Spokane, Washington - History, 1912 (part 11 of 22)

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In 1899, at Portage, Wisconsin, Mr. Willard was married to Miss Sarah M. Mc- Laren, a daughter of James and Sarah (Curtis) McLaren, natives of New York and Canada respectively. In his political affiliation Mr. Willard is a republican. He has served as school director for several terms and was one of the county commissioners from 1898 to 1904, and he has also been a member of the city council of Tekoa. The long and active business life of Alfred B. Willard, together with his fairness in business dealings, his strict integrity and the capable manner in which be has handled all his business affairs have made him easily one of the most popular and valued citizens of the city and county where he resides. Because of the success which he has achieved through his own unaided efforts and because of his rise to the place in the community which he now enjoys he easily takes high rank among the prosperous, respected and eminent citizens of the great state of Washington.

Charles Wesley Walton was born in Iowa, October 18, 1844, a son of Joshua J. and Ann (McNab) Walton, both natives of Kentucky, who at the early period of 1849 crossed the plains with ox teams to the Pacific coast, settling in California. This journey was attended with the usual series of hardships and privations common to the lot of pioneers. Charles W. Walton, who was but five years old at the time of the removal of the family, attended the public schools in the Golden state until the time when his parents went to Oregon in 1852, and in that state he completed his education.

In 1864 he took up the business of mining, which he followed for three years, and then went to farming on his own account in Lane county, Oregon, on one hundred and sixty acres of land. There he remained until 1879, when he removed to Rosalia, Washington, renting twenty-four acres one mile south of the town which he operated until 1880, when he went to Albany, Oregon, where he clerked in a store throughout the spring of that year. He then returned to Rosalia, taking up a government homestead of one hundred and sixty acres of land four and a half miles northwest of the town. There he took up his abode, except at such times as he was engaged in clerking in Cheney and Spokane, particularly during the first year that he lived on the homestead. In this way he accumulated additional funds for the development of his claim. He continued his residence thereon until 1886, when he secured a title from the government to this land which he then sold and removed to Rosalia, where he embarked in the grocery business. After conducting this enterprise for a time he disposed of it and bought one hundred and sixty acres three miles south of the city. There he lived until 1888, when once more he returned to Rosalia and took charge of the business of the Tacoma Grain Company and conducted that enterprise until he became interested in the Seattle Grain Company, with which he is still identified as agent, not only at Oakesdale but also at Fallon, McCoy and Belmont. He still owns his home in Spokane, where his family reside in order that the children may have the benefit of the school facilities there.

Mr. Walton was married, on the 2d of April, 1866, to Miss Susie L. Gregg, who is a native of Illinois and a daughter of Andrew J. and Dorothy (Baker) Gregg, who were born in Illinois and Kentucky respectively. To this union have been born seven children, namely: Lena Louise, who died when eleven years of age; George P., who is married and has three sons; Mabel, who wedded J. M. Hone and has one son and one daughter; Frank D., deceased; Fred B., who is married and has one son; Charles W., Jr.; and Chester E., who is married and has one daughter. The surviving members are all residents of Spokane.

In his political allegiance Mr. Walton is a democrat and was for many years marshal and constable of Rosalia. He is a member of the Christian church in which he is serving as elder and he takes an active interest in the affairs of that denomination. Mr. Walton is among the better class of citizens of Whitman county, where he has a very large circle of friends and where he is universally respected and held in high esteem.

Public spirit, strict attention to business and general success along all lines of endeavor undertaken, characterize the career of J. Franklin McCroskey, who though operating a farm of six hundred and forty acres of land in the vicinity of the town is a resident of Oakesdale. He was bom in Monroe county, Tennessee, January 9, 1860, a son of J. P. T. and Mary M. (Gallagher) McCroskey, both natives of Tennessee. His boyhood days were spent on the farm ' and in the Glenloch Mills, and he received a fair education, attending the common and high schools of the county until May, 1879. At that time the parents came west to California and in July of the same year moved to what is known as Tennessee Flat, Whitman county, Washington, where the father took up a homestead and also a claim under the timber culture laws, and there J. Franklin McCroskey remained, assisting his father until after he had obtained titles to his land from the United States government. In 1880 the son began working on the Northern Pacific Railroad and was also identified with the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company, being thus employed until 1884. During this period, however, in 1882, he filed on a one hundred and sixty acre homestead three miles northwest of Oakesdale and after maintaining his residence there and meeting the other requirements secured title to this land from the government. He continued increasing his holdings by purchase until he had six hundred and forty acres, and still owns and operates four hundred and eighty acres, most of which is in a high state of cultivation and is equipped with many modern improvements. He has been connected with the Oakesdale State Bank as a stockholder and has been active in business and other circles in Whitman county for many years.

In Olympia, Washington, on the 25th of December, 1899, Mr. McCroskey was united in marriage to Miss Virginia A. Bushnell, a native of Missouri and a daughter of Emanuel and Mary (Watson) Bushnell. To them have been born two children, Keith Bushnell and Franklin. In his fraternal relations Mr. McCroskey is affiliated with the Farmers Union and the United Artisans. He is a democrat in his political faith and is at present a member of the city council of Oakesdale.

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He has long been active in educational matters^ having been a member of the school board about twelve years. He is also affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he and his wife are active supporters and earnest in their cooperation to make that body effective for good in the community.

Possessing the sterling qualities of industry^ economy and business acumen, together with a lively interest in civic, fraternal, educational and church affairs, Mr. McCroskey has long been recognized as a conspicuous and valuable citizen of Oakesdale and Whitman county. He has a large number of friends and with his genial demeanor, his warm-heartedness and his good-fellowship is a favorite with the circle in which he moves.

William A. Nicholls

William A. Nicholls, president of the Big Bend Transit Company, is financing and advancing a project for railroad building and the development of water power along the Spokane river. He has financed many business propositions which have become valuable factors in the upbuilding of the northwest, his keen insight enabling him to see and utilize opportunities which men of less broad vision do not grasp. He was born at Beatrice, Nebraska, June 15, 1878, a son of William D. and Ada L. (Pellett) Nicholls, of that city, who removed to Spokane in 1894. The family numbered four sons and five daughters, namely: Walter J., who is in the brokerage business in Spokane ; Leigh, a real-estate dealer in Eugene, Oregon ; Gilmore, of Eugene; Clara, the wife of Henry Swan, of Spokane; Marjorie, who married Wilbur Wester, of Seattle; Mona, who makes her home in this city; William A., of this review; and two who died in childhood.

William A. Nicholls began his education in the private schools of the east and continued his course after coming to Spokane, being graduated from the high school here in 1896. The mining and general brokerage business attracted him and he has handled the sale of large mining properties all through the northwest, winning substantial success in that line. He has been a close student of the mineral resources of the country, his careful investigation leading to judicious investments which have brought him gratifying prosperity. He organized the National Copper Mine Company, the Nepsic Mining Company and the Nicholls Investment Company, which conducted a large real-estate, fire, accident and safety deposit vault business. Recently, however, Mr. Nicholls has disposed of his interests in the last named company to the Washington Trust Company and is now giving his attention to the interests of the Big Bend Transit Company of which he is president. This company has well formulated plans which it is rapidly putting into execution, each day witnessing a step in advance of what had been accomplished in the previous day. The company now has its survey all made to follow the Spokane river from here to the junction of the Columbia, having a terminal site at this point. They also have a right from the government to develop the water power here and are pushing forward their project to completion. Mr. Nicholls is notably prompt, energetic and reliable and has in large measure the quality of common sense. He has never been actively identified with politics although he has always given his support to the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He has preferred to give his attention to business and public affairs of another character and is a charter member of the Spokane Stock Exchange which was organized in 1896.

Fraternally Mr. NichoUs is connected with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks^ his membership being in Lodge No. 228. He is a life member of the Spokane Amateur Athletic Club, belongs also to the Spokane Club and to the Spokane Country Club. It would be difficult to forecast his future but it is well known that he never regards any position as final. With the accomplishment of a givcD purpose he starts out for still larger achievements and the project which he has undertaken will undoubtedly in time prove a valuable asset in the work of developing the northwest.

Frederick Conrad Robertson

Frederick Conrad Robertson, the subject of this sketch, was born in Livingston, Paris, Louisiana, February 12, 1865. His father was Edward White Robertson and his mother's maiden name Mary Jane Pope. His father was a prominent southern lawyer and statesman and served in the Mexican war, and in the Civil war as a Confederate, being colonel in the siege of Vicksburg. He served from 1876 until 1886 as a member of congress and upon his death was succeeded by bis son, S. M. Robertson, who served until 1906.

