DeWitt Buchanan, Jr., the son of DeWitt (Buck) Buchanan, Sr., a National Mining Hall of Fame inductee, succeeded his father as president and CEO of Old Ben Coal Company, one of the nation's largest coal producers. DeWitt was born in 1917 in Chicago. He attended Princeton University where he acquired a degree in engineering. After graduation he returned to Chicago in 1940 to manage Old Ben with his father. It was with this return that De Witt, Jr. went on to carve a career for himself and a future for Old Ben that equaled Buck’s accomplishments.
DeWitt eliminated entirely the use of black blasting powder in all of Old Ben’s mines and thus paved the way for the eventual elimination of this dangerous explosive in all underground coal mines. He promoted the use of permissible explosives and eventually even replaced those when he introduced the first continuous mining machine. He developed this machine with Robbins and Goodman Equipment to perfect the first type of successful continuous miner, the Goodman boring machine.
DeWitt also introduced continuous belt haulage and thus made Old Ben one of the first mining companies in the country to completely eliminate track haulage for coal. In 1960, he opened the first large modern mine totally equipped with belt haulage and continuous miners. This mine used high extraction pillaring methods with increased productivity and reduced the waste of leaving coal underground. Though unsuccessful at first, DeWitt pioneered one of the first longwall mining attempts in the country in the late 1960s. Old Ben later perfected this method and its application is almost universal today.
With these innovations, the mechanization of mining his father began was complete. DeWitt accomplished more than just mining mechanization, however. Through careful negotiation with railroads and power companies, he established the first long-term supply and transport contracts with electric utilities. This brought coal into the modern age as the prime fuel in electric generation.
DeWitt became President of Old Ben in 1950 and CEO in 1964. Though Buck retired from Old Ben in 1968, DeWitt went on to manage the company which continued to mine the massive Old Ben reserves of Franklin County, Illinois and parts of West Virginia. In 1968, he set up and executed the sale of Old Ben to Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio), thus marking the beginning of big oil's entry into the coal industry. He continued on, however, as President and CEO of Old Ben after the sale.
Like his father, DeWitt continued Old Ben’s lead in human relations within the coal industry. Old Ben enjoyed a peaceful and successful partnership with the United Mine Workers of America during his tenure. He made numerous contributions to the development of Franklin County and its people. Though he retired from Old Ben and as a director of Sohio in 1980, he continued to actively participate in coal industry affairs until he passed away in 1988. His life was devoted to his industry and his company, and he truly oversaw much of the modernization of the coal industry.
