John Kernan Mullen

John Kernan Mullen (June 11, 1847 – August 9, 1929) was an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist. Mullen came to the United States at the age of nine and left school at fourteen to work in a mill, an occupation that he continued throughout the east, Kansas, and Colorado. He introduced the Hungarian milling process in Colorado and owned and operated several mills. He was also a rancher and real estate investor.

Mullen was twice knighted by the Pope, first as a Knight of the Order of St Gregory and later as a Knight of the Order of Malta, for his philanthropic activities for the Catholic Church.

During the 1820s and 1830s, John's father Denis and uncle Thomas Mullen, "crafted barrels for the mills" of Ballinasloe, which had three oatmeal mills, two breweries, and a flour mill.

The Mullen family left Ireland during the Irish Potato Famine, also called the Great Famine. They were among a wave of 1.2 million refugees who emigrated to the United States during the nine-year period from the year of Mullen's birth until 1856, when the family emigrated to the United States. In 1885, Mullen established the Colorado Milling and Elevator Company (CM&E), where he was the general manager. Mullen also served on Council of Defense, a body organized by Colorado governor Julius Caldeen Gunter in 1917 to prepare for recruitment and property defense after the U.S. entry into World War I.

Personal life and philanthropy On October 12, 1874, Mullen married Catherine Smith with whom they had four girls, St. Mary's Academy of Leavenworth, Kansas He was the first person to lie in state at Denver's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. His wife, who died on March 23, 1925, and daughters were also buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Honors In recognition of Mullen's efforts on behalf of the Catholic Church, the Pope twice knighted him, first as a Knight of the Order of St Gregory and later as a Knight of the Order of Malta.