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 65
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employed as a clerk in the store of the firm of Harris & Dewett of San Fran- cisco, and in the fall of 1897 he went to Alaska. For a time he had charge of the Brooks pack train, between Skagway and Bennett, and later became collector on the Brackett wagon road, from Skagway to the summit of the White Pass. When he terminated that business relation he entered the em- ploy of Hugh Foy, the contractor who built the White Pass & Yukon Rail- road, and next accepted a clerkship with Frank Twichel, who had charge of the commissary department of the White Pass & Yukon Company.
In 1899 Mr Dickson returned to Seattle and the following year came to Issaquah to accept the position of bookkeeper and shipping clerk with the Issaquah Coal Company, extensively engaged in the mining of coal in this portion of the county. He has held some very important positions and is well qualified for the responsibilities of the one which he is now filling. His business connections have taken him into many sections of the country and thus he has gained a somewhat comprehensive knowledge of America and of the interesting Maska country. On the 9th of November, 1895, Mr. Dickson was married in San Francisco, the lady of his choice being Miss Abbie Armstrong, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1872. They have made many friends since coming to Issaquah and are now well known in the town.
JOHN HUTTON.
One of the venerable citizens of Seattle and one who is well known and held in unequivocal confidence and regard in the community is Mr. Hutton, and though he has passed the psalmist's span of three score years and ten. he is still vigorous and giving as active attention to the duties of his pro- fession, that of marine and mechanical consulting engineer, as though two decades less rested upon his head. His life has been a somewhat eventful one and abounds in interesting experiences, while he has not only become widely known for his exceptional skill as a mechanic, but he has also lived a life of signal usefulness and honor, having labored in divers sections of the world and having at all times directed his course according to the highest principles of honor and integrity. Mr. Ilutton has made his home in Seattle since the year 1885, and even a brief sketch of his career is certain to be read with pleasure by his many friends.
John Ilutton comes of staunch old English stock, and he is himself a native son of the "right little, tight little isle," having been born in Buck- inghamshire, England, on the 3d of January, 1825. being the son of John Hutton, whose lineage traces back many generations in England. John
John Hutton
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Hutton, Sr., was a skilled mechanic and in his line achieved a reputation of more than local order. He married a member of an old and distinguished Scottish family, and they both passed their lives in Great Britain, having be- come the parents of thirteen children, of whom eleven are living at the present time.
After receiving such advantages as were to be had in the schools of his native place during his carly boyhood, the subject of this sketch began to prepare himself for the practical duties and responsibilities of life. At the age of fourteen years he entered upon an apprenticeship as a mechanic, serv- ing in the great establishment of the celebrated firm of Easton & Amos, one of the most extensive concerns of its kind in the city of London, and in order to secure for him the privilege of acquiring his trade under the effective direction implied, the mother of Mr. Hutton paid a large premium to gain for him the place as an apprentice. He completed a full apprenticeship of seven years, and as a journeyman found employment with Scott & Russell and other noted firms of machinists and ship-builders of London and other English cities, while later he was similarly employed by leading concerns in Australia and New Zealand, having thus been enlisted in the service of the best marine companies of the British possessions. In New Zealand Mr. Ilutton established a lucrative business upon his own responsibility, success- fully conducting the enterprise for about seven years and thence going to the city of Melbourne, Australia, where he remained until 1870, when he shipped for San Francisco, arriving at his destination in due course of time. In that city he accepted a position in the Risden Iron Works, and after he had there passed eight days in a subordinate capacity, he had so demon- strated his exceptional skill and ability that he was given full charge of the works, as foreman, being thus shown preference over many really competent men who had been in the employ of the concern for years. He showed a greater technical knowledge and greater mechanical facility than did any of the others, and the fact did not long wait recognition on the part of the operators of the plant. At the expiration of one year Mr. Hutton resigned his position and became chief engineer of the pioneer American steamship, the Nevada, plying between San Francisco and New Zealand, and owned by W. H. Webb, of New York. He retained this position for eighteen months and then assumed a similar incumbency on the steam vessel Prince Alfred. which was wrecked off the headlands of San Francisco some time later. After this disaster Mr. Ilutton returned to San Francisco and ac- cepted the position of chief engineer with the firm of Goodall & Perkins, and for the following three or four years was engaged in the north and south
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coastwise trade. Within this period he grew satiated with seafaring life. and he finally settled in San Francisco, and was there employed at different intervals ir a number of the most important machine shops of the city. Finally he again became chief engineer in connection with maritime service. and was holding this position on the steamboat Edith in 1889, when he came to Seattle and here took up his permanent abode. Here he established the machine shops at the Commercial dock, between Madison and Marion streets, and though the enterprise had a most modest inception, his excep- tiona! talent in the line of his work soon attracted an appreciative supporting patronage, and the business constantly expanded in scope and importance. He withdrew from the same in 1897. since which time the shops have been successfully conducted by his son. Arthur F., who acquired his trade under the effective direction of his father and who is likewise known as a skilled mechanic in every particular. In the establishment all kinds of machine work and marine repairing are done, and employment is given to a corps of from fifteen to fifty capable assistants, regulated by the exigencies of the season and demands. The son proves an able successor. being a man of the finest skill as an engineer and mechanic, and it is a satisfaction to his father that he was thus able to place the enterprise which he had founded into the hands of one capable of sustaining his own high reputation.
