USA > Washington > King County > Seattle > A volume of memoirs and genealogy of representative citizens of the city of Seattle and county of King, Washington, including biographies of many of those who have passed away > Part 12
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Mr. Brown arrived in this city in 1893 and spent one season on the Sound, engaged in shipping and towing, owning an interest in the tug Volga. He then returned to California and again entered the employ of the Wells-Fargo Express Company as local agent at Napa, filling that posi- tion for three years and in 1896 he came to Seattle. This was an arrange- ment whereby he was to temporarily relieve the agent in charge of the Seattle Land & Improvement Company, but the result was that he was elected to his present office, that of manager of the business of the company. He is also the secretary of the company. This company was formed and in- corporated in 1888 by Thomas Ewing, of San Francisco, who at that time purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land and later interested other California capitalists. Other lands were purchased till their holdings com- prised five hundred acres, now known as the first, second and third additions. The old site of the town was known as Freeport and upon it was one of the largest lumber mills on the Sound, owned by Mr. Marshall. When the town plat was made the name was changed from Freeport to West Seattle. The first and second additions have been almost entirely sold out. The site includes most of the water front and extends from the elevator of the Seattle & San Francisco Railroad & Navigation Company to the Haller estate on the west side of the peninsula. The business of the company was first under the management of James H. Ewing, later of James H. Watson and in 1897 Mr. Brown assumed the management. West Seattle is without question des- tinned at no distant day to become one of the most desirable and popular resi- dence portions of the city. Its site is one of the most beautiful and picturesque locations on the Sound, situated as it is on a peninsula, surrounded on three sides by water, and the land rising to a height sufficient to give an unob- structed and commanding view of land and water-a beautiful expanse of bay, forest and mountain, together with a panoramic view of Seattle, sit-
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uated like Rome of old upon seven hills. Since Mr. Brown has been in charge of the property interests he has taken measures to bring this desirable realty to the notice of the public and has disposed of a great deal of it. The company also owns the West Seattle ferry, which plies between this place and Seattle, and in his capacity of manager Mr. Brown also controls this. A cable road was built up the hill from the water front to the residence por- tion of West Seattle and arrangements made for cable car service across the railroad trestle to the city, but complications arose and the work was discontinued. Under the supervision, enterprise and untiring activity of Mr. Brown the business of the company has grown in volume and importance, and his efforts have contributed to the benefit of the city in marked degree.
On the 24th of December, 1885. Mr. Brown was united in marriage, in Carson City, to Jeanette Sutherland, who was born in Markleyville, Nevada, but her parents were natives of Edinboro, Scotland. They have one son. Stuart S., now a student in the high school. Mrs. Brown is a member of St. Mark's Episcopal church, at Seattle. Fraternally Mr. Brown is con- nected with the Order of Railway Conductors and with the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which he is a past master. In politics he is an un- swerving Republican and during his residence in Nevada took an active part in political work and since coming to this place he has served as a dele- gate to. various Republican conventions. Capable of controlling extensive business interests, he is accounted one of the representative business men of the northwest.
ER.ASTU'S C. HAWKINS.
The name of Erastus Corning Hawkins is a familiar one throughout engineering circles in this country and the fame of Mr. Hawkins in the line of his chosen profession has also extended to Europe. The man that has bridged over space and practically annihilated time by his inventive genius deserves to be numbered among the benefactors of the race. This is an age of progress, when vast commercial transactions, involving millions of dol- lars, depend upon rapid transportation. The revolution in business that the past half century has witnessed has been brought about by means of the rail- roads. Through this means there has been opened to civilization a vast region with unlimited resources, and now Alaska is being reclaimed for the 11ses of the English-speaking race. No man engaged in the work of develop- ing this distant territory is more deserving of gratitude than Erastus Corn- ing Hawkins, the engineer having in charge the construction of the railroad,
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one of the most difficult pieces of mechanical engineering that has ever been executed in the history of the world. It is no wonder, therefore, that he has gained a national reputation or that Seattle is glad to number him among her business men and valued citizens.
