Frank L. Yale

Franklin L. Yale
Born	Template:Birth date Knoxville, Illinois, U.S.
Died	July 25, 1930(1930-07-25) (aged 82) Webb City, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, politician
Years active	1860s–1920s
Known for	Cofounder of the Joplin Stock Exchange; Chairman of Jasper County under Governor William J. Stone; member of Joplin City Council

Colonel Franklin L. Yale (1848–1930) was a distinguished entrepreneur and political figure based in Joplin, Missouri. He played a key role as a cofounder of the Joplin Stock Exchange. Yale held the position of Chairman for Jasper County under Governor William J. Stone representing the Democratic Party, and also served on the Joplin City Council. In addition to his political career, he was active as an investor in mining ventures and participated in railroad expansion projects.

Early life

Franklin L. Yale was born on April 14, 1848, in Knoxville, Illinois, where he lived on his family’s farm until the age of 15. His parents were Gad Lowery Yale and Abbey Reed, members of the prominent Yale family. His brother, Rodney Horace Yale, authored the Yale Genealogy and held leadership roles including Secretary and board member at Dempsters in Nebraska—a company later acquired by billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. Rodney was also a cofounder of the Globe Oil Company in Beatrice, Nebraska, which launched operations with $500,000 capital in 1903 and drilled oil fields in Wyoming. Their extended family included notable figures such as Dr. Leroy Milton Yale Jr. and tinware manufacturer Burrage Yale.

At age 15, Franklin enlisted in the Union Army during the American Civil War, serving with the 112th Infantry Regiment. He participated in General Sherman’s march from Chattanooga to Nashville, advanced to corporal rank within the 65th Infantry, and returned home as a veteran of the Civil War. His military service covered significant battles including Kennesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, the Atlanta campaign, Franklin Battlefield, and the Battle of Nashville.

Biography

Following his military service, Yale worked as a public school teacher before relocating to Barton County, Missouri, where he resided for 21 years. During this time, he instructed merchant Robinson associated with the Commerce Mining and Royalty Company. Later moving to Joplin, Missouri, he took on roles such as county surveyor and actively engaged in local governance by securing election to the Joplin City Council. He was married twice: first to Zarilda A. Tabler in 1868 and then to Rachel A. Mann in 1876.

In 1893, Governor William J. Stone appointed Yale as a member and chairman of the Missouri World's Fair Commission; Stone would later serve as a U.S. Senator. This commission included influential politicians like Congressman Nathan Frank and Congressman William Dawson. In 1895, he was elected Chancellor of Joplin’s branch of the Order of Samaritans. Between 1897 and 1898, he led Jasper County as its Democratic Chairman. He was heavily involved with the Joplin Commercial Club, serving initially as Secretary before becoming president, during which time membership expanded to include 300 business professionals.

Yale attained the rank of Colonel and became a major stakeholder in the Nevada Capitol Gold Mining Company. By 1907, this enterprise had discovered gold deposits and boasted a capital stock valued at $2 million; Capt. R. G. Dill served as Secretary-Treasurer.

In that same year, Yale helped establish the Joplin Stock Exchange where he acted as mine operator and broker. He became a director on its board and was appointed its inaugural Vice President. The exchange comprised leading financial figures including Senator John M. Malang and John A. Cragin, president of First National Bank. Membership was capped at 200 seats with an objective to safeguard Southwest Missouri’s Zinc and Lead mining district—an area generating $15 million annually by 1908. Investors hailed not only from regional centers but also from Chicago, New York, Boston, and other East Coast cities. Representatives from both the St. Louis Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange were present at its inauguration held at the Beaux-Arts style Connor Hotel.

Later years

Yale diversified his business interests to include sectors such as mining, insurance, and property development. In 1911, the Joplin Union Depot railroad station was inaugurated, where Yale participated on behalf of the Commercial Club alongside prominent individuals including former Governor David R. Francis and Mayor Osborne.

During the same year, he took part in the Federated States Societies banquet held in Los Angeles, an event featuring speakers like ex-U.S. Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks and former Minnesota Governor Samuel Rinnah Van Sant. By 1914, Yale, together with other entrepreneurs, proposed constructing an electric railway to connect Joplin with Miami, Oklahoma, aiming to capitalize on the area's abundant Zinc and Lead ore deposits.

Subsequently, he spearheaded fundraising initiatives to establish a rail link from Baxter Springs, Kansas to the Oklahoma state line. In 1915, Yale hosted representatives from the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad at the Commercial Club, joined by Joplin's mayor and local business figures. By 1921, he had become part of the real estate enterprise Yale & Barnhill and took on the role of Secretary for the Joplin Elks Lodge in 1924, overseeing correspondence with bondholders related to the Elks Club Building.

Yale passed away on July 25, 1930, in Webb City, Missouri. He fathered three daughters with his first spouse and had two daughters along with a son named Walser O. Yale with his second wife. Walser pursued a career as a grain agent and served as Chief Freight Clerk for the Burlington Railroad in Nebraska.