college, Malony read law under Gordon E. Cole, the former Attorney General.[1][2]

Career

Montana Territory

Malony moved to the Montana Territory as a young lawyer. He was appointed to be a probate judge in September 1882 by the governor and was elected to the Montana Territorial Legislature in November 1882.[1][2] He represented Dawson County in the 13th General Assembly of the Montana Territorial Legislature in the House of Representatives[4] and at the 1884 Montana Constitutional Convention.[5] He moved to Alaska after he was shot by an enemy while speaking, damaging his left arm.[1][2]

Alaska

He moved to Alaska with a son, Joseph, before 1895. His second marriage was to Cora Cleveland, who owned a hat shop in Juneau, on December 29, 1899. By 1900, he owned part the Porcupine Trading Company, after the 1898 Porcupine Gold Rush, along with Jack Dalton and Ed Hanley.[6] Malony served on the first Juneau City Council in 1900 and was later elected mayor of the city.[1][2]

Death

In January 1919, Malony was reported to have been in critically ill health at his home in Palo Alto, California, by the Alaska Daily Empire.[7] He died in June 1919.[2]

References

1. Hawley, Charles C. (January 10, 2013). "Malony, John F." Pioneers of Alaska Juneau.
2. Hawley, Charles C. (January 10, 2013). "John F. Malony, Sr. (1857–1919)". Alaska Mining Hall of Fame.
3. "An exciting beginning". Alaska Electric Light & Power. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012.
4. "Facts: Elected Officials: Territorial Legislators, 1877-1889". Montana History Compass. Montana Historical Society.
5. "Records of the Montana Constitutional Convention, 1884". The Montana Constitution Collection. Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, University of Montana. 1884.
6. "Porcupine Gold Rush". Haines Sheldon Museum. Archived from the original on July 21, 2005.
7. "John F. Malony Recovering from Recent Illness". Alaska Daily Empire. Chronicling America, Library of Congress. January 31, 1919. p. 6.

Further reading

• "John F. Malony and son, John F. Malony, Jr. papers, 1877-1957". Historical Collections. Alaska State Library.
• "The papers of Alaska lawyer and entrepreneur, John F. Malony : including family material, 1877-1957 : [inventory]". Historical Collections. Alaska State Library.
• "Records concerning a law case of the United States vs. John F. Malony, et al. (no. 1146-A), involving desecration of graves at Juneau in 1914". Historical Collections. Alaska State Library.