(26 Jan. 1840-14 May 1928), contractor. Born in GC. Parents: Alexander B. (Alex) Grant and his wife Catherine Cameron. John Grant describes himself as attending “our rural schools” to the age of 15. He worked in Vermont for a few years beginning at age 15,and apparently got some further schooling in that state. In 1858 he went to Ohio to join his brother Donald Grant, later the celebrated contractor of Faribault, Minn. John did farm work in Ohio, got malaria, and followed his brother Donald to Minnesota in Nov. 1865 in search of a healthier climate. (Donald had left for Minnesota in 1862 or 1863)

     In Minnesota, he farmed with with Donald, and began work as a contractor (in association with Donald) by supplying railway ties. John Grant was married 9 March 1869, at Northfield, Minn., to Mary Ann Grant. (five children). He was occupied with logging, farming and a grocery business. He was elected sheriff of Rice County, Minn., for one term, and treasurer of the county for two terms. He had various railway construction contracts. While ranging far afield in his contracting work, he was described in 1910 as having had his home “permanently located at Faribault [Minn.] since 1870.” His wife died 25 July 1914. His career in railway construction also ended in 1914. The outbreak of the war in Europe, he reported in his autobiography, had for the time ended railway construction. Having gone into wheat farming, he had two disastrous crop seasons, and as a result went bankrupt. He reports that after his wife’s death he lived with his sons-in-law and daughters in Faribault and St. Paul. An obituary noted about his later years, “It had for many years been his practice to spend the winters in St. Paul and the summers in Faribault.”

     At the age of 87, he wrote an impressive autobiography. Never perhaps formally published, copies of this book in the form of a 91-page typescript have been in circulation for some years. In it, Grant describes his early years in GC, gives some genealogical information about his family, and most importantly, puts on paper the sole detailed account we have from any of the GC-born railway contractors of the problems, challenges, adventures, dangers and other proceedings of railway-building. He was himself a contractor of rather a minor kind compared with his brother Donald. He expressed himself content with the world, and well cared for, at the time of writing the autobiography, even though with the crash of his fortunes “no worldly goods remain.” Donald Grant died at the home of his daughter in Faribault. (children surviving him: 4) Congregationalist. Mason. In politics, he was a Republican. In 1910 his son George W. Grant was described as being engaged with him in contracting.

     See life also of Lewis Grant the strongman.

Faribault Daily News, 15 & 17 May 1928, fine portrait * autobiography, circulated under title Memoirs of John Grant 1840 to 1928 (copy generously given to me by Mrs Gretchen Schampel, in Nov. 1991 * biographical sketch in Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge, History of Rice and Steele Counties Minnesota (1910), II, 1509 * Faribault Republican, 12 Nov. 1873 (elected sheriff), 14 Nov. 1888 (elected treasurer)