Archibald E. Spriggs
Archibald Everett Spriggs | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Kansasville, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Died | 18 July 1921 (aged 54) |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, politician |
| Years active | 1888–1921 |
| Known for | Lieutenant governor of Montana (1897–1901), mining industry leadership |
Archibald Everett Spriggs (December 2, 1866 – July 18, 1921) was an American businessman and politician aligned with the People's Party. He held the office of lieutenant governor of Montana between 1897 and 1901 before focusing his career on the mining industry in Montana.
Early life
Born to Jabez, an English immigrant who settled as a farmer in Kansasville, Wisconsin, Spriggs moved to Montana in 1888. He began his professional life as a teacher in the mining settlement of Confederate Gulch. Subsequently, he shifted into retail, initially employed as a store clerk in Townsend and later advancing to manage a store in Winston.
Political career
Spriggs served as a representative for Meagher County in the Montana House of Representatives during 1895–1896. While living in Townsend and holding the lieutenant governorship from 1897 to 1901, he was instrumental in the establishment of Broadwater County, designating Townsend as its administrative center.
In 1900, Spriggs was involved in a political strategy aimed at reinstating Senator William A. Clark following bribery accusations. During Governor Robert Burns Smith’s absence while inspecting a mining property, Spriggs reappointed Clark after his resignation from the Senate seat. However, the governor subsequently appointed Martin Maginnis, resulting in both nominations being rejected by the U.S. Senate.
Business career
Following his tenure as lieutenant governor, Spriggs moved into business management for Montana entrepreneur Henry Frank, handling negotiations related to Frank’s mining holdings in France. After Frank’s passing in 1908, Spriggs collaborated with New York businessman and politician William Sulzer, serving as president of the Alaska Industrial Company, which operated the "Jumbo" copper mine in Alaska. Utilizing his connections with French investors, Spriggs and Sulzer founded the Guatemala Mining and Development Company and secured extensive mining concessions from Guatemalan president Manuel Estrada Cabrera in 1911; however, World War I interrupted these ventures.
Spriggs remained heavily engaged with mining enterprises in Montana. He was a longstanding director of the Boston & Alta Copper Company, overseeing operations at the Alta copper mine near Corbin. By 1920, he held the presidency of both the Jib Mining Company—which reopened gold mining activities close to Basin—and the Montana Radersburg Mining Co., which maintained claims within Broadwater County.
From 1915 until his passing, Spriggs chaired Montana’s Industrial Accident Board, created under the state's 1915 Workmen's Compensation Act to regulate workplace injury policies across Montana.
Personal life
In 1911, Spriggs married Josephine Marie (Leighton) Noble, who had been acquitted in 1905 of charges related to her former husband’s murder. Following Spriggs’ death, Josephine sought elected office and narrowly lost the Democratic nomination for Montana Secretary of State in 1924.
Spriggs was laid to rest at Forestvale Cemetery located in Helena.