Buchanan, L. P.

died Feb 25, 1939, age 60. An acute heart attack was fatal at 11:30 am Saturday to L. P. Buchanan, prominent Joplin Missouri, capitalist and head of the Joplin Stockyards company. Buchanan rose to riches from a lowly hard rock lead and zinc mine shoveler, and retired from mining a number of years ago, devoting his energies to other lines of business, notable the $500,000 stockyards, which he founded in 1931. The ex-miner was known to have practiced philanthropy, but would not talk of it. He had "grubstaked" many of his former associates in the mines and gave jobs to hundreds in his prosperous mines. He was known to have given large gifts to St. John's hospital in Joplin Missouri. Although he made millions in the mining business, the Joplin stockyards was Buchanan's pet hobby. He envisioned the venture after his return from two trips around the world, explaining that he wished to build up the institution as a service to his native district since mining was on the wane. Buchanan built a half-million dollar estate near Joplin several years ago. A few moments before death struck, Buchanan had been working at his desk. His secretary, Miss Edna Morris, was in an adjoining room. He complained of feeling ill, stepped to a window, returned to his desk and slumped over, dead. Hurriedly summoned physicians pronounced death due to an acute heart attack. While Buchanan was operating in the Waco field, he carried his own insurance on his employees. It was his proudest boast that he "never had a lawsuit from them" while an average of 200 accidents and five deaths occurred in his mines each year, no one ever filed a lawsuit, as he settled each claim personally. He followed the motto "Take care of the other fellow first," he told associates. Burial place was not given.