L. L. Nunn
Lucien Lucius Nunn | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Invalid birth date for calculating age Medina, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | April 2, 1925 (aged 72) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, educator |
| Known for | Establishing the Telluride House, Telluride Association, Deep Springs College |
Lucien Lucius Nunn (born 16 March 1853 in Medina, Ohio – died 2 April 1925 in Los Angeles, California) was an American businessman and educator recognized for establishing the Telluride House, the Telluride Association, and Deep Springs College. He pursued his studies at Oberlin College followed by Harvard Law School.
Career
In 1880, Nunn relocated to Telluride, Colorado, where he launched a legal practice alongside ventures in real estate. By the decade’s end, his interests had expanded to include gold mining, journalism, and banking. His initial banking enterprise, San Miguel Valley Bank, was famously robbed in 1889 by Robert Leroy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy. After closing this bank, Nunn established the First National Bank of Telluride within a notable stone edifice that remains standing today. To reduce operational expenses for his mining operations caused by costly coal, Nunn collaborated with George Westinghouse to design and fund the world’s inaugural industrial-scale A/C power facility—the Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant. This plant was incorporated into Nunn’s Telluride Power Company, which was eventually absorbed by Utah Power and Light. Additionally, he invested in power production through the Ontario Power Plant located at Niagara Falls, Ontario.
To cultivate a workforce skilled enough for his power plants, Nunn initiated the Telluride Institute—a work-study program situated near the Olmsted Power Plant in Utah. Graduates of this program earned scholarships enabling them to pursue further education at universities such as Cornell University, where they lived at the Telluride House operated by the Telluride Association, another organization founded by Nunn.
In 1912, following conflicts with shareholders, Nunn was compelled to divest his stake in Telluride Power. This event led to the discontinuation of the Olmsted educational facility and the suspension of operations at the Telluride Institute.
Accomplishments
The Telluride Association at Cornell continues to function as an intellectual residential community providing scholarships and summer programs. In 1917, Nunn established Deep Springs College, an esteemed two-year college located on the "Swinging T Ranch" within the isolated Deep Springs Valley of California. Mirroring the Telluride Institute model, Deep Springs combines demanding academic coursework with student labor and self-governance. The New Yorker described this approach as "a novel form of education... emphasizing leadership training and character formation."
Nunn also provided financial backing to American zoologist Charles Otis Whitman, who was married to Nunn's sister Emily.
Death and burial
Having contracted tuberculosis approximately a decade earlier, Nunn passed away from the disease in 1925. He was laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
Further reading
- Newell, L. Jackson (2015). The Electric Edge of Academe: The Story of Lucien L. Nunn and Deep Springs College. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press,