USA > Washington > Spokane County > Spokane > History of the city of Spokane and Spokane County, Washington : from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume II > Part 12
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JOHN MATTYSHOCK.
The hardware and implement business of Hillyard finds a worthy representa- tive in John Mattyshock, who is also largely interested in mining and is known as one of the substantial men of the community. He was born near Breslau, Ger- many, June 12, 1877, a son of Frank and Agnes (Smichly) Mattyshock. The father died in 1903 and the mother passed away one year previously.
John Mattyshock passed his boyhood under the paternal roof and in the public schools of his native land secured the rudiments of an education. At the age of fourteen he emigrated to the United States and after landing at New York pro- ceeded directly to Labolt, South Dakota, where he secured employment as a section hand on the Great Northern Railway. After working for a year, he went to Thompson, North Dakota, and followed the same work, proceeding a year later to Benson, Minnesota, at which place he filled the position of section foreman. He performed his duties so acceptably, that after two years he was promoted to the position of inventory inspector of the Breckenridge division, but occupied his new office only two months, when he was sent to Breckenridge as yard foreman. Per- ceiving the importance of additional education, he became a student in a business college at Sauk Center, Minnesota, and after one winter at this institution returned to the railway service as section foreman at Kerkhoven, Minnesota. Once more he gave up outdoor labor and entered a business college, and after completing a course at Minneapolis he went to Murdock, Minnesota, to fill a position as section foreman. He occupied the same position for six months at Browns Valley, Minne- sota, and at the end of that time went to Havre, Montana, and for ten months was stationary engineer at the roundhouse. His next employment was as handy man at the roundhouse at Hillyard, Washington, a position which he filled for three years. Having decided to give up the railroad business, he located on one hundred and sixty acres of land near Jennings, Montana, but after five years' residence returned to Washington and for two years was engaged in government service in the navy-yard at Bremerton. In 1909 he returned to Hillyard and associated with M. H. Gordon in the hardware and implement business. The firm has been highly successful and as the partners are both men of good business judgment and under- stand the wants of the public in everything pertaining to hardware and implements,
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the outlook is indeed bright for a steady increase of prosperity. In 1910 Mr. Mattyshock filled the office of secretary and treasurer of the Idaho Consolidated Mining Company and he is interested in a number of mines in this part of the country.
On January 2, 1911, Mr. Mattyshock was married at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, to Miss Mamie Edwards, a daughter of pioneer farmers of this country. Politically Mr. Mattyshock is independent. He belongs to the Knights of Columbus and the Elks and can claim many friends in those organizations as well as outside of secret societies. He is an active, industrious and progressive man and is now fairly launched in a successful business which gives promise of gratifying returns in years to come. He is honored and respected wherever his name is known and ranks as one of the popular citizens of Hillyard-a man who has been true to every obligation and whose word is to him as binding as his bond.
HON. GEORGE TURNER.
Among Spokane's citizens who have figured in national affairs Hon. George Turner is prominent. His public service has rested upon the firm basis of a wide and thorough knowledge of the law and he has never regarded a public office as a per- sonal asset to be used for the promotion of individual interests but rather as a trust to be sacredly guarded for the benefit of his country and his constituents. While in the courts he has been an important factor in the interpretation of the laws and in congress he has aided in formulating the legal principles which constitute the stable forces of the nation. It would be difficult to point out that period of his life which has been of greatest benefit to his fellowmen, for as supreme court justice of Washington during territorial days, as a member of the constitutional convention of the state, as a member of the United States senate and in diplomatic service his work has all been fruitful of good results.
Judge Turner was born in Edina, Knox county, Missouri, February 25, 1850, a son of Grenville Davenport and Maria (Taylor) Turner. His parents in 1825 had removed from Kentucky to Missouri and had cast in their lot with the pioneer set- tlers of the latter state, where they maintained their residence until called to their final rest. The father, who was a cabinetmaker by trade, came of English and Dutch ancestry, while his wife, a daughter of George and Maria Taylor, was rep- resentative of a family of Scotch-Irish origin that had settled at an early period in the part of Virginia which is now West Virginia.