Mr. Hawkins arrived in this eity in March, 1898, and has since · made it his headquarters while performning his important work. He was born in South Haven, Suffolk county, New York, September 8, 1860. His father, Bartlett Tuttle Hawkins, was also a native of that state, where the family had resided from an early period in its development, the original American ancestors having come from Devonshire. England, in 1628. The family was represented in the Revolutionary war and also in the war of 1812. Early in life the father was a seafaring man in the merchant marine service, sailing from Boston to South America. He married Clarissa Barteau, also a mem- ber of an old family, descended from the Dutch settlers on Long Island. They had four children, but Erastus C. Hawkins is the only member of the family on the Pacific coast. He acquired his early education in the public schools, and soon after the death of his father, which occurred when the son was nineteen years of age, he entered the engineering office of Smith & Weston in Jersey City, having studied under noted instructors of the day. In January, 1880, he entered the office of Smith & Weston, of New York: city and Jersey City, and was engaged in street improvements and harbor work in the vicinity of New York until the spring of 1883, when he suffered from malarial fever and went west to Denver on a two months' vacation.
Mr. Hawkins was so well pleased with the country that he decided to remain and became connected with railroad engineering in the mountains of Colorado. He was with the first train that reached Leadville from Breck- inridge, on the South Park system, being with that company from the time when the preliminary work was begun in the spring of 1883 until the road was completed and in operation to Leadville. The first camp was eleven thousand three hundred and eighty-three feet high, on Fremont Pass. Mr. Hawkins was afterward engaged in other surveys in the vicinity of Monte- zuma, Graymont and Keystone. In the summer of 1884 he was in the San Luis valley as a civil engineer on the large irrigation works, having charge of the construction of the Citizens' canal, under the famous T. C. Henry. This was an irrigation enterprise extending from Del Norte, and covering the western portion of the San Luis valley to the Mexican line. He was connected with that work for a year and had some rough experience in that country, having ridden as many as eighty miles in a single day. Walter H. Graves, now in the government service, an expert irrigation engineer, had
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the supervision of the work. He is a man unequalled in that line, says Mr. Hawkins, and our subject appreciated the opportunity offered of being con- nected with such an experienced man during his first experience with irri- gation work of that character. This irrigation system is now owned by the Travelers' Insurance Company.
From there Mr. Hawkins went to Wyoming, in January, 1885, and had charge of much irrigation work in the southern and central part of the state until the financial panic was felt in that country, when, in 1887, all of the companies making improvements there went into bankruptcy, causing the suspension of all that kind of work. In March, 1887, Mr. Hawkins re- turned to Denver and made that city his headquarters until his arrival in Seattle. Under the appointment of Governor Alvah Adams he served as assistant state engineer and had charge of all irrigation investigation and hydrographic work under J. S. Greene, state engineer, also the compiling of all the reports and statistics on irrigation and the sources and extent of the water supply. Later Mr. Hawkins was engaged in making the United States geological survey under Major Powell from Texas north in the arid region, studying up possibilities for an extensive reservoir system for the reclamation of the entire arid west. This gave him an exceptional oppor- tunity to inform himself concerning all the possibilities of that region. When the appropriation was exhausted he returned to Denver and was con- nected with various irrigation works in Idaho and with public works there. In 1890 he was again connected with railroad work in the neighborhood of Golden, and was one of the first to use seventy-five-pound rails for the high- est roads. In 1891, in Idaho, he served as chief engineer for the Payette Valley Canal Company, and in a similar capacity was connected with the construction of a canal in the Boise valley. In the spring of 1893 the coun- try again suffered from a financial panic and improvements were at a stand- still in that locality.
Mr. Hawkins then took up the Amity canal enterprise, in the Arkansas valley of Colorado, which was backed by the strongest financiers of New York. In July, 1893, he started upon this work and planned the entire con- struction of what is now one of the greatest systems in the country. There are five large reservoirs, having a capacity of four hundred and eighty-three thousand square feet of water. The building of this system was a work requiring an immense amount of study and inventive genius to cope with all the various hindrances arising from floods, waterspouts, quicksands and other material causes. The system is now known as the Arkansas Valley Sugar Beet & Irrigated Land Company. It begins four miles west of La
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Junta and extends thirty miles east of the state line into Kansas. It includes the Amity, the Buffalo and the Fort Lyons canals. Mr. Hawkins was con- nected with the work until its completion, except during the construction of some minor laterals. He finished the work in the spring of 1898 and was then called to New York on a cable message from London.
