John R. Whiston, who through indefatigable effort and laudable ambition intelligently directed has won a place among the leading business men of Kemmerer and is widely known throughout the state as one of the popular young men of Wyoming, was born May 9, 1889, at Aurora, Wyoming, his parents being Daniel and Bridget Whiston, who came to Wyoming in 1884.
    The father was born in Ireland, while the mother was a native of Pennsylvania. When a lad of eleven years Daniel Whiston crossed the Atlantic to the new world and took up his abode in Missouri, but after a brief period removed from that state to Papillion, Nebraska. It was at about the same period that his future wife went to Nebraska with her parents and there the young people met and were married. Mrs. Whiston's parents were among the early settlers of Nebraska.
    Daniel Whiston was a well known railroad contractor and worked at railroad building for the Union Pacific. It was in that connection that he finally removed to Laramie, Wyoming, where he remained until called to his final rest, his death occurring in 1892, when he had reached the age of thirty-seven years. His widow survived him for a considerable period and passed away in Hanna, Wyoming, in 1913 at the age of fifty-one years. They had a family of five children, of whom .Mr. Whiston of this review was the third in order of birth. The others are: Mary, who resides at Cokeville, Wyoming; Frances, also a resident of Cokeville; Mrs. Murray Ryburn, living at Hanna, Wyoming; and Maud, whose home is in Kemmerer.
    Through the period of his boyhood and youth John R. Whiston largely devoted his time and attention to the acquirement of a public school education at Hanna and at Laramie, Wyoming, and later he entered the State University at Laramie, in which he devoted two years to study. He then entered the employ of the Union Pacific Coal Company at Hanna and occupied a clerical position there until 1906, when he returned to Laramie, where he established a confectionery business which he conducted until 1910. He then again took up his abode at Hanna and once more entered the employ of the Union Pacific Coal Company in a clerical capacity. He was thus engaged until 1915, when he removed to Kemmerer and here established a confectionery and stationery business, fitting out his store with elegant fixtures and most attractive equipment. He has since successfully conducted the business and now has a well established trade in confectionery, stationery, books, tobaccos, cigars and fancy pipes. The business is constantly growing and his patronage has reached profitable proportions. He is a very progressive business man and in his vocabulary there is no such word as fail. Obstacles and difficulties in his path seem to serve as an impetus for renewed effort on his part and when one avenue of opportunity seems closed he seeks out another path that will lead him to the desired goal.
    On the 17^th of September, 1914, in Hanna, Mr. Whiston was united in marriage to Miss Rachel Peterson, and they have one child, Ruth, who was born in Kemmerer, June 15, 1917.
    In his religious faith Mr. Whiston is a Catholic and his family are communicants of the same church. In politics he maintains an independent course and fraternally he is connected with the Elks lodge at Laramie. His career has been marked by the steady progress which results from close application and persistency of purpose. Step by step he has worked his way upward until he is now one of the leading business men of Kemmerer. Not all days in his career have been equally bright, but he has managed to turn threatened failures into victories and he has won prosperity through an earnest desire to please his patrons, through indefatigable energy and straightforward dealing.