Mr. Robertson was educated at the Louisiana State University, leaving in his senior year and graduated from the Georgetown Law School at Washington, D. C, in 1889. He came immediately to the state of Washington and settled at Port Townsend and later at Tacoma. He served as assistant United States attorney from 1891 to 1897 doing much trial work for the United States. He moved to Spokane in 1897 and has since continuously resided there. From 1899 until 1902 he was employed as attorney for the Western Miners and defended all of them who were incarcerated in the "Bull Pen" and afterward tried in the Idaho courts. He afterward went to Washington and represented the miners before the congressional investigation called at their instance before the military committee of the house of representatives, which resulted in the ending of martial law in the Coeur d'Alehes and the release of the remaining incarcerated miners who had been held in the martial prison of "Bull Pen'* at Wardner, Idaho, some one thousand five hundred miners being so incarcerated. Mr. Robertson's constant contention was that martial law and the holding of men by martial order under such conditions was unconstitutional and unlawful, when the courts are in the unobstructed exercise of their jurisdiction and can administer civil remedies. His views were, in the end, accepted and martial control of the Coeur d'Alenes was brought to an end by order of President McKinley.

Mr. Robertson has been active in the legal profession, his practice extending into Oregon, Idaho and Washington in which states he has a large acquaintance He has taken part in many of the most important trials in Eastern Washington and Idaho. Mr. Robertson has been a continual advocate of the ownership of public utilities by municipalities and has been prominent in the democratic party since his advent into the state. He was a nominee for congress in 1908, but was defeated with the balance of the state ticket.

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Mr. Robertson is the father of two sons> Stephen^ of the age of eighteen; and Fred, of the age of seventeen. He has a daughter, Lucile, of the age of thirteen, by his first wiie, who was Miss Amelia DeLion and who died in 1901. In 1909 he was again married to Miss Marie Twist.

Louis Lafayette Hunt

Louis Lafayette Hunt is interested in various business projects in Spokane. He was bom in Nashville, Tennessee, July 20, 1869, and is a son of Hamline T. and Jennie C. (Gardner) Hunt, both of whom are of English descent. The Hunt family, however, was founded in America in Colonial days and was represented in the Revolutionary war. Hamline T. Hunt was bom in the state of New York and when young accompanied his parents on their removal from Tennessee to Wisconsin. Following his removal to the middle west he was postmaster at Hortonville, Wisconsin, for seventeen years. He there engaged in farming and also conducted a fire insurance business for thirty years. He served as a soldier of the Civil war for about four years, becoming first lieutenant of the Third Wisconsin Light Artillery. His last days were spent in ;ICe]^pgg, idahq^ .wjiere he died July 27, 1909. His wife, who died in 1881, also re]Jirc^eii^;§n'dl(Jv!tortily that sent some of its members to the front in the war for i^idependence. Her father enlisted as a soldier of the Confederate army and was killed at, $h^,bajttl^ of Chickamauga.

Louis L. Hunt is the only survitjngHiiieinbei:^ of hfs family, his sister having died at the age of seven years. He was educated in the common and high schools and a business college of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and in the State Normal School. He was only twelve years of age when he left home and went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the following year made his way to Chicago where he remained for two years. He was afterward at El Paso, Texas, and secured employment with the 3X Cattle Company as ranch hand and cowboy. Subsequently he returned to New Orleans and afterward went to Buffalo, New York; Washington, D. C; Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Chicago, workin|< in those cities on the Buffalo & Erie Railroad, and also making the run out of Chicago to Milwaukee as a newsboy. While residing in Chicago he traveled with the W. W. Cole Circus for two seasons, being upon the road from 1882 until 1884, visiting all states east of the Mississippi. In the spring of 1885 he returned to Chicago and entered the employ of the Wisconsin Central Railroad as baggage man and expressman for the American Express Company. In the fall of 1885 he removed to Marquette, Michigan, where he entered the service of the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad. After a short time, however, he located at Clintonville, Wisconsin, where he was employed by the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad Company and later he went to Duluth, Minnesota, and thence to Brainard, where he made his home during the winter of 1886, being employed as a brakeman and conductor on the Northern Pacific Railroad.

On the 5th of May, 1887, Mr. Hunt arrived in Spokane but soon returned east as far as Missoula, Montana, and worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company for two years and five months. He then engaged in mining in and near Mon- tana and Idaho for two years. He also was employed at Bntte in connection with the liquor business and in 1892 returned to Missoula where he engaged in business until 1899. In 1900 he formed a partnership with George M. Cosgrove and conducted business at No. Ill Howard street under the firm name of Coagrove & Company. For ^ve years he conducted a large cafe in Spokane but in 1905 sold out and went to Seattle where he remained for a short time. After returning to this city he did not again engage in business until 1909^ when he opened an establishment in the Paulsen building where he is now located. He secured the Paulsen lease and opened business there on the 22d of June. He has the finest bar in the northwest and the best trade in the city. He is also interested, in the Surprise Mining Company of Pine Creek, near Kellogg, Idaho, conceded to be one of the best properties in that district. He is a stockholder in the Spokane Taxicab Company and in the Farmer Jones Mining Company of Priest River, the property of which is under development and by government inspectors conceded to be one of the coming gold mines of Washington. He has always been much interested in racing, has driven many races and was interested with Mr. Cosgrove in the race-track concession from 1903 until 1907. He is also the sole proprietor of a wholesale and retail liquor house at the corner of Second and Stevens streets.

On the 25th of December, 1901, Mr. Hunt was married to Miss Charlotte Louise Manning, a daughter of Mr. Manning, of Minnesota, now deceased. She is a sister of Thomas J. Manning, superintendent of carriers of the Spokane postoffice, and of James Manning, who has charge of the mailing department of the postoffice at Minneapolis. Mr. Hunt owns a beautiful home at No. 2026 Manito place, facing the park, and also a fine residence on Newman Lake and other property there, where he keeps a launch and steel boats. In politics he was formerly a democrat but now gives his support to the republican party. He has been active in political work, has served as a delegate to county conventions in Missoula and Sp<^ane and many installed office holders are indebted to Mr. Hunt for their success. Fraternally he is connected with the Elks Lodge, No. 228, with the Knights of Pythias, the Spokane Athletic Club, the Inland Club, the Enakops and the Chamber of Commerce. He has greatly increased his business activities and interests and now has many good dividend-bearing business projects.

Samuel W. Anderson

Samuel W. Anderson is an independent grocer of Spokane, who has met with success in mercantile lines and is branching out largely into other fields as one of the factors in the establishment and control of an immense plant for the manufacture of white lead, chrome lead, and iron and zinc paint pigments.

Born in Michigan on the 19th of December, 1864, Samuel W. Anderson is descended from a prominent Scottish family and his father, James Anderson, now living in Spokane at the ripe old age of eighty-six years, was bom in the city of Glasgow, whence he came to America at the age of twelve, it requiring at that time three months to coiiiplete the voyage across the Atlantic. He has a brother two years his senior who is still living in Canada. James Anderson wedded Patience Peaslee, who was born in Michigan and was of English lineage, although the fam- ily was early established on American soil and sent its representatives to the front in the Revolutionary war. Mrs. Anderson passed away about 1892, survived by her husband and three children^ of whom Monroe is now a farmer of Alberta, Canada, while the daughter is Mr. E. E. Mayer, whose husband is a retired fanner of Spokane.

In the graded and high schools of Michigan, Samuel W. Anderson pursued his education and entered business life as clerk in the mercantile establishment of Roberts & Beach at Lapeer, Michigan. He afterward spent five years in the employ of J. Armstrong, a general merchant, and on the expiration of that period became connected with the wholesale dry-goods house of A. Krolick & Company of Detroit, Michigan, having charge of the dress-goods department. He was afterward with Barnes, Hengerer & Company, wholesale dry-goods merchants of Buffalo, and in the interest of that house traveled through the central part of Michigan for three years.

Following the arrival of Mr. Anderson in Spokane, in 1890, he engaged in various occupations, was connected with commission houses and traveled all over the west, visiting Denver, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Portland. Eventually he established a permanent residence in Spokane and embarked in the grocery business, opening the Eagle Cash Grocery Store in 1894. In this business he has since continned, his location being at No. 927 Sprague avenue. He has not confined his attention and energies to a strict line of trade but has extended his efforts into other fields which have been equally important as factors in promoting the business activity and consequent development and prosperity of the city and the northwest and is interested to a considerable extent in city property in Spokane and owns one thousand acres of fine wheat land in southern Alberta, Canada.

In 1896 Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Carrie M. Hetts, of Detroit, Michigan, a daughter of Valentine Hetts, who was a wholesale shoe merchant of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are now parents of three children, Bernadine, Edwin and Katherine. Mr. Anderson is a republican in his political convictions. He belongs to the Elks lodge of Spokane, to the Elnights of Pythias and to the Inland Club. His friends, and they are many, find him a social, genial gentleman whose unfeigned cordiality is the source of his popularity.

