John Rankin, the son of Scottish immigrant Hugh Rankin, was born in Apin, Ontario, Canada in 1841. He was the fourth born of seven sons and four daughters. John Rankin was reared on his father's frontier farm, with little in the way of formal education.
In the fall of 1870, John Rankin moved to Missoula, Montana, and was on his way to being a successful Montana landowner, lumberman, and politician when he married Olive Pickering in 1879. Together, they had six children. After his initial success in the mill business, he became involved in contracting and was instrumental in the construction of Missoula's first stone building, as well as the town's first bridges. In 1891 the Rankin block was erected on East Front Street in Missoula. Following a short illness, John Rankin died in May 3, 1904 of tick fever.
Jeannette Rankin, the eldest daughter of John and Olive Rankin, was born in 1880 and achieved international recognition for her work as a pacifist, particularly in her efforts to keep the United States out of World War II. Jeannette Rankin was prominent suffragette and the first woman to serve in the United States Congress. She died in 1973.
Wellington Rankin, John and Olive Rankin's only son, was born in September, 1884. A front page obituary in the Missoulian touted Wellington Rankin as a millionaire and listed his accomplishments as a lawyer, politician, and rancher. He died in June, 1966.
From the guide to the Rankin Family Papers, 1888-1946, (Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library Archives and Special Collections)