Mr Hutton is known as one of the best informed and most expert marine engineers on the Pacific coast, and his fine mechanical talent has been fortified by more than half a century of practical experience in the technical and general work of his profession, so that recourse is had to his advice and counsel by the leading vessel companies of the coast, while implicit confi- dence is invariably placed in his judgment. He is well known among the marine circles of the coast, and his popularity is attested by the hearty greet- ings ever accorded him by those who have known him long and well. In politics Mr. Hutton is not guided by strict partisan lines, preferring to exer- cise his franchise in support of those men and measures deemed worthy of his aid, as tending to conserve the best interests of the people in general.
In the city of London, in 1845. Mr. Hutton was united in marriage to Miss Ann Cato, who was born in Hertfordshire. England, the eldest daugh- ter of William Cato. a manufacturer of that shire, which was the home of the ancestors of George Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Hutton hecame the parents of tour sons and nine daughters, of whom eleven are yet living. Of the sons we record that Ernest C. is engaged in the mercantile business in New Zealand: Harry W. is one of the leading maritime lawyers of the San Francisco bar and is prominent in connection with the affairs of the muni-
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cipal government; Frank is engaged in business in San Diego, California; and Alfred F. is his father's successor in carrying on the machine shops prev- iously mentioned. The names of the seven daughters are as follows: Lou- isa, Rosa, Clara, Annie, Bessie, Catherine and Alice, all married. Mr. Hut- ton is an Odd Fellow and has filled every office in the order and at present is past provincial grand master. He has a comfortable home at 512 East Lake avenue, and is passing the evening of his days in that dignified independence and contentment which properly crown a life of earnest toil and endeavor.
EDWARD O. GRAVES.
In all the northwestern sections of this great country there is no man more familiar with the questions of finance as related to our country and our government than Edward O. Graves, the president of the Washington National Bank. His broad and comprehensive knowledge comes through a most earnest and thorough study of the question in relation to the dis- charge of official duties in the treasury department in our national capi- tal. For years he was a prominent representative of official life in Wash- ington and his connection therewith was only severed when he resolved to engage in a private banking business in the northwest. He bears an unassailable reputation as an official, and the same unfaltering honesty and reliability has been manifest in the conduct of the banking institution with which he is now associated. No resident of Seattle is held in higher regard or more fully deserves the confidence of his fellow men.
Mr. Graves is a native of Herkimer county, New York, born on the 3d of August, 1843, and is of English descent, his ancestors, however, cross- ing the Atlantic from the "merrie isle" at an early period in the develop- ment of New England, where they located. They became residents of Mas- sachusetts and took an active part in public affairs that are now chronicled on the pages of history. Russell Graves, the great-grandfather of Ed- ward O., aided in throwing off the yoke of British oppression, serving as a member of the colonial army in the war of the Revolution. John Graves. the grandfather, became one of the pioneer settlers of Herkimer county. New York. and was one of the early sheriffs there. Later he represented his district in the state legislature. He was born in Connecticut and mar- ried Esther Smith, whose father. Ozial Smith, was one of the first men to establish a home in Erie county, New York. He was a resident of Buf- falo in 1812 when the city was burned by the English. Mr. and Mrs. Graves owned a traet of land in that city where the Tiff House now stands.
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She was a lady of remarkable energy and capability and attained to the very advanced age of one hundred and one years. Among the children born to this worthy couple was Solomon Graves, whose birth occurred in 1819, in Herkimer county, where he spent the greater part of his life, be- coming a leading and influential citizen, and leaving the impress of his strong individuality upon public affairs. He was a member of the state legisla- ture and largely aided in shaping public thought and opinion. He mar- ried Miss Margaret Smith, who was born in 1821 in Erie county. She still survives him at the age of eighty-one years and is held in the warmest regard by all who know her. Of their family three sons still survive.