William Marshall Chambers

William Marshall Chambers, the well known grain merchant of Pullman, Whitman county, Washington, was bom in Benton county, Oregon, November 15, 1848, his parents, being Roland and Lovisa (King) Chambers, the father a native of Illinois and the mother of Iowa. Roland Chambers with his family crossed the great plains in 1844 with an ox team from Iowa, joining one of the first big trains which had about that time begun crossing the great American prairies. On reaching the Pacific slope he settled in Benton county, Oregon, and it was there that the boyhood days of the son, William Marshall Chambers, were spent, and there he attended the district schools, acquiring a good common-school education. It was also in that place that he received his first training in farm work on the homestead of his father. In 1870 he began a course of study in the Philomath

College of Benton county, and in 1878, having completed the course, laid aside his text-books to enter the employ of the government on the Silets Indian reservation as clerk. There he remained until 1877, when he began working on the Cascade locks, being employed by the original contractors, Piatt, Chambers, Mc- Bean & Company as bookeeper. In 1879 he reentered the service in the employ of the government, this time occupying the position of chief clerk of the Cascade locks, and remained in that position until 1881. In that year he removed to Moscow where he became bookkeeper for W. J. McConnell & Company, who were dealers in general merchandise. He remained in that position until 1885, when he removed to Pullman where as one of the partners of McConnell, Chambers 8c Company he engaged in the general merchandising business. This relationship continued until 1898, in which year as result of the hard times and the general depression all over the country and especially the northwest the business was closed out. Mr. Chambers subsequently engaged in the grain business, first under the firm name of Chambers, Price & Company and then under liis own name. During his business career he has been interested in the ownership of lands in the Palouse country, of which interests, however, he has now mostly disposed. Mr. Chambers gives his political support to the republican party but he has never been an office seeker and has only taken a moderate interest in politics. He is a charter member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 249, of Moscow, and he belongs also to the Pullman Club. The business experiences of Mr. Chambers have been wide in scope and his undertakings of benefit to the communities in which he has resided. He has always been regarded as a splendid citizen and has taken an active interest in the welfare of Pullman and assisted to the extent of his ability, which has been considerable, in the upbuilding of Whitman county. He has great faith in the northwest, a country in which he sees boundless opportunities. He has a very large circle of dose personal and business friends who have always regarded him with the highest respect and esteem.

Will G. Graves

Will G. Graves, a Spokane lawyer of ability and prominence, has had the distinction of having been one of only three democratic members of the Washington senate, in which he served from 1903 to 1911, and while this precluded any possibility of the passage of party measures, it did not prevent his ready and helpful cooperation in various projects which looked beyond partisanship to the welfare of the commonwealth. His work has indeed been of worth as a factor in the legislation of the state during the past eight years. He is equally well known in the practice of law in Spokane, where a large clientage has been accorded him. He was born May 18, 1866, and is the youngest of the four sons of John J. and Orrilla Landon (Berry) Graves. The ancestral records show that the Graves family were among the leading colonial families of Virginia, the first representative of the name in America being Captain Thomas Graves, who arrived at Jamestown as a passenger on the William and Mary, which was the second ship to make the voyage, arriving in 1608, the year following the establishment of the Jamestown colony. He became a prominent and influential citizen and his name appears on a monament erected ^o commemorate the assembling the first Virginia house of burgesses that convened at Jamestown in June^ 1619^ he being one of the members of that body. Representatives of the name continued to reside in Accomac county^ Virginia, until after the United States had won her independence. Then the great-grandfather of Will G. Graves removed to Boone county, Kentucky, where he located on a land grant given him in recognition of services which he had rendered to the Canadian government. It was in his honor that Graves county, Kentucky, was named. His son was Major Reuben Graves, a soldier of the War of 1812, who held the rank of major in Colonel Johnson's regiment in the campaign against the Indians, of which the battle of Tippecanoe was the chief feature. On that occasion he secured the tomahawk of the famous Indian chief, Tecumseh, and it still remains a cherished heirloom in the family to this day. He was likewise a distinguished officer of the Mexican war. He continued to reside in Kentucky until, wishing to get away from what he regarded as the baneful influences of slavery, he removed with his family to Illinois after freeing his slaves and disposing of his property in Kentucky. The journey was made with a caravan composed of sixteen families and they founded the town of St. Marys, in Hancock county.

His son, John J. Graves, was bom October 18, 1819, at the old homestead, on the land which his grandfather had received as a grant from the government. He went with his family to Illinois and, devoting his life to agricultural pursuits, became one of the large landowners of that part of the state and a helpful factor in its development and progress. He subscribed liberally to the stock of the Burlington railroad and with his neighbors assisted in building that section of the line which extends from Galesburg to Quincy. He married OrriUa Landon Berry, a representative of one of the old New England families, her father having been Dr. Jonathan Berry, of Grand Isle, Vermont, who was chief surgeon on the American flagship at the battle of Plattsburg, in the War of 1812.

Will G. Graves spent the first twenty-three years of his life in the state of his nativity and his experiences and advantages were those which usually fall to the lot of the farmer boy. As his father was in very comfortable financial circumstances he was enabled to pursue his education beyond the point of the public schools and thus become well equipped for life's practical duties. His elder brothers, Frank H. and Jay P. Graves, came to Spokane in 1884 and 1887, respectively, and their favorable reports of the developing northwest caused Will G. Graves to make his way to this section of the country in the fall of 1889. After a brief stay in Spokane he went to Ellensburg and, devoting his attention to the study of law, was admitted to the bar in 1892. For four years he practiced at that place but in the spring of 1896 returned to Spokane, where he formed a partnership with his brother, Frank H. Graves, a business association which is still maintained, the firm having from the first occupied a creditable and enviable position among the practitioners of the city. His business has constantly increased in volume and importance and he seems at home in all departments of the law, proving a strong advocate and a safe counselor.

Aside from his profession his most important public work has been in the field of legislation. Something of his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him are indicated in the fact that in 1902, in a strong republican district - the sixth - he was elected, a democratic nominee, to the state senate and in 1906 he was reelected^ becoming one of three democratic members of that body in 1910. During the first two sessions of his service he was chairman of the committee on constitution and constitutional revision, and later was made chairman of the judiciary committee, in which connection he has rendered valuable service to his state. He is not unknown in business circles outside of his profession and is now a trustee of the Spokane and Inland Empire Railroad Company, of the International Coal & Coke Company and a director of the Traders National Bank. In 1894 Mr. Graves was united in marriage to Miss Rebecca Peek, a daughter of Asahel Peek, of Seattle, and they have one surviving child, a son, Paul Hyde Graves. Identified with Spokane and the Inland Empire for twenty-two years. Will G. Graves has long since established his position as one of the prominent lawyers and representative citizens who, taking up the work begun by the pioneers, has builded upon the foundation which the pioneers laid an imposing superstructure of stability and worth that is keeping Washington abreast in all the different lines of progress and improvement with the older states of the east.

Charles Morris Mecklem

Charles Morris Mecklem, who is successfully engaged in the drug business at Palouse, Whitman county, was bom in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, March 22, 1857, his parents being Eli and Margaret (Collins) Mecklem, the former a native of the state of New York and the latter of Ireland.

Charles M. Mecklem attended the public schools in Pennsylvania until 1866, when he was nine years of age. In that year his parents removed to Ohio and there he continued in the public schools and later became a student at the Hayesville Academy and afterward in the Mansfield Normal School. In 1876 he rented a farm and during that same winter took up the profession of school teaching, which he followed for some time. His father having passed away when be was nine years of age, the support of the family early devolved upon him. In the spring of 1880 he came to Washington and located twelve miles southeast of Colfax, later becoming principal of the Palouse public schools. In 1881 he was made assistant principal of the Colfax school but in 1882 he entered G. W. Sutherland's drug store as an apprentice and remained there until 1885, receiving in that year a certificate as a registered pharmacist. He then became head clerk in the Pioneer Drug Store in Colfax. In 1886 he accepted a position as mail clerk on a railroad but in the fall of the same year was elected county school superintendent. In that year he was the only democrat who was elected in the county, a fact which shows his popularity among the residents there. In 1889 he moved to Palouse and established a drug store under the firm name of Mecklem & Ellsworth and continued under that name until 190S, when he purchased the interest of Mr. Ellsworth and has since continued in that store under the firm name of the Mecklem Pharmacy. He has been very successful in the financial world and among his other interests he is a stockholder and a director of the National Bank of Palouse.

At Spokane, in May, 1891, Mr. Mecklem was married to Miss Mary Babb, who was born in Iowa, a daughter of John and Margaret Babb. To Mr. and Mrs.

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Meddem have been born two daughters^ Quevenne and Zelva^ both of whom are students in the Washington State College. In his political relations Mr. Mecklem is a democrat and he has ever taken an active interest in local party measures. He is greatly interested in educational work as evinced by the offices he has held^ liaving been county school superintendent in 1886 and school director for several terms. Fraternally he belongs to the Masons^ having filled all the chairs in the local lodge^ and he also belongs to Pullman Chapter^ No. 31, R. A. M. He is likewise identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows^ having filled all the chairs in his lodge^ and is a member of the Encampment^ also the last representative to the Grand Lodge of the state of Washington. He is identified with the Woodmen of the World and with the Improved Order of Red Men. Also socially he is a member of the Palouse Business Men's Association. Mr. Mecklem's success in the business world is the result of honest endeavor and discriminating foresight in his business relations. He has made an honorable record and is recognized as one of the leading citizens of Whitman county.

