April 20, 1959: The funeral of Duluthian Julius Barnes

On this day in Duluth in 1959, Duluth’s Julius Barnes, once the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, was buried in Forest Hill Cemetery following a simple service at the Crawford Mortuary chapel. Reverend Robert W. Dickson of Lakeside Presbyterian Church lead the service. He said in part “Julius Barnes was a man who could have entered any one of a dozen fields of service and been eminently successful in each. Industrialist, one of the fathers of the St. Lawrence Seaway, friend and guide of presidents and national leaders, Mr. Barnes was one of these rare individuals who under God will be remembered for his outstanding contributions in a host of fields. We regret that, like Moses, he can only look from a distance upon his ‘promised land’—the actual opening of the seaway—but somehow we believe that the spirit of Julius Barnes will be aboard the first vessels that come to Duluth. Mr. Barnes life and works are a challenge to Duluthians to believe in the great potential of their city and area—to see what he termed the ‘unlimited possibilities’ to be found here. He was a man of grace and kindness. He moved with ease among men of all walks of life. He was receptive to the things of God and the ideas of his religion.” The first salt-water vessel to reach the Duluth-Superior harbor via the St. Lawrence Seaway, the freighter Ramon de Larrinaga out of Liverpool, England, arrived fourteen days later. Learn more about the remarkable Mr. Barnes here.

Julius Barnes. (Image: Duluth Public Library)