Arriving in the eastern metropolis Mr. Hawkins was asked to under- take the construction of the railroad into the Klondike and assumed charge of the work on the 15th of March of that year. After consulting with the originators of the project he at once started west, and was directed to Port- land, but after making a thorough investigation as far north as Vancouver he decided to make Seattle his headquarters. On the 5th of April he em- barked on the Queen to make personal investigation of the ground, as 10 reliable information could be obtained on which he could base the possibilities of the work, other than the wild tales of prospectors. His report was favor- able, and at 10:30 P. M. on the night of May 17th he received word that the construction would be undertaken. At that time the company had not a dollar's worth of property here, but he began making the necessary pur- clases of materials the following morning, as his authority was unlimited. The money was furnished and deposited here in his own name without bond of any kind, and his written authority consisted of but four lines, giving him power to do all the work necessary for the completion of the road. Owing to the danger and uncertainty no contractor would engage in the undertaking, and so the work in all its phases was carried on by the com- pany, a subsidiary company being formed for the purpose, known as the Pacific Contract Company, of which Mr. Hawkins held the position of chief engineer and was also chief engineer of the railroad company and engineer for the trustees.
On the 28th of May, 1898, actual work was begun at Skagway, and in August, 1900, the road was completed into White Horse. The most difficult part of the work was from Skagway up to the summit of White Pass, which was reached February 18, 1899. The engineers and workmen were often suspended by ropes while performing their labor, nearly all of which was heavy rock work and much of which had to be done in places that were absolutely inaccessible except by the means mentioned. By the 6th of July the track was laid and trains were in operation to Lake Bennett, where over one thousand dollars' worth of tickets were sold before rails or locomotive were in sight. From the start the work progressed continuously night and day, notwithstanding a stampede of eight hundred men at the time of the Atlin excitement, until Bennett was reached, in July, 1899. From there on
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the work was let to M. J. Heney, who had previously been connected with the work of constructing the line, and then completed it to White Horse. Mr. Hawkins was chief engineer and general manager until the road was completed and in good working order, and in the purchase of materials and supplies handled millions of dollars for the company. Being impressed with the natural resources of Seattle and a firm believer in the future of the city. be abandoned the idea of returning to Denver and has cast in his lot with the residents of this city. He purchased the E. O. Graves place, at No. 1120 Jefferson avenue, and has since remodeled the house, making it an attractive residence.
In Denver, in 1885, Mr. Hawkins was united in marriage to Miss Emma, daughter of Charles Sullivan, of New York, and they have five chil- dren. three sons and two daughters: Gilberta, Mason. Clarissa. Rufus and iloward. The family attend St. Mark's church, of which Mrs. Hawkins is a member. In his political views Mr. Hawkins is a Republican. Comment on his life work would be superfluous. It speaks for itself. His labors in many sections of the country are matters of record and of history and much has been written about the construction of the railroad in Alaska under his supervision. He has certainly attained well merited fame and deserves praise and honor for what he has accomplished in a work of vast benefit to the world.
EDWARD CUDIHEE.
Edward Cudihee, of Seattle, is an honored citizen in whom the people have manifested their confidence by electing him to the position of sheriff of King county. He is now discharging the duties of that office with marked promptness and fidelity, and with such men at the head of public affairs a community may feel assured that its interests will be administered with the strictest honesty and after the most approved business methods.