John A. Henry

John A. Henry ^ the extent and importance of whose business interests make him one of the prominent real-estate brokers of Spokane, is now operating under the firm name of J. A. Henry & Company. He was born in Eureka^ Humboldt county^ California, on the 22d of October, 1876, his parents being Francis and Phoebe (Davis) Henry. The father, who is of Irish descent, was born in New Brunswick, Canada, in 1827. He was one of the pioneer lumbermen of Humboldt county, and his death occurred in 1907. The mother, who is of English descent, was also bom in New Brunswick, and is at present living in Eureka, California. She has one brother, George L. Davis, who is a prominent banker and lumberman of Hoquiam, Washington. To Mr. and Mrs. Henry six children were bom: Hiram, George and Wellington, all of whom are living in Humboldt county; John A., of Spokane; Mrs. Margaret Getchell of Bay side, California; and Mrs. Alfretta Rice, of San Diego, California.

John A. Henry acquired his education in the public and high schools of Eureka, aod later took a course in a business college. After his graduation from the latter institution he accepted a position as private secretary to E. G. Eames, general manager of the Puget Mill Company remaining there two years at the end of which time he entered the employ as secretary of the Grays Harbor Lumber Company, an organization which had been brought about by his uncle who had erected a mill at Grays Harbor, Washington. After Mr. Henry had occupied that position for some time, the firm having changed hands, he became connected with the lumber interests at Eureka as assistant secretary of the Lumber Association for four years. In 1906 he left that city and went to the San Francisco office immediately after the remarkable earthquake in that city. He remained there one year before coming to Spokane and becoming J. L. Drumheller's private secretary, and secretary and treasurer of many companies with which Mr. Drumheller was connected, among these being the Sand Point Water & Light Company, of which Mr. Drumheller is president and principal owner. Much of the responsibility of this organ- ization fell upon Mr. Henry's shoulders^ and the success which was theirs was due to a large degree to his ability. Mr. Henry was affiliated with Mr. Drumheller from 1907 to 1909^ and he looks upon these two years as one of the most successful and profitable periods of his business career. Subsequently he engaged independently in the real-estate business and is at present carrying on a general realestate^ rental and insurance business. He is agent for the Scott-Robertson property^ consisting of the Idaho and Chemical buildings located on Sprague avenue between Wall and Howard streets. He deals in both inside and outside property, bu3dng and selling, and is today one of the most prominent real-estate brokers in Spokane.

Mr. Henry was a member of the Eureka Reserve Naval Militia for three years but was not called to the Spanish war. They cruised up and down the coast as auxiliary to the cruiser Badger, during the time that Mr. Henry served as a blue jacket.

At Kennewick, Washington, on the 29th of June, 1907, Mr. Henry was married to Miss Mabel Haney, a daughter of H. B. Haney, a retired agriculturist now living in Spokane and one of the pioneers of Kennewick. Mrs. Henry is prominent in musical circles and at the present time is solo soprano at the First Presbyterian church. Before her marriage she studied in Minneapolis Conservatory and also at Berkeley, California.

Politically Mr. Henry is a stalwart republican and has at all times been actively engaged in the interests of his party. He served as secretary of the Young Men's Republican Club at Eureka, and has been delegate to various county conventions. He holds membership in the Vincent Methodist Episcopal church, Oriental Lodge, No. 74, A. F. & A. M. and the Inland Club. He is a shrewd and keen-sighted businessman and one who knows real-estate in all its details, and is able to conduct his business enterprises so that they turn out to his financial advantage and to the benefit of the city.

King Prince Allen

King Prince Allen, who has been postmaster of Pullman for the past nine years, was born in Ohio on the 9th of November, 1841, and is a son of Ira and Rebecca (Calkins) Allen, both members of old colonial families and natives of Vermont. In the paternal line he is descended from the same branch of the family as Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary fame, while his maternal ancestors came to America on the Mayflower.

The education of King Prince Allen was pursued in the schools of his native state until 1851 when he accompanied his people on their removal to Michigan. He continued his studies there until the 21st of April, 1861, when he enlisted in Company I, Second Michigan Infantry, under Colonel I. B. Richardscm, and went to the front as a private. He participated in many notable engagements, including the battle of Fredericksburg, the seven-days' fight at Malvern Hill, and the battles of Vicksburg, the Wilderness and Spottsylvania, and was slightly wounded on two occasions. On the 2dd of July, 1864, he was discharged at Detroit, Michigan, his service covering a period of three years and ninety days, having beg^n his military career on the 22d of April, 1861. Upon his return to civil life, he entered his fathers blacksmith shop where h? learned the trade. In 1867 together with a brother he returned to Homer, Michigan, and there established a shop which they conducted until 1880, when Mr. Allen turned his attention to agricultural pursuits. He engaged in farming in Michigan and the Dakotas for six years and at the expiration of that period took up a quarter section of government land in Dakota which he cultivated for a time. Later he resumed his trade, remaining a resident of that state until 1 889, when he came to Pullman and established a blacksmith shop, conducting the same until March, 1902, when he disposed of his business to enter upon the duties of postmaster, to which office he had been appointed by President Roosevelt, by whom he was reappointed to the same office in 1906 and again by President Tafi in 1910. That Mr. Allen has proven efficient and has discharged his duties in a manner highly satisfactory to the community at large is manifested by the long period of his service. He is in every way well qualified for the office, and fulfills his responsibilities with a rare sense of conscientious obligation to the public.

At Marengo, Michigan, on the 20th of October, 1864, Mr. Allen was united in marriage to Miss Susan M. Gerow, a native of the state of New York and a daughter of S. X. and Diana (Townsend) Gerow. In the paternal line she is of French extraction, her father having been born in France, while her mother is descended from one of the old colonial families of New York. The family of Mr. and Mrs. Allen is as follows : Ada, who married Judge Thomas Neill of Colfax, by whom she has two children ; Wilfred, who is also married and has two children ; Dora, the wife of J. C. Taylor, of Dawson, North DakoJta, and. the mother of four children; Ira G., of Seattle, who is married and ha^ two' chiWifeih ;- Carrie, who married Henry Blanchard, became the mother of one c^iild Atnd has pik^ed away; Delia, who mar-

Mr. Allen is adjutant and quarterAwster of Whitman Post, No. 53, G. A. R., and he was senior vice department commander of the department of Washington and Alaska, while in politics he is a republican. He is one of the highly esteemed citizens of Pullman, where he has many friends, whose regard he has won and retained through his personal worth.

Homer Lewis Rouse

Homer Lewis Rouse is one of the well known business men of Garfield, Whitman county, who has identified himself with the commercial interests there, his labors not only being a source of profit to himself but constituting an element of general prosperity. He has lived in Washington for many years and has been an interested witness of its growth and progress. He was born in Cass county, Nebraska, on the 20th of May, 1874, and is a son of John S. and Sarah (Scoggin) Rouse, natives of Iowa and Wisconsin respectively. His grandfather was John Rouse, a native and prominent resident of the state of Iowa. His parents removed to Columbia county, Washington, when their son Homer L. was but a child. There his boyhood and youth were passed, and the public schools near Pomeroy afforded him his educational privileges. The father took a one hundred and sixty acre preemption claim south of Pomeroy and upon it operated a sawmill. His son immediately became associated with him in business^ aXd at the age of twelve years worked in the woods driving four yoke of cattle. He was thus employed until 1891 when the family removed to Adams county ^ the father taking up an eighty acre homestead and one hundred and sixty acres under the timber culture act. Again Homer L. Rouse aided in his father's agricultural undertakings and was thus occupied until 1897 when he desired to farm independently. At that time he took up a one hundred and sixty acre homestead five miles southeast of Lind, Adams county, and so profitably did he cultivate this property that within a short time he had increased his holdings to four hundred and ninety acres. During the ten years he held this property he was given opportunity to put into practice the various theories he had formulated while in his father's employ and to try out many of the modern and scientific agricultural principles. In 1907 he disposed of his farm and removed to Potlatch, Idaho, where he again engaged in agricultural pursuits for one year. Subsequently he removed to Garfield and entered the realestate business in partnership with C. E. Averill, under the firm name of the Garfield Land Company. He is still engaged in real estate and because of his enterprising spirit and untiring efforts he has won a success which attests his knowledge of property values and the extent of his patronage.

On the 10th of October, 1898, in Adams county, Mr. Rouse was married to Miss Ida Richardson, who is a daughter of Amos and Mary (Griffith) Richardson, natives of Wisconsin and Georgia respectively. To this union two children have been born, Homer Loraine and Gladys. In political views Mr. Rouse is a democrat and keeps well informed on the questions and issues of the day. His relig^ ious faith is indicated by his membership in the Christian church. He is regarded as a progressive, energetic and prosperous business man, and occupies a very prominent position in the commercial circles of Garfield and vicinity, being frequently consulted on business matters, his advice being always impartial and his judgment considered sound. He has aided materially in the , upbuilding and advancement of the county and in his private interests has so managed his affairs that he has made steady and substantial progress, being now numbered among the men of influence of Garfield.

Robert E. M. Strickland

Robert E. M. Strickland was born at West Chester, Pennsylvania, August 14, 1867, a son of Nimrod and Rose (Gould) Strickland of that city. Mr. Strickland pursued his early education in the public schools of West Chester. He also attended the classical academy at that place and subsequently took up the reading of law and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar on the 24th of October, 1888. He opened an office in West Chester but thinking that the far west offered better opportunities to young men, he came to Washington in January, 1889, and since July of that year he has made Spokane his home. He was first attorney for the Pennsylvania Mortgage Company, doing business in eastern Washington and Idaho, and was made manager of the company in 1892 but resigned this position about the 1st of January, 1898.

