He was born on October 10, 1864 in Hancock, Michigan, in Copper Country.
He began selling lubricating oil in the western American states from a base in Denver, Colorado.
Relocating to Butte, Montana, he became close to Margaret Daly, the widow of banking and mining magnate Marcus Daly, who had died in 1900, and acquired an interest in 1901 in the Daly Bank and Trust Co. in Anaconda, becoming its president and manager of the widow's fortune.

Marcus Daly had been heavily involved in copper mining, and was involved with a syndicate led by Standard Oil principals Henry H. Rogers and William Rockefeller which created a new company, Amalgamated Copper Mining Company, and acquired Daly's Anaconda Copper Co., with Daly retaining a financial interest which was left to his widow.

Amalgamated was in competition with powerful copper king F. Augustus Heinze, who also owned mines in Butte which in 1902 he consolidated as the United Copper Company.
Thus, neither organization was able to monopolize copper extraction in Montana.
In addition, although Butte was then the most prolific copper-mining district in the world, Amalgamated could not control other copper-mining districts, such as those in Michigan, Arizona, and countries outside the United States.

Monopolies were a key to great wealth.
Ryan is reputed to have had exceptional negotiating skills.
He convinced Heinze to walk away with abundant compensation, and took over Heinze's properties and the properties of William A. Clark (Butte’s first copper king).

Rogers and Rockefeller were then able to gain complete control of Butte's copper as they merged them all with Amalgamated.
 Ryan became its president, and was rewarded with significant package of Amalgamated shares.
The "right hand" of John Ryan was Cornelius Kelley, young attorney, who soon was given the position of vice-president.
The reorganized company was again named Anaconda, as it had been under Daly.

Henry Rogers died suddenly in 1909 of a stroke, but William Rockefeller brought in his son Percy Rockefeller to help with leadership.
During World War I, Ryan took leave from Anaconda to work for the government and the American Red Cross.
He was named Director General of the Red Cross' War Relief Program in 1917.

President Wilson appointed Ryan as new head of the Aircraft Production Board in April 1918, succeeding Howard Coffin.
Shortly after the war had ended in late 1918, Ryan resigned and returned to private business.
 
Kelley served as President of Anaconda in the interim.
After the War, Ryan assumed the position of Chairman, with Kelley continuing as company president.
  
Under Percy Rockefeller, Ryan and Kelley, Anaconda acquired additional mining businesses outside the United States and by the 1920s, was expanding into new areas of activity which included manganese, zinc, aluminum, uranium and silver.
It became the fourth largest company in the world.

He died on February 11, 1933 in Manhattan, New York City.
He was born on October 10, 1864 in Hancock, Michigan, in Copper Country. He began selling lubricating oil in the western American states from a base in Denver, Colorado. Relocating to Butte, Montana, he became close to Margaret Daly, the widow of banking and mining magnate Marcus Daly, who had died in 1900, and acquired an interest in 1901 in the Daly Bank and Trust Co. in Anaconda, becoming its president and manager of the widow's fortune. 
Marcus Daly had been heavily involved in copper mining, and was involved with a syndicate led by Standard Oil principals Henry H. Rogers and William Rockefeller which created a new company, Amalgamated Copper Mining Company, and acquired Daly's Anaconda Copper Co., with Daly retaining a financial interest which was left to his widow. 
Amalgamated was in competition with powerful copper king F. Augustus Heinze, who also owned mines in Butte which in 1902 he consolidated as the United Copper Company. Thus, neither organization was able to monopolize copper extraction in Montana. In addition, although Butte was then the most prolific copper-mining district in the world, Amalgamated could not control other copper-mining districts, such as those in Michigan, Arizona, and countries outside the United States.
Monopolies were a key to great wealth. Ryan is reputed to have had exceptional negotiating skills. He convinced Heinze to walk away with abundant compensation, and took over Heinze's properties and the properties of William A. Clark (Butte’s first copper king). 
Rogers and Rockefeller were then able to gain complete control of Butte's copper as they merged them all with Amalgamated.  Ryan became its president, and was rewarded with significant package of Amalgamated shares. The "right hand" of John Ryan was Cornelius Kelley, young attorney, who soon was given the position of vice-president. The reorganized company was again named Anaconda, as it had been under Daly.
Henry Rogers died suddenly in 1909 of a stroke, but William Rockefeller brought in his son Percy Rockefeller to help with leadership. During World War I, Ryan took leave from Anaconda to work for the government and the American Red Cross. He was named Director General of the Red Cross' War Relief Program in 1917.
President Wilson appointed Ryan as new head of the Aircraft Production Board in April 1918, succeeding Howard Coffin. Shortly after the war had ended in late 1918, Ryan resigned and returned to private business.  
Kelley served as President of Anaconda in the interim. After the War, Ryan assumed the position of Chairman, with Kelley continuing as company president.   
Under Percy Rockefeller, Ryan and Kelley, Anaconda acquired additional mining businesses outside the United States and by the 1920s, was expanding into new areas of activity which included manganese, zinc, aluminum, uranium and silver. It became the fourth largest company in the world.
He died on February 11, 1933 in Manhattan, New York City.
John D. Ryan (industrialist)