A native of the Empire state, Mr. Cudihee was born in Rochester on the 26th of January, 1853, and is of Irish ancestry. His father, Daniel Cudihee, was born in the town of Callan, county of Kilkenny, Ireland, but in 1826, when eighteen years of age. he emigrated to America, taking up liis abode in Rochester, New York. In that city he was married to Miss Anna Comeford. also a native of the Emerald Isle. During the early years of his life Mr. Cudihee followed the stone-mason's trade, but later became a farmer, and is now living in quiet retirement at his home in Jackson, Mich- igan. His wife was called to her final rest in 1900, at the age of seventy-four,
Edward Budite
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years. This worthy couple became the parents of ten children, six of whom are now living, and one son. John Cudihee, has recently removed from Seattle to Alaska.
Edward Cudihee received his education in the public school of Orleans county, New York, and in early life learned the stone-mason's trade of his father. After following that occupation for a time he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, and later embarked in the mercantile business. In March, 1889, he came to Seattle, Washington, and soon afterward became an active and valued member of the police force. He discharged the duties of that office without fear or favor, and was instrumental in ridding the county of many of its notorious law breakers, but at the same time he is a l-ind-hearted man and no prisoner in his charge has ever had reason to com- plain of ill treatment. In the year 1900 he was the choice of his party for the office of sheriff of King county, and on the 6th of November, following, was elected to that position by a majority of two thousand six hundred and five votes, running far ahead of his ticket, and only one other Democrat was successful at that election. In the discharge of the duties of this important office he has manifested the same loyal spirit which has characterized his entire life, and he commands the respect of his fellow men by his sterling worth. Prior to his removal to Seattle he was for six years a member of the police force in Colorado, and for a portion of that time was also chief of police, having been elected to that position by the vote of the people.
Mr. Cudihee is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and also of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He is a man of strong mentality, keen discernment, great tact and resolute purpose, and is therefore well fitted for the position which he now so ably fills.
RICHARD WINSOR.
"Biography." said Carlyle, "is the most universally profitable and in- ·
teresting of all studies." The purpose of biography is not merely to preserve a written record of individuals ; it has a higher purpose, in furnishing to the young of this and future generations examples worthy of emulation, to set before them lessons for guidance, to awaken in them desire for honorable success, and to inspire them with the thought that man controls his own destiny and makes of his life what he will. For this reason biography should treat of the lives of those whose worth, socially, morally and intellectually. commands the unequivocal respect of the public, which is a discriminating fac- tor and invariably distinguishes the ring of the true metal from the disson-
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ance of the baser. In the possession of admirable qualities of mind and heart, in holding marked precedence as a distinguished member of the legal profes- sion, and in being a man of high attainments and distinct executive ability, Mr. Winsor challenges attention as one distinctively eligible for representa- tion in this compilation, while his earnest and upright career, his fine geneal- ogical record and his position as a man of affairs, but serve to render the more consonant an epitome of his life history in this connection.
Judge Winsor comes of fine old English stock and is himself a native of the dominion of Canada, having been born in Middlesex county, province of Ontario, on the 25th of April, 1839, the son of Richard Winsor, Sr., who was born in London, England, and who was a contractor and builder by vocation. He was the first of the family to come to America, and after lo- cating in Canada he erected many buildings of pretentious order, notably in the little city of London, Ontario. He married Elizabeth Longworth, and of their nine children the subject of this review was the eldest and is one of the seven who are living at the present time. In 1856 the family re- moved to Huron county, Michigan, where the father became a pioneer, tak- ing up a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of land on Lighthouse bay. There he erected a dwelling of hewed logs, and this primitive domicile be- came the family home. During the summer seasons Richard Winsor, Sr., gave his attention to his trade in the city of Detroit, while in the winters he worked assiduously in the clearing and improving of his land. While going from Huron City to his home, on the 13th of April. 1860, the boat in which he was making the trip was capsized and both he and his son John were drowned. The subject of this sketch had not attained his legal ma- jority at the time, but this sad fatality rendered it necessary for him to as- sume to a very large extent the responsibility of managing the affairs of the farm and providing for the maintainance of the family. Judge Winsor has never been known to flinch from an ordeal or to neglect the calls of duty, and the mettle of the man was clearly shown when the grave responsibilities were thus forced upon him when but twenty years of age. Before proceed- ing farther in narration of the personal career of our subject, it may be well to advert somewhat in detail to his ancestral history. His grandfather, who likewise bore the name of Richard Winsor, was a native of Devonshire, Eng- land, and was an architect by profession. He had charge of the building operations of the Duke of Kent, father of the late lamented Queen Victoria, and was a man of no slight distinction. The maternal grandfather was Captain John Longworth, of the British army, and it is a matter of record that he served under the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsular war, his
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record for gallantry being such that he was made the recipient of several inedals in token and recognition of his valiant services. He emigrated to Canada in 1830 and was there engaged in the construction of many public buildings and works, passing the remainder of his life in the dominion and living to attain the patriarchal age of nearly ninety-four years. His death occurred on the 17th of January, 1883. His first wife, the grandmother of our subject, bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Bruce, and her paternal lineage is traced in a most definite way over a period of five centuries in Scotland, the family being the same as that of the renowned patriot, Robert Bruce.