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In politics he is a gold democrat and in 1892-S was a member of the democratic state central committee. He has been a delegate to the city, county and state conventions of his party and was the chairman of the Spokane delegation which attended the convention in Olympia in 1892, when Snively was nominated. He was appointed by Governor McGraw, the second chief executive of the state, as regent of the State University at Seattle, serving out his term from 1893 until 1897. The university building on the shore of Lake Washington was started and completed during the time that Mr. Strickland was a member of the board of regents.

For many years he has been secretary and a member of the board of directors of the Spokane Club and he is also engaged in the real-estate and brokerage business with offices in the Columbia building.

Dr. John A. Dix, practicing successfully in Garfield, is connected with those whose labors have set the standard for professional services in this city, for in all of his connections with the practice of medicine he has held to high ideals and e(mtinually advocated that progression which promotes the efficiency of the members of the medical fraternity. Bom in Ohio, on the 15th of July, 1843, he is a son of Clark and Clarissie (Clough) Dix. The Dix family traces its ancestry in America to the Revolutionary times. The paternal grandfather, John Dix, was a native of Massachusetts but the parents were both born in Pennsylvania.

Dr. Dix pursued his early education in the public schools of Ohio. When he was nineteen years of age he enlisted as a private in Company G, Ninety-fifth Ohio Volunteers, for service in the Civil war. He was subsequently promoted to the position of second sergeant and during his service was incarcerated at Andersonvill^ and other prisons for nine months. He received his discharge in June, 1865, at Camp Chase, Columbus, Ohio. After he returned home he again attended school but in 1866 removed to Iowa, where he worked as a farm hand and was engaged in teaching. Industrial pursuits did not appeal to him and he determined opon the medical profession as his life work. Accordingly he began studying medicine, matriculating at the Eclectic Medical Institute of Cincinnati, Ohio. He was graduated from that institution in 1871 with the degree of M. D. The same year he started to practice in Iowa but in 1878 removed to Nebraska, where he followed his profession for three years before taking it up again in Iowa. In 1886 he removed to Qarfield, Whitman county, Washington, and he has* since that time been continuously engaged in the practice of medicine in this city. At the same time he opened a drug store, which he conducted until 1911. He did not regard his professional education complete when he left college and has ever remained a student of the science of medicine and has given proof of his broad learning in his professional practice. He now has a very extensive patronage and numbers among his patients many of the best people of the city. Aside from his professional duties. Dr. Dix has been active in politics and has been one of the enthusiastic advocates of public improvements in Garfield. At present he is serving as mayor and is interested in all the movements that tend* to produce an ideal city.

Dr. Dix has been twice married. In 1870 he was united in marriage to Miss Cynthia Dresser, of Ohio, a daughter of Almond and Electa Dresser. To -their union three children were born: Rena, lyho is the wife of Robert Lincoln, of Ohio, and the mother of two children; Ross, of Greeley, Colorado, who is married and has four children; and Cynthia, the wife of B. R. Williams, of Whitman county, and the mother of two children. In 1884 Dr. Dix was married to Miss Ida Fay, of Iowa, a daughter of David Fay. To their union five children have been born: Emmett, who is residing in Colfax; Ethel, who is living at home; Elizabeth, who is the wife of L. B. Mourey, of Garfield, and has one daughter; and Jessie and John M., both of whom are residing at home.

Dr. Dix gives his political support to the republican party. He has served as a member of the council for several terms, is at present filling the office of mayor, and in 1903 was elected to the legislature. As a Mason he has occupied all the chairs in the lodge and chapter. He also holds membership with the Artisans, John A. Logan Post, No. 16, G. A. R., of which he was at one time commander, and the Whitman County Medical Society. He possesses a most genial nature and his cordiality, aflFability and deference for the opinion of others render him personally popular and have secured to him a circle of friends almost coextensive with the circle of his acquaintance.

Cyrus Edward Averill

Cyrus Edward Averill, who is engaged in the real-estate and loan business in Garfield, Whitman county, in partnership with Homer L. Rouse under the firm name of the Garfield Land Company, was born in Maine, on the 2Sd of Augast, 1860. He is a grandson of Stephen Averill, of Maine, and a son of Henry A. and Mehitable (Burpey) .Averill, both natives of Maine. The father was prominent in the political circles of Washington at an early day and did all the writing for the Washington territory legislature in 1852 and 1858.

Cyrus E. Averill received his education in the public schools of Maine and in Battle Creek College in Michigan, which he attended in 1877. In the autunm of the following year he returned to Maine and worked on a farm until 1883. In that year he went west with his parents and for some time was located in California, where he was employed as a bookkeeper for the Pacific Coast Steamship Company until 1890. In Los Angeles he took a short course in a business college and subsequently opened a grocery store in Pasadena independently, which he conducted until 1893, when he removed to Elberton, Washington. In that town he opened a store for himself and at the same time kept the books for a lumber company until 1897, when he removed to Garfield and engaged in the grocery business. He was eminently successful and had already won a large patronage when his entire stock and building were destroyed by fire in 1898. This was a heavy financial loss to him but because of the previous record which he had made as a man to be thoroughly relied upon his creditors came to his assistance and made it possible for him to start in business again immediately. He conducted the store which he then opened until 1903, when he disposed of it to embark in the real-estate business. He at first organized the Garfield Land Company with A. H. Plummer as partner but in 1908 this partnership was dissolved and he associated himself with U. W. Hammaker in the real-estate and piano business. Although they were in business together less than two years, they disposed of three carloads of pianos and met with an equal degree of success in their real-estate business. In February, 1910, Mr. Averill entered into partnership with Homer L. Rouse under the firm style of the Garfield Land Company and continued dealing in real estate and pianos. He has been one of the most successful real-estate dealers of Garfield and has not only shown his high sense of integrity in actual business dealings but has also been a valuable assistant and adviser to those contemplating purchasing or disposing of properties. He was one of the organizers of the Garfield National Bank and is at present a heavy stockholder and a director of that institution.

On the 24th of November, 1880, occurred the marriage of Mr. Averill to ^liss Aimena H. Elsemore, a daughter of Stillman and Clara (Woodman) Elsemore, ot Maine. To Mr. and Mrs. Averill seven children have been born: Nellie, died in 1908, aged sixteen years; Ralph H. and Harrison Morton, both of whom are residents of Montana; Violet, who is the wife of Alfred Tufts, of California, and has one child ; and Edward, Clara and Kelsey, all of whom are residing at home.

In politics Mr. Averill gives his support to the republican party and is thoroughly alive to the issues of the day. His prominence in financial and business circles gives him the opportunity of exerting considerable influence over the politics of the party and he is one of its most loyal supporters. He is a Master Mason, belonging to Princeton Lodge, No. 139, Princeton, Maine, and also holds membership in the Woodmen of the World and the Artisans. His religious faith is indicated by his affiliation with the Methodist Episcopal church. Since Mr. Averill has been connected with the business circles of Garfield he has won that recognition which is always given to ability, integrity and an enterprising spirit when intelligently directed, and the esteem and regard which are his have been gained by a life of activity carried out in accordance with the highest ideals of citizenship.

Frank H. Graves

The growth of the northwest has been so rapid and so substantial as to seem almost magical and yet there are many men who are still prominent factors in the life of Spokane and other sections of the Inland Empire who became connected with the district during the primitive period in the history of the city. Among the number is Frank H. Graves. He and his associates, utilizing the experiences of the past and the wisdom of the ages, have made this city one of the leading metropolitan centers of the Pacific coast country, bringing to bear practical judgment and business enterprise in the accomplishment of the task.

Mr. Graves is a native of Hancock county, Illinois, born June 15, 1857, and, tracing his ancestry back various generations, finds that Captain Thomas Graves was the progenitor of the family in America, having landed at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1608, on the William and Mary, which was the second ship to touch at that port. In shaping the destiny of the little Virginia colony he took an important part and in June, 1619, was one of the members of the first house of burgesses in Virginia. Through successive generations the family were connected with the agricultural de- velopment of that colony^ owning large plantations in Accomac county^ but subsequent to the establishment of American independence the g^eat-grandfather cast in his lot with the settlers who were engaged in the reformation of Kentucky, converting it from a "dark and bloody ground" into one of the progressive states of the Mississippi valley. He there developed a large plantation, receiving the land as a grant from the government in recognition of valuable aid which he had rendered his country when the Revolutionary war was in progress. One of the counties of Kentucky was named in his hon'or. His son. Major Reuben Graves, of Boone county, Kentucky, made a splendid record in two of the wars of the country, serving as major under Colonel Johnson in the Indian campaigns which largely led to the suppression of outbreaks among the red men in that part of the state and culminated in the battle of Tippecanoe, in which Major Graves secured the tomahawk of the famous Indian chief, Tecumseh. Later he did equally valuable and valiant service in the Mexican war. His opposition to the system of slavery led him to dispose of his property interests in the south, free his slaves and remove with his family to Hancock county, Illinois, being one of a colony of Kentucky people to found the town of St. Marys. There he became identified with agricultural interests and his son, John J. Graves, who had been born October 18, 1819, on the old family homestead in Kentucky, followed in the business footsteps of his father, added to his land until his holdings were extensive, and was prominently connected with agricultural interests in that locality. He also subscribed to the stock and aided in the building of the first railroad in that section, which was a division of the Burliiigton, extending from Galesburg to Quincy. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Orrilla Landon Berry, represented an old New England family. Her father was Dr. Jonathan Berry, of Grand Isle, Vermont, the chief surgeon on the American flagship at the battle of Plattsburg, in the War of 1812.

