Wes Goss, Chairman Emeritus of Magma Copper Company, the driving force behind the company’s famous San Manuel operations, was prominent in Arizona mining for more than 60 years. Pay Dirt magazine called him “the grand old man of copper” in that state when he died at age 85.
Goss began his mining career at Jerome, Arizona, following graduation from the University of California at Berkeley in 1922. He held various positions of increasing responsibility and in 1933 was Assistant Superintendent at the United Verde Copper Co. in Jerome. He then was General Superintendent of the Park City Consolidated Mines Co. in Utah from 1934 to 1937.
He was Superintendent of the O'Kiep Copper Co. in South Africa from 1937 to 1941, returning to the U.S. as General Manager of the Grey Eagle Copper Co. in Happy Camp, California.
Goss joined Magma Copper Company in 1944 as Vice President and General Manager at Superior, Arizona, and held that position through 1953. He became President of Magma in 1954 and led the organization through exciting developments until he retired from daily management in 1971. He was Chairman of the Board until 1983.
Gross’s foresight, courage in difficult times, and management skills were vital to the development and successful operation of the underground block-caving mine, concentrator, smelter and related facilities at San Manuel, Arizona.
With all of his mining responsibilities, Goss firmly believed in service to his community. He was a member and President of the University of Arizona Board of Regents from 1963 to 1970. He was a director of numerous companies, including Newmont, Homestake, Southern Arizona Bank, Apache Powder Company and Magma Arizona Railroad. Goss was a founder, director and president of the Arizona Mining Association.
In 1966 he received the AIME William Lawrence Saunders Medal for his leadership in developing the profitable San Manuel deposit, one of the largest underground ore bodies in the world.