Richard Winsor, of this sketch, was seventeen years of age at the time when the family removed from Ontario to the state of Michigan, and his early education had been secured in the excellent schools of his native province. In 1859 the family home was destroyed by fire, while he was absent in Huron City, where he liad employment, and after this disaster, which was followed by the still greater one, in the loss of the husband and father, the family removed to Huron City, and our subject purchased in that vicinity a tract of land, which he cleared and improved, placing the same under cultivation and thus managing to keep the family together until the younger children were able to care for themselves. In the midst of all the responsibilities and labors which thus fell to his portion, Judge Winsor found time to continue his technical study and reading, having determined to pre- pare himself for the legal profession and holding no obstacle as insuperable. He prosecuted his legal studies under the preceptorship of Jolin Divine, of Lexington, Michigan, and in 1867 he was admitted to practice before the state courts, having been previously in practice in the circuit courts. In December of the year mentioned he removed to Port Austin, where the county-seat of Huron county was then established, and there he entered vig- crously upon the practice of his profession, in which he soon attained an excellent reputation and a representative clientage, his abilities and fidelity to the cause of his clients gaining him deserved recognition. He was one of the most progressive and public-spirited citizens of his county and was one of the prime factors in securing the entrance of railroad and telegraph lines in that section of the state. He eventually admitted to partnership in his legal business Horace G. Snover, ex-member of congress from the tenth dis- trict of Michigan, and the two gentlemen erected a fine building in Port Austin and there established a successful banking business. also carrying on an extensive insurance business and controlling the largest law pratice in that section of the Peninsular state. Judge Winsor also made quite extensive
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investments in land, engaging in farming operations and the raising of live stock, and becoming also heavily interested in the lumbering industry and in the salt business, his interests in these lines becoming of wide scope and Importance, and all being wisely handled, since his executive ability and infinite capacity for details proved equal to all emergencies. Judge Winsor naturally took a deep interest in public affairs, and his prominence in po- litical circles indicated his strength as an advocate of the cause which he espoused, that of the Republican party. In 1862, when but twenty-three years of age, he was elected to represent his district in the lower house of the state legislature, was re-elected in 1864, delining the renomination in 1866. In the following year he was elected a member of constitutional con- vention of Michigan, this being one of the most notable assemblies of talented men ever called together in that commonwealth and the work accomplished being one that reflects perpetual credit upon those participating and also upon the state itself. In the fall of 1868 Judge Winsor was given a still high- er mark of popular confidence and esteem, being elected to the state senate, in which he served during the sessions of the two ensuing winters. In 1880 the senatorial honors were again conferred upon him, his election being com- passed by a majority of three thousand three hundred votes. In the session of 1882 he introduced the bill for the organization of the twenty-sixth judi- cial circuit and was also one of the prime movers in securing the extra session of the legislature in order to devise ways and means for the relief of the suffers from the great fire in Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola counties, the need for prompt assistance being imperative. For twenty-five consecutive years Judge Winsor was chairman of the Republican county central committee of Huron county, and no man has ever wielded a more potent or beneficial influ- ence in the political affairs of that locality than he, while for many years he was also a member of the state central committee, though he often served in this capacity at a sacrifice of his personal interests.
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