Their eldest son, Frank H. Graves, attended the district schools until he had mastered the elementary branches of learning and later entered Carthage College of Carthage, Illinois, in which he completed the course by graduation with the class of 1880. Having pursued the study of law, he was admitted to the bar in the same year and in the spring of 1882 began practicing in Carthage. But the spirit of enterprise which had led his ancestors in successive generations to migrate from the old world to the new, from Virginia to Kentucky, and from Kentucky to Illinois, led him to seek the opportunities of the northwest, and on Christmas day of 1884 he arrived in Spokane, where he opened an office and entered upon the practice of law. In years of continuous connection he is one of the oldesf members of the Spokane bar and has ever maintained a foremost place among the lawyers practicing in the courts of eastern Washington. His ability is manifest in the many verdicts which he has won favorable to his clients. At the same time he has been prominently known in other connections, especially in the fields of mining and journalism, for he was one of the original owners and a member of the board of trustees of the Le Roi mine in British Columbia and in 1897 he became associated with Judge Turner, Colonel Ridpath and others in the purchase of the Seattle Post- Intelligencer, which they conducted until 1899, when they disposed of the paper to the present owners.

In September, 1882, occurred the marriage of Mr. Graves to Miss Maude Ferris, a daughter of Hiram G. and Phoebe (Holton) Ferris. Their two children are Carroll S. and Arnold L. The former, bom in September, 1883, is a graduate of the

Spokane And The Inland Empihe 378

United States Naval Academy at Annapolis and is now lieutenant commander of the United States ship Decatur^ in the Philippines. Arnold L.^ born in December^ 1893, is a student in the Phillips-Exeter Academy, at Exeter, New Hampshire. The family residence is at No. 515 East Sixteenth avenue, where Mr. Graves erected an attractive home in 1906. He is a member of the Society of Colonial Wars, Sons of the American Revolution and the Spokane Club. He is preeminently a business man, practical and determined, accomplishing what he undertakes, and his theories have stood the test of practical achievement.

George Henry Watt

George H. Watt, who is professor of pharmacy of the Washington State College and is also conducting a drug store in Pullman, was bom in Harrison county, Ohio, July 16, 1856, his parents being John and Sarah (Frazier) Watt, both of whom were natives of Ohio. His grandfathers, Joseph Watt and George Frazier, were natives of Ireland and Maryland respectively, the Frazier family tracing its lineage back to the Fraziers who were prominent in Revolutionary times.

George H. Watt pursued his early education in the public schools of Ohio and subsequently was a student in the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, from which institution he was graduated in 1880 with the degree of B. S. During three years of his college course, 1877-1879, Mr. Watt taught school. After his unraduation he again took up teaching, and in the winter of 1880-81 was instructor in a school in Ohio. At the end of that time however he removed to Detroit, Minnesota, where he taught until 1888 when he came to Oregon to begin his connection with the schools in that state. In Oregon he was principal at Jacksonville, until 1890 in which year he returned to Ohio and entered Scio College where he took up the study of pharmacy, receiving the degree of Ph. G. After being thus legally recognized as a pharmacist he came to North Yakima, Washington, and was elected superintendent of schools. He remained in this position for two years before coming to Pullman and became professor of chemistry in the State College of Washington in January, 189S. Later he was principal of the preparatory school and in 1896 was made head of the department of pharmacy. This position is one which carries with it considerable honor find responsibility, but Mr. Watt has always ably met every difficulty which arose and has conducted his courses so satisfactorily that he has won the esteem of the other members of the faculty.

In October, 1905, realizing he had sufficient time to do so without encroaching upon his college duties, he opened a drug store in Pullman which is known as Watt's Pharmacy. Because of his professional standing throughout the community his store is one of the most popular and best patronized business enterprises in Pullman. Mr. Watt has extended his commercial interests and has become connected with many of the important enterprises of Pullman. He is director and treasurer of the Pullman Savings & Loan Association and director and vice president of the Pullman State Bank. He has evinced his confidence in the possibilities of the soil of the northwest by purchasing three hundred and thirty acres of land in Idaho, which he is planting to fruit trees.

In 1881, at Freeport, Ohio, Mr. Watt was united in marriage with Miss Harriet Colvin, a daughter of Samuel and Susannah (Sears) Colvin. To this union three children were bom: Vivian, who married C. M. Scatterday of Freeport, Ohio; Frances C, who is the wife of E. A. Clemens of Selah, Washington; and George L., who is residing in Buhl, Idaho. In 1898, in North Yakima, Mr. Watt wedded Miss Anna Mattoon of that town, her death occurring in 1895. In 1910 Mr. Watt was again married, this union being with Miss Anna M. Torsen, a teacher, then residing at Viola, Idaho, where the ceremony took place. She is a daughter of Barney and Anna (Hansen) Torsen, both natives of Norway. To Mr. and Mrs. Watt one daughter, Anna Virginia, has been born.

Mr. Watt holds membership in the Congregational church, in which he acts as trustee and treasurer. Fraternally he is a member of the Masonic order and has served as secretary for his lodge for several years, while he is also treasurer of the Royal Arch chapter. He likewise holds membership in the Moscow Lodge, No. 249, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and in the Pullman Chamber of Commerce. His political preference is given to the men and measures of the republican party. Starting out in life for himself at an early age he has since depended upon his own resources and can truly be called a self-made man.

Thomas Neill

Thomas Neill, judge of the superior court of Whitman county, has been engaged in the practice of law in the state of Washington for twenty-three years. He is a native of Ireland, having been born in Belfast on the 14th of March, 1861, his parents being James and Elizabeth (Gregory) Neill, also natives of the Emerald isle.

Reared in the environment of a refined home, Thomas Neill acquired his early education under the supervision of governesses, but later was. sent to a public school and subsequently pursued a classical course in a private academy in his native land. He left Ireland at the age of eighteen and became a citizen of the United States, locating in Monticello, Indiana, in 1879. There he entered the law office of Judge Gregory to prepare himself for the legal profession. He assiduously applied himself to the mastery of the principles of jurisprudence until 1882, at which time he was admitted to the bar. Immediately following thereupon he engaged in practice as a junior partner of Judge Gregory, with whom he was associated for a year. Believing that he could find a wider field for his activities in the larger and newer districts of the west, he removed to North Dakota, locating in Dawson. He established an office and engaged in general practice in that town, at the same time being associated with his brother, Hugh Neill, in the banking business for five years. In 1888 Judge Neill again started westward, Wasliington being his destination. He first settled in Pullman, where he built up a good clientele and was successfully engaged in practice until 1897, when he removed to Colfax. Here he formed a partnership Math Charles M. Wyman, under the firm name of Wyman & Neill, and the new combination took over the practice of Chadwick, Fullerton & Wyman. Judge Neill remained in Colfax until 1905, then returned to Pullman, again associating himself with the legal fraternity of that city.

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Judge Neill is a very able representative of his profession, and is so regarded by his fellow practitioners and those who have employed his services. He has read widely and extensively and is exceedingly well informed on every phase of his profession. In the preparation of his cases he is painstaking and cautious^ presenting his cause with a dignity and assurance that carries great weight in the courtroom. He has been called to a number of public offices, having served both as city attorney and mayor while residing in Pullman, and as city attorney in Colfax. ^

WTiile residing in Dawson, North Dakota, Judge Neill was married to Miss Ada M. Allen, the event occurring December 16, 1886. Mrs. Neill is a daughter of K. P. and Susan (Garow) Allen, and is a native of Michigan as were also her parents. Two children have been bom of the union of Mr. and Mrs Neill, Roy A., who is living in Pullman; and Marjorie, at home.

In his political views Judge Neill has always been independent, giving his support to such men and measures as he deems best adapted to meet the exigencies of the situation. Fraternally he is a member of both the Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows, and has passed through all of the chairs in both of these lodges, while he maintains relations with his fellow members of the bar through his connection with the Whitman County Bar Association, of which he is an ex-president. Educational matters have always engaged the attention of Judge Neill, who was one of those who exerted considerable influence in getting the State College located at Pullman. As a citizen of Whitman county he has ever proven loyal in his allegiance to its best interests by giving his aid * lEtnd exerting his influence to promote every movement which he de^ed at all likely to develop or advance its intellectual and moral standards. \ *v,/ * -''t^

Sanford Hoskinson Riggs

A native of West Virginia, Sanford Hoskinson Riggs was born May 17, 1845, his parents being Nathaniel T. and Louisa (Martin) Riggs, also natives of West Virginia. The family origin is traced back to Wales, whence representatives of the name came to this country prior to the Revolutionary war. Samuel Riggs, grandfather of the subject of this review, landed in Pennsylvania and took an active part in the Indian wars in the earlier days when the thirteen colonies represented the civilization which has now extended throughout the United States.