Edward O. Graves was provided with excellent educational privileges and on completing his course in Hobart College in Geneva, New York. he entered governmental service and for a member of years was one of the most reliable and capable representatives of the treasury department. His first position was a clerkship under the secretary of the treasury, Hon. F. E. Spinner, who had been deputy sheriff of Herkimer county in his early manhood under John Graves, the grandfather of our subject. In 1868 E. O. Graves was promoted to chief clerk. in the treasurer's office and when the first civil service examinations were inaugurated he was made chief examiner, while on the Ist of July, 1874. he was made superintendent of the redemption agency for the redemption of national bank notes, an office which he organized in its minutest detail, making it one of the model offices of the government. In 1883 he was appointed by President Arthur assistant treasurer of the United States, and on the ist of July. 1885. was made chief of the bureau of engraving and printing. Thus promotion after promotion came to him, adding to his responsibilities, for his worth was recognized and his fidelity was above question.
In the spring of 1886 Mr. Graves came to Seattle and made arrange- ments for the organization of the Washington National Bank. He then returned to the capital and resigned his position in order to take up hi - abode here and complete the organization of the bank. He was made it president and in July opened the bank for business. continuing to manage and 'control its affairs most successfully until March, 1000, when he de- cided to retire from active business, and soon afterward found rest and recreation in traveling abroad. He is also a partner in the bank at What- com as a member of the firm of Graves & Purdy. this institution being the largest bank in northwestern Washington. Thoroughly familiar with banking business and wonderfully conversant with financial interests, Mr. Graves has made the two banks leading financial establishments and
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has so conducted them that they annually return good dividends, while furnishing the public with a perfectly reliable place of deposit, exchange and general banking business. Mr. Graves has also been president of the Chamber of Commerce, which has had important bearing on business in- terests in Seattle. During his twenty-one years of government service he was chairman of a commission to examine the New York custom house, and of various other important commissions, his recommendations in which resulted in large savings to the government, while the fact that he held his position for so long a time in Washington, during many changes of administration, proves conclusively that he brought to his duties such ability. honor and fidelity as are deserving of the highest praise. His was a most valned public service, whose duty was ever his paramount interest, and he won the friendship as well as trust and regard of many of the most prom- inent men of the country.
Mr. Graves was married in 1868 to Miss Clara E. Gale, a native of Washington, D. C., and a daughter of Dr. Leonard D. Gale, a scientist of great prominence who assisted Professor Morse in the invention of the tel- egraph. Mr. and Mrs. Graves have two daughters, Jessie and Evaline C., at home, while their son Edward Bertram is in the employ of the surveyor general of Washington. The family are members of St. Mark's Episcopal church and their home is the center of a cultured society circle.
JOHN COLLINS.
The glory of our republic is in the perpetuation of individuality and in the according of the utmost scope for individual accomplishment. Fostered under the most auspicious of surroundings that can encompass one who has the will to dare and to do, our nation has almost spontaneously produced men of finest mental caliber, of true virile strength and vigorous purpose. The cradle has never been one of pampered luxury, but the modest couch of in- fancy has often rocked future greatness. American biography thus becomes, perhaps, one of more perfect individuality, in the general as well as the spe- cific case, than does that of any other nation of the globe. Of America is the self-made man a product, and the record of accomplishments in this indi- vidual sense is the record which the true and loyal American holds in deep- est regard and highest honor. In tracing the career of the subject of this review we are enabled to gain a recognition of this sort of a record, for he is a man of broadest intellectuality and one who has attained to distinguished honors. For this reason there is particular interest attaching to the points
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which mark his progress in life, and this sketch is amply justified. There is no citizen in Seattle who has been a more important part in its history, his name being closely interwoven with progress along the various lines which contribute to advancement and welfare for the common rights.
Mr. Collins is a native of Ireland, having been born in Cootehill, county Cavan, in the province of Ulster, on the 27th of November. 1835. He rep- resents old families of that land and his parents were Patrick and Mary (Dinning ) Collins, industrious farming people. The father attamed the age of sixty-eight years, and after his death the mother came to . America to live with her son John in Seattle, where she died at the age of eighty-three years. They were both devout members of the Catholic church and died in that faith.
