page_title: John C. C. Mayo
section_title: Final years
hierarchical_section_title: John C. C. Mayo / Final years
caption_attribution_description: English: The funeral procession of John C. C. Mayo proceeding down Second Street in Paintsville, Kentucky. This photo was taken in 1914 and published soon after. Therefore, it is in the public domain.
context_page_description: John Caldwell Calhoun Mayo was an American entrepreneur, educator, and politician. He is known for attracting corporate interest in the coal deposits of Eastern Kentucky and Southwestern Virginia, leading to the development of commercial coal mining in the region. The creation of the broad form deed is also attributed to Mayo in the early 1900s.
context_section_description: In 1913, Mayo went on a three-month tour of Europe, including London and other foreign capitals. This tour was a trip of both business and pleasure. On August 20, he returned to Paintsville. An elaborate reception was given by John E. Buckingham, a close friend of Mayo. Citizens from all over the area went to welcome back "Johnson County's most prominent resident". Unknown to the guests at the reception, Mayo was already suffering from Bright's Disease. It was soon released to the public that Mayo was ill.
  Originally, the newspapers reported that Mayo had pneumonia and was resting at his mansion. Mayo didn't stay resting for long. A week later, Mayo conducted business as usual, but citizens of Paintsville could tell he was seriously ill.
  Specialists were soon called in from Cincinnati. Mayo had been experiencing periods of unconsciousness according to reports. Bright's Disease had attacked the function of the liver, but news reports were still hopeful for a quick recovery. On March 1, 1914, Mayo was taken by special train to the Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, where an entire floor was occupied.
  Bulletins were issued almost daily on Mayo's condition, often conflicting. In late April, Mayo was finally moved to the Waldorf Astoria in New York City where another group of specialists were in wait to care for him. On May 9, it was announced that Mayo had developed peritonitis. He died two days later, on May 11, 1914 at the Waldorf Astoria, which is now the site of the Empire State Building.
  Nearly 5,000 people attended his funeral on May 14, 1914. Funeral services were held at what is now known as Mayo Memorial United Methodist Church, the same church that Mayo had built just across the street from his mansion and to which Andrew Carnegie had donated the pipe organ. The governor of the Commonwealth, James B. McCreary, brought a delegation of state officials to Mayo's funeral. Senator Clarence Wayland Watson and Representative C. Bascom Slemp represented the U.S. Congress. Citizens of Johnson County held a vigil at the train station until the train carrying Mayo's body pulled into the terminal. Mayo's body was transported to Mayo Mansion to lie in state. From the announcement of Mayo's death on May 11, until after the funeral, all of the towns businesses and banks were closed.
  At the time of his death, Mayo was the wealthiest person in the state of Kentucky with US $20 million in assets ($510 million in 2019 dollars).
caption: The procession of Mayo
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