Sanford Hoskinson Riggs was reared in West Virginia, where in the common schools he received his education and assisted his father, dividing his attention between the duties of the school room and the work of the farm. In 1863 he gave his entire time to assisting his father, but in the following year he removed to Clarksville, Pike county, Missouri, where he worked as a farm hand until 1866, when he started farming on his own account, remaining in that state until 1873. He then decided to remove to Colorado, and there farmed for two years. In that state, however, he met with serious disaster as everything he raised was destroyed by the great scourge of grasshoppers which visited that section. He then returned to Missouri where he remained until the year 1880, when he removed to Rosalia, Whitman county, Washington, driving across the plains from

Vandalia^ Missouri. On arriving in this state he filed on a government homestead three and a half miles east of Rosalia which comprised one hundred and sixty acres^ and also bought one hundred and sixty acres of school land. Toiling early and late^ by well directed efforts he soon placed his half section of land under cultivation and introduced on it such modem improvements as he considered to be of service to him in his general farming operations. Although he was very successful as a whole in his business^ during 1893 he suffered a disastrous loss of ten thousand bushels of wheat which so crippled him financially that he was again compelled to begin all over the work of building up his fortune. He remained on his farm until 1900, when he retired and moved to Rosalia, so that the younger children of his family might have the advantages of the superior educational facilities to be found there.

Mr. Riggs was married in Missouri, on November 12, 1867, to Miss Catherine F. Griffith, a native of that state, her parents being John and Catherine (Amos) Griffith, both natives of Kentucky. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Riggs were bom five children, namely: Charles E., of Sand Point, Idaho, who married Delia M. Brown and now has two daughters; Catherine, who married Frank Bourn, of Rathdrum, Idaho, and now has two sons and five daughters; Robert F., operating the old homestead farm, who married Ina Ledbetter and has three daughters; Bessie, the wife of T. A. Turnley, of Rosalia, and the mother of two daughters; and James W., of Rosalia, who married Ethel Howard and has four sons and one daughter.

Mr. Riggs' political allegiance is generally given to the democratic party although he has independent tendencies and votes for members of other parties when he thinks candidates of superior ability and integrity are put forward. He has taken a particular interest in educational matters, having been instrumental in establishing two of the first schools in his district. He has also been a school trustee for a number of terms. Although Mr. Riggs encountered seemingly irretrievable disasters in his career and as late as 1893 suffered a financial loss representing years of hard labor and self-denial, he did not give up hope but pluckily set himself to the task of regaining his shattered fortune and by hard work and well directed efforts acquired a substantial competence which made possible his retirement. He has well earned the rest which he is now enjoying, not only on account of his many years of conscientious labor, his active participation in business and his pioneer experiences but also for the reason that he has taken an active interest in educational and social affairs which makes him a valuable man in his community.

Hans M. Hansen

Tribute is ever due to the man who through his own effort achieves success in a strange land. Of such as these is Hans M. Hansen, who came to Wilbar twenty-three years ago practically without means and with no knowledge of language or customs of the country. Yet^ despite these handicaps he has attained a position that wins him the respect of the entire community. He is a native of Denmark, as were likewise his parents Peter J. and Signa Hansen, and he was bom on the 21st of March, 1863.

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Reared at home^ Hans M. Hansen was given the advantages of a good education^ his student days being terminated at the age of twenty-two years. He had long recognized America to be the land of opportunity^ and feeling convinced that he would here find the advantages he sought^ in 1889 he crossed the Atlantic and made his way directly to Wilbur. Of necessity he immediately set out to find employment^ and as he had no trade^ he sought and found work as a chinmey sweep^ being the first man in the town to follow this occupation. Although he had at first to perform any kind of task that came to hand to provide himself with the bare necessities of life^ he never became discouraged^ his optimism and buoyant spirits leading him on to the goal to which he aspired. His enterprising spirit, ambition and energetic habits won him recognition and he gradually forged ahead^ each occupation advancing him a step in the business world. During the first four years of his residence here he engaged in various undertakings, taking anything that offered him honest and honorable employment. Those who engaged his services quickly recognized that he conscientiously performed his labor to the best of his ability^ which fact proved a dominant factor in promoting his progress. He early manifested business sagacity and foresight and was always on the alert for opportunities that he could turn to his advantage. As he was thrifty and temperate in his habits he managed to save a goodly portion of his earnings, eventually acquiring sufficient capital to enable him to engage in business on his own behalf. About 1893 he began buying and selling grain in this section, and met with success, his efforts in this direction proving so lucrative that he returned to Wilbur and erecting a large building engaged in the lumber and implement business. He prospered in this enterprise as in everything else with which he has been connected. With his usual perspicacity he foresaw that in a few years the land business was going to afford excellent opportunities and to meet these he disposed of his enterprise in 1908, and established a real-estate office. Here as elsewhere his judgment lead him aright and he has met with most gratifying returns, and has been instrumental in the upbuilding of Lincoln county, for he has been the direct means of bringing many settlers here, thus materially assisting in the development of the rural sections. Mr. Hansen, is a man who applies himself closely and intelligently to anything he undertakes, knowing his business thoroughly, and as a result he is one of the best posted men in this section on land and land values, being considered an authority in this line. There has not been anything meteoric about the progress of Mr. Hansen, as it has been the result of close application, clear judgment and intelligent concentration of power sustained by a determination of purpose that always refused to recognize defeat in whichever guise it might appear.

In Wilbur, in November, 1889, Mr. Hansen was united in marriage to Miss Dorothy Bruhn, a daughter of Christian Bruhn of Denmark, and to them have been born seven children, in the following order: Jennie, the wife of Victor Lauritzen, of Wilbur; and Carrie, Alfred, Sigvert, Helga, Thyra and Julia, all of whom are at home. The family live in Wilbur, where Mr. Hansen has acquired a pleasant and attractive residence property.

The family hold membership in the Lutheran church, of which Mr. Hansen is treasurer, and in politics he is a republican. He has taken an active interest in municipal affairs and served for six years on the town council, discharging his duties with efficiency. In matters of citizenship he has proven to be progressive and public-spirited, being willing at all times to do everything within his power to advance the welfare of the community. As a business man he is highly regarded and is president of the Eastern Washington Land Company of Mansfield, this state. During the twenty-three years of his residence here, Mr. Hansen has evinced those qualities that inspire trust and confidence in all who have transactions with him. He has the highest regard for his word, is loyal to his friends, and discharges his duties with a sense of conscientious obligation to those who repose their trust in him.

William Dill Foster

William Dill Foster, superintendent of the Washington State Agricultural College farm, where he has been employed for the past eight years, was born in Scotland on the 3d of February, 1855, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Waugh) Foster, the father a native of England and the mother of Scotland.

In the acquirement of his education, William Dill Foster attended the schools of his native land until 1873, when he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits and during the succeeding seven years engaged with his father in farming. At the expiration of that period he fully realized that it was impossible for him to achieve the success in his native country to which he aspired and he determined to come to America, feeling assured that better opportunities awaited an ambitious and enterprising young man in the less densely populated sections of the new world. Therefore in 1880 he took passage for Canada, and upon his arrival there sought and obtained employment as a farm hand, receiving eleven dollars per month for his services the first year and thirteen the second. Later he engaged in fitting cattle, which proved to be more remunerative than general farm work, and meeting with good success in his new undertaking in 1895 he was given charge of a large dairy herd. He retained this position until 1903 when he removed to Pullman subsequently being engaged as foreman on the college experimental farm. As he is painstaking and trustworthy, as well as practical and methodical, Mr. Foster proved to be a most eflicient man for the position, and when the farm was enlarged in 1908 he was promoted to the office of superintendent. Here he has had further opportunity to demonstrate his reliability and is discharging his duties in a manner highly satisfactory to those in charge. Enterprising and thrifty, by his excellent care, and watchfulness over the property of the state he manifests the traits that usually characterize his countrymen and cause them to be generally recognized as trustworthy and dependable. Mr. Foster still specializes in the fitting of cattle and hogs, in which connection he has acquired quite a reputation, and in 1906 he fitted the most valuable steer in the northwest.

In Ontario, Canada, in October, 1884, Mr. Foster was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Kerr, a native of Scotland and a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Thompson) Kerr, of the same country. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Foster, as follows: William Henry, residing in Canada, who is married and has n son and daughter; Elizabeth, the wife of T. A. Ronson of Canada, and the mother of two daughters; and Margaret, who married E. H. Thompson, of Idaho.