John Collins left his home and native land when only ten years of age. crossing the Atlantic to New York city, where amid strangers he began life on his own account. After six years spent in the eastern metropolis he re- moved to Machias, Maine, where he engaged in driving a team and later became connected with the lumber interests of that state, continuing in that line of business until 1857. Becoming convinced that the west offered bet- ter opportunities than the old and more thickly settled east. he decided to remove to the Pacific coast. Arriving in San Francisco, California, he re- mained in that city until September, when he came to Puget Sound and entered the employ of the Puget Sound Mill Company in their sawmill at Port Gamble. He had acquired a thorough knowledge of the business prior to this time. and his efficient service enabled him to command good wages. Saving his earnings he remained with the company for ten years and then made judicious investments of his capital in real estate. While in Seattle he purchased property and built a hotel. Studying the conditions of the country and its possibilities, he became convinced that Seattle had a brilliant future before it. and accordingly he visited the town and purchased city property. In 1867 he took up his abode here and assumed the management of the Occi- dental Hotel, in which he owned a two-third interest. For a number of years he conducted this hotel most successfully and became its sole owner. But he did not confine his attention alone to this line. He is a man of resourceful business ability and marked enterprise and carries forward to a successful com- pletion whatever he undertakes. His business interests, too, have been of such a nature that they have contributed in large measure to the general pro- gress and prosperity, as well as to his individual success. He was prominent in the building of railroads and in the opening up of coal mines, two lines that have been of great benefit and material assistance to this part of the
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state. He also made many investments in realty and platted the Collins addi- tion to the city. He built the Seattle Hotel block and the Collins block and became the owner of other valuable property. He has, indeed, through many years been one of Seattle's most successful, prominent and enterpris- ing business men, doing all in his power to advance the city's interests. He was one of the organizers of the gas company, and his counsel, as well as his financial aid, has been a potent element in the conduct of many important enterprises of great value here.
Mr. Collins has been no less prominent and active in political affairs, and today is classed among the leaders of the Democratic party in the state. On the organization of the city government in 1869. he was elected a member of the city council and served so satisfactorily to his constituents that he was elected for three consecutive terms, while in 1877 he had the honor of being elected mayor, being the sixth incumbent in that office. He exercised his official prerogatives in support of every measure and movement for the gen- eral good. He was largely instrumental in inducing the city to establish and own its own water works and to control its own harbor front, that it might enjoy the benefit of the revenue derived therefrom. He was also a member of the committee to form the new city charter and in 1882 he was elected a member of the council of the territorial legislature and served during the ses- sion of 1883-84. During that time he was chairman of the committee of com- merce and member of the committee of ways and means. In this way he ren- dered the territory very vainable service, opposing in the most vigorous and capable manner every measure which he deemed detrimental and aiding with equal force and persistence every movement which he believed would be for the benefit of the territory. He was very active in securing the passage of the bill appropriating six thousand dollars for the territorial university, the largest sum which up to that time had been given the institution. The bill was strongly opposed. but Mr. Collins' able efforts in its behalf at length pre- vailed and it was passed .- a work of great value to the cause of education in the territory, as all now acknowledge. His efforts in all his public life have been creditable to the people whom he represents, as well as of great benefit to the city and the state. Hc has also been very active in the councils of his patry, attending first the territorial conventions and later the state conven- tions, while on one occasion he was sent as a delegate to the Democratic national convention which nominated Grover Cleveland for president of the United States.
In 1855 Mr. Collins was happily married to Miss Mary Ann Macalroy. and to them were born four children. but only one is now living. Emma L.,
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who is at home with her father. The mother departed this life in 1871, and in 1878 Mr. Collins was agam married, his second union being with Ange- line B. Jackling, by whom he has four children: Edena. John F., Edward and Catherine. All are members of the Catholic church, to which Mr. Col- lins has ever contributed most liberally, but while he is firm in his faith, he has also been most generous in his contributions to other churches, to benevo- lent enterprises and to all measures relating to the city's progress and sub- stantial upbuilding. With firm belief in Seattle, he identified his interests with hers and has been unswerving in his allegiance. The city has met his expectations, but no man in all Seattle has been more active and enterprising in his efforts for the general good. Mr. Collins is a man of distinctive abil- ity and his character is one which is above a shadow of reproach. He has been faithful to the high offices in which he has been called to serve, and is widely known and respected by all who have been at all familiar with his honorable and useful career.
EDWIN W. HOUGHTON.
In this age of specialization when the aggregate world's work is divided into many parcels and each one is assigned to a different specialist, the per- spective of the whole amount is lost, and one does not appreciate the extent and variety of industry as was the case when men were each a kind of Robin- son Crusoe obliged to make everything and perform every work which pro- vided for the necesssaries of life. In this complexity of modern life surely one of the most important of our special workers is the architect, the builder of our homes and constructor of the public and private edifices which are the wonder of the world. In this class of men is to be reckoned Mr. Edwin W Houghton, to whom one can ascribe, as he walks through the business district of Seattle, Washington, the erection of many of the substantial struc- tures which are the home of the commercial interests of that city.
His father's name was Thomas, an Englishman, who was induced to come to America by an elder brother about 1850. He became interested in a financial way with the meat packing and shipping industry, which was then only in its infancy, with little prophecy of the vast proportions which it was destined at this present day to assume. But later he sold out and returned to England, where he spent the remainder of his life.
Edwin was born in Hampshire, England. August 5. 1856. He was educated first in the public schools and later in King Edward's grammar school He then went into the office of his uncles, who were prominent archi-
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