Wells Fargo's Valentine

As Valentine's Day  approaches, we probably all think fondly of special people and role models in our lives. Or maybe we simply anticipate a special Valentine's card from a child who spent lots of effort and tons of glue making it for you.

Wells Fargo had its own special Valentine: John J. Valentine, president from 1892-1901.

This tall, lanky Kentucky native joined Wells Fargo in 1862 as the company's express and stagecoach agent at Strawberry, California. Valentine's job was to keep stages, mail, and valuable express packages moving over the mountain road to Nevada's Comstock mines — no easy task.

The snow fell so deep in February, 1867, that on one trip Valentine traveled all day and made just four miles along the shore of Lake Tahoe.  On March 24, The Daily Trespass of Virginia City reported that Valentine "has had a very rough time of it in the Sierras this winter, trying to keep the coaches of the company going, but he seems to thrive on labor and perplexities."

The indefatigable Valentine advanced to Wells Fargo's general superintendent in 1869. He engineered Wells Fargo's expansion nationwide in 1888, successfully negotiating contracts on the Erie Railroad that brought Wells Fargo into New York City and coast to coast by rail.

Valentine earned a reputation as a determined leader and a devoutly religious man and humanitarian, who personally led charitable efforts among employees collecting relief funds for victims of the Chicago Fire of 1871 , Yellow Fever epidemic at Memphis  in 1873, Mississippi Valley floods  of 1874 and other disasters.

His Rules & Instructions to Employees of Wells Fargo & Co's Express in 1888 read in part:

The most polite and gentlemanly treatment of all customers, however insignificant their business, is insisted upon. Proper respect must be shown to all — let them be men, women or children, rich or poor, white or black — it must not be forgotten that the company is dependent on these same people for its business.