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Mr. Foster is a trustee of the Presbyterian church, in the faith of which both he and his wife were reared and have trained their family. While he is a great admirer of American institutions, and likes the enterprise and energy that characterize the people of this g^eat republic, Mr. Foster is thoroughly loyal to his native land and its principles. Although he made a prolonged visit to the scenes of his boyhood and youth in 1 890, he has no desire to return there to live, having become too thoroughly imbued with the spirit of the new world to readily adapt himself to the existing conditions of the old country.

Allan R. Scott

In the position of county commissioner important duties devolve upon Allan R. Scott, who is deeply interested in the welfare of the community which he represents in oflSce. He is typically a western citizen - alert, enterprising and progressive. His birth occurred near Blackfoot, Idaho, September 17, 1873, his parents being John A. and Margaret (Noble) Scott, both of whom were natives of Scotland. The father, who represented an old family of that country, was born near Inverness, learned the carpenter's and builder's trade, and in 1870 with his wife came to the new world. They settled in Idaho, near Blackfoot, and in 1882 removed to Colfax, where the father followed his trade as carpenter and builder. In 1888 they came to Spokane, where he continued in the same line until his death in June, 1894. His wife, a native of Glasgow, survived him for fifteen years, passing away in 1909. The only brother of Allan R. Scott is Donald Scott, a builder of San Francisco. The four sisters of the family are: Jane, the wife of Charles Jones, a retired farmer of Sandpoint, Idaho ; Helen, the wife of John Wetzel, a civil engineer of Spokane, Washington; and Katherine and Sadie M., both li\nng in Spokane.

Allan R. Scott was but a young lad when the family removed from Idaho to Washington, and in the common schools of Spokane, he pursued his early education, while later he attended the Spokane Business College and the State College at Pullman. Making his initial step in the business world, he was for eight years employed in the city engineer's department and afterward spent two years as a mining engineer in the Kootenai district of British Columbia and in the Coeur d'Alene district of Idaho. He worked in British Columbia under the provincial engineer, S. P. Tuck, and was employed by the city of Kaslo when the waterworks were there being built. He also worked for a time as mining engineer at Sandon, British Columbia, and following his return to the United States was for two years engaged in the general practice of his profession in Spokane. After remaining for a time in the employ of the Northern Pacific and of the Washington W^ater Power Companies, he became assistant engineer on the transmission line from Spokane to the Coeur d'Alene mine at Burke, Idaho. His activity and energy were unremitting and in all his business connections he has proven his worth in the substantial and gratifying results which have followed his efforts. In the spring of 1903 he was called to public office, being chosen county surveyor of Spokane county for a term of three years. In the fall of 1906 he was elected county engineer of Spokane county on the republican ticket and received indorse- ment for his first term in his reelection to that position in 1908. Still his fellow citizens were not content to have him retire from office, and on the 8th of November, 1910, he was elected county commissioner from the first district. He is also one of the directors of the Bolo Investment Company of Spokane, a stock company formed by the Spanish- American war veterans, and at one time was president of the Spokane Concrete Company, acting as its chief executive officer from its organization in 1904, until September, 1910.

Mr. Scott has an interesting military chapter in his life history, for during the Spanish- American war he enlisted in 1898 and served with the First Washington Volunteers. He had been a member of Company B, First Regiment National Guard of Washington, which had charge of Company L, and after the organization joined the volunteer service for duty in the war with Spain.

On the 31st of December, 1907, in Spokane, Mr. Scott was married to Miss Luella Davey, a daughter of Richard Davey, a descendant of an old family and a pioneer farmer of Spokane county, who came to the United States from Goodrich, Ontario. He is one of the few men now living who had the pleasure of meeting the old Jesuit priest who had charge of the construction of the historic old mission on the Coeur d'Alene river, built by the Jesuits. The priest explained to him in detail how the building had been constructed from whipsawed lumber, while marsh grass took the place of hair in the plaster. Both Mr. and Mrs. Scott are well known in Spokane, where they have a constantly increasing circle of friends. They attend the First Congregational church and Mr. Scott belongs to Tyrian Lodge, A. F. 8c A. M. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, of which he has long been an active supporter and he has attended several state and county conventions as delegate. Throughout his life he has been closely associated with the upbuilding and progress of the northwest, both along business and political lines and his work in this connection has been of a far-reaching and beneficial character.

J. Edwin Moore

J. Edwin Moore, cashier of the First State Bank of Lacrosse, was born in Kansas, on the 12th of June, 1883, and is a son of James I. and Eldora (Harrison) Moore, both of whom were natives of Iowa.

After completing the course offered in the public schools of Kansas and Washington, J. Edwin Moore removed to Oakesdale, Whitman county, in 1899 and the following year was appointed assistant postmaster of that city for the years 1901 to 1903. Subsequently he was employed by the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company and after his removal to San Francisco acted as cashier for the same company until he returned to Whitman county. He located at Colfax and was again cashier for the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company until 1905, when he accepted the position of cashier of the First Bank of Lacrosse. Desiring to start upon an independent career and engage in business for himself, in 1910 he opened a hardware and furniture store. He conducted this until the following year, when the bank with which he had previously been connected was reorganized as the First State Bank of Lacrosse. He was one of the promoters of this

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* reorganization and after its completion became cashier. He is well qualified for the onerous and responsible duties which devolve upon him, for his previous training was thorough and comprehensive and, having applied himself diligently to the mastery of the details and principles of the banking business, he is an active factor in the succears of this institution. Although still a young man his ability and enterprise have placed him in a position in business circles that is enviable. Beside his interests in the First State Bank he is a stockholder and director of the Colfax State Bank and also interested in the Lacrosse Telephone Company, of which he was formerly secretary and treasurer.

On the 8d of November, 1907, Mr. Moore was married to Miss Cora F. Dezell, who is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and a daughter of David and Susan (Whitlock) Dezell, who were formerly residents of New York state. To their union one child, Marcus D., has been bom.

Mr. Moore gives his political allegiance to the republican party. His religious convictions find expression in his adherence to the Presbyterian church. Fraternally he is identified with the Masonic order and holds membership in Lacrosse Lodge, No. 155, A. F. & A. M., in which organization he has held all of the chairs but that of master; and in Colfax Chapter, No. 34, R. A. M. He is an active member of the Commercial Club of Lacrosse, of which organization he is the present secretary and treasurer. He has always been active in the aflFairs of the community and he is considered a valuable citizen, highly esteemed for his business integrity, his personal worth and his devotion to the general welfare and improvement.

Jacob F. Hill

Jacob F. Hill, who is postmaster of Davenport and also secretary of the Big Bend Milling Company, is one of the pioneer settlers of the town, having resided here continuously for the past seventeen years. He was born in Oak Grove, Missouri, on the 8th of August, 1855, and is a son of Sterling and Sarah R. (Joyce) Hill, the father a native of Tennessee and the mother of Virginia. They located in Oak Grove during the early days of its history and there the father, whp was a Baptist minister, followed his calling for some years, but subsequently engaged in the general mercantile business. In 1850 he took the overland route to California, spending the succeeding two years in Yreka, that state. At the expiration of that period, he returned to Missouri where he spent the next five years. In 1857 he again came west accompanied by his wife and family, settling in Suisun, California, and he there engaged in farming. Later they removed to Idaho, but subsequently settled at The Dalles, Oregon.

As he was only a child of two years when he left his native state, Jacob F. Hill began his education in the public schools of California, remaining a student therein until he was ten years of age. He then accompanied his parents on their removal to' Idaho, where he continued his education. When they located in Oregon he entered the school at McMinnville, that state, and there prepared for college, later matriculating at the University of Oregon at Eugene, from which institution be was graduated with the class of 1880. The following six years he devoted to teaching in various parts of the state, and then returned to Eugene where he engaged in the general mercantile business. From there he went to Portland, continuing to give his attention to commercial pursuits. In 1894 he removed with his family to Davenport, having accepted a position as bookkeeper with the Big Bend Milling Company. This company was incorporated in 1897, and in appreciation of the efficiency and capability he ha^ displayed during the period of his connection with them Mr. Hill was made the secretary, and has ever since retained this position. In 1905 he was appointed postmaster and was reappointed in 1910, and thus has been the incumbent of this office for six years, the duties of which he has discharged in addition to his responsibilities as secretary of the Big Bend Milling Company.

Mr. Hill was united in marriage on the 6th of October, 1887, at Portland, Oregon, to Miss Margaret E. Sparks, who passed away on May 29, 1904. Two children were bom of this union: N. Russell, who is mentioned at greater length elsewhere in the volume; and Margaret, the wife of Carleton Hayes, of Seattle, Washington.

The fraternal relations of Mr. Hill are confined to his membership in the Masonic order. Acacia Lodge, No. 58, R. A. M., and the Woodmen of the World. In his political views he is a republican, giving his support to the men and measures of this party and deeming its policy best adapted to subserve the general interests of the country. Mr. Hill is one of the capable business men of the town and in addition to his other interests owns a fine wheat farm of one hundred and sixty acres near Adrian, Washington. During the long period of his residence in Davenport he has won the esteem and regard of many of its citizens by reason of his possession of those substantial qualities that invariably win recognition. As a citizen he has always been progressive, giving his unqualified support in promoting the adoption of every measure that would in any way tend to forward the best interests of the community; while as a public official he has given efficient and competent service.