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Congratulations to Idalee Hansel for identifying Mystery Person #40
With the advent of television, Dewey saw the possibilities of bringing TV to Hazard homes by the use of a tower on one of the nearby mountains and connecting it to the homes by coaxial cable. After some investigation, he and another Hazard businessman, E. J. Davis, organized the Hazard Television Company. On February 23, 1953, Dewey Daniel was named the first Man of the Year of Hazard and Perry County by the Chamber of Commerce. The event was held at the Grand Hotel in Hazard. Dewey's decision to withdraw from the County Court Clerk's race in 1921 was by no means a decision to withdraw from politics. He was a delegate to the Republican Convention in 1944, 1948, 1952, 1956 and 1960. He served as the Kentucky Republican state chair in 1958. He died in 1972.
I think this is Denver Miniard of Big Leatherwood, he and his wife, Irene, ran a store there for Years......Darlene in Richmond, KY I have had a blast. When I read the name
"Domino" (which I had never heard of) of course I headed to the
old census records. I went to Domino and found names that I had
never heard of, really, I felt like I was in a whole nother world outside
of Perry County. A couple of names I did recognize though. I was not acquainted too much with mining, but I did know
about Kenmont because my Aunt lived there and her husband was a
miner. Also, I knew there were mines in Blue Grass because I visited
there with my Mom going to her sister's on Sunday, and her husband was a
miner. That was my extent of mining. Therefore, I have to
browse heavily but I doubt I will find anything that will clue me into
this place the mystery man worked. The word is a combination word
and for the love of pete I cannot come up with what two words derived this
one name. I started thinking about the prominent names I knew of from the Leatherwood area but came up with nothing, unless he was a Cornett, Ison or Miniard. Oh, well, it was great to see another one though and I loved the illustration. I found him, he was born in March of 1898. His name is Dewey Daniel. Idalee Hansel, Spartanburg, SC |
Dewey
Daniel was born in the Big
Leatherwood section of Perry County on March 15, 1898. He was the
son of Lee Daniel and Susan Isom Daniel. The elder Daniel began to consider his children's
educational opportunities as they neared school age. The best bet seemed to be the recently organized Hazard
Baptist Institute, but that involved moving the family to Hazard and he
had to figure out a means of making a living in the county seat. In
1903, Lee Daniel hit upon the idea of seeking the office of Circuit Court
Clerk in Perry County. He was elected and took office in 1904 and
was re-elected in 1909, holding the office until 1916. Dewey Daniel spent a great deal of time in his father's office in
the courthouse and here, and even as a youngster, he made a wide circle of friends.
He learned a
great deal about business and fiscal affairs in Perry County. It was
one of the most important eras of Hazard- the transition from a sleepy farming community
to a highly developed coal mining center. Some of Dewey's favorite stories concerned the building of the railroad to Hazard and
events relating to the first train that came here in
1912. Dewey's father use to get a kick out of telling
how his son, as a youngster of ten, piled big order books in a chair so he
could sit high enough to operate a typewriter, and of the trips they took
by horseback to various parts of East Kentucky. When Dewey was 15, Congressman John W. Langley offered him an appointment to
the United States Military Academy at West Point. After much
discussion in the family circle, Dewey decided to take it and his father
arranged for him to attend a school in North Carolina to prepare him for
the stiff entrance examinations. So one day in 1914, all his family
and friends gathered at the depot in Hazard to bid farewell to him as he
entrained for the prep school. A few days later, his older sister,
Allie Gorman, was at the station and who should she see on the incoming train but
Dewey. His love for his native heath had been too strong an 
influence. He had decided that he would give up the appointment to
West Point and stay in Perry County. The story goes that he arrived
at the North Carolina school about noon, ate lunch, and immediately
started back home. Maybe it was homesickness and then again it may
have been destiny that guided him away from an Army career. Dewey never cared much for school.
Members of his family
recount the troubles his mother had in making him attend regularly.
He was a good student but preferred to spend his time on Main Street in
Hazard with his father. After schooling at Hazard Baptist Institute,
Dewey's father endeavored to send him to any number of
colleges but the desire to stay at home always won out. He remained
that way for the rest of his life, enjoying trips away from home, but not
for any length of time. After a few days, he had an almost irresistible
urge to get back home. After his school days, Daniel went to work in the Himyar Coal Company commissary at Domino, about three
miles north of Hazard. He became store manager and held the position
until 1921, when he decided to run for County Court Clerk. Shortly
thereafter he was offered an appointment as Postmaster at Hazard and was
faced with the problem of deciding whether to continue his race for county
office or accept the Postmastership. He chose the latter and served
as Acting Postmaster until 1923, when he became old enough to receive the
Postmaster's appointment. He held the office until 1936. In
1924, Daniel formed a partnership to open an insurance agency. The
new business prospered and in 1936, when he relinquished his
Postmastership, he began to devote most of his time to Hazard Insurance
Agency which he later acquired ownership. Dewey married Clarine Ross
Daniel in 1926. In 1927, he became interested in Peoples Bank in
Hazard and purchased a small block of its capital stock. He
eventually became the largest single stockholder in the firm. In
January, 1952, following the death of Finley L. Cisco, Dewey Daniel was
elected President of Peoples Bank. 