About 1859 Grenville D. Turner removed with his family to Lebanon, Laclede county, Missouri, and his son, George, then a lad of nine years, hecame a pupil in the public schools, but his education was interrupted owing to the fact that the schools were obliged to be closed when Missouri became the scene of conflict between contending armies in the Civil war. His father and all of his brothers promptly espoused the cause of the Union and served with the volunteer soldiers in the north- ern army. Judge Turner also proved his worth to his country in that trying hour for, although but thirteen years of age, he became a military telegraph operator in his home town of Lebanon, continuing at that work until the end of the war. He was in the south during the reconstruction period and passed the examination for admis-
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sion to the bar at Mobile, Alabama, in 1868, although but eighteen years of age. The same year he entered upon the active practice of law in Mobile in connection with a friend, Charles E. Mayer, and displayed such ability in the conduct of cases that in 1874 the republican party of Alabama named him as its candidate for the office of attorney general of the state. Such was his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in his ability that he polled a very large vote, being defeated by only a small majority. Again and again at different periods in his life he has been called from private practice to public service. From 1876 until 1880 he filled the position of United States marshal for the southern and middle districts of Alabama and in the latter year and again in 1884 he was chairman of the Alabama delegation in the republican national convention, giving his support in 1880 to General Grant as the presidential nominee.
Judge Turner's identification with Washington dates from 1884, in which year he was appointed associate justice of the supreme court of this territory. He was assigned to the fourth district, which included the greater part of eastern Wash- ington, and had first made his home in Yakima but in 1885 removed to Spokane, where he has since resided. He proved himself the peer of the ablest members who have sat upon the supreme court bench of this state, but in 1887 he resigned his ju- dicial position to enter upon the private practice of law as a member of the firm of Turner, Foster & Turner. That association continued until 1890, when he became senior member of the firm of Turner Graves & Mckinstry, so continuing until his election to the United States senate in 1897. He is now practicing in the firm of Turner & Geraghty, a foremost one in the ranks of the legal profession in the state. His opinions while on the bench showed great research, industry and care and ex- pressed a solidity and an exhaustiveness from which no members of the bar could take exception. While well grounded in the principles of common law when admitted to practice, he has continued through the whole of his professional life a diligent student of those elementary principles that constitute the basis of all legal science. He has been connected with few business interests outside the strict path of his profession, yet was one of the men largely interested in the celebrated Le Roi mine in British Columbia.
The bent of Judge Turner's active mind has made him take a lively pleasure in the study of the science of government and because of this his labors have been par- ticularly effective and beneficial in public offices to which he has been called. In 1889 he rendered valuable service as chairman of the judiciary committee in the conven- tion which was called to form the state constitution of Washington and left the indelible impress of his individuality upon the organic law of the state. In his politi- cal relations he acted with the republican party until 1896, when he supported Wil- liam Jennings Bryan on the silver issue. In the following year he was elected United States senator from Washington and in that office served for the full constitutional term, retiring in 1903. Presidential appointment made him a member of the Alaska boundary tribunal, which met in London in the summer of 1903 and settled the Alaskan boundary dispute between the United States and England. In 1910 he received from Secretary of State Root the appointment as leading counsel of the United States in the northeastern fisheries arbitration at the Hague. Upon his retire- ment from the state department Mr. Root became a participant in the case, where- upon Mr. Turner insisted upon withdrawing as leading counsel in favor of Mr. Root.
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The case was opened for the United States by Mr. Turner, following Sir Robert Finley, who opened for Great Britain, each occupying eight days.
On the 4th of June, 1878, in Montgomery, Alabama, Mr. Turner was united in marriage to Miss Bertha C. Dreher, a daughter of George and Catherine (Scheiss) Dreher, the father a native of Saxony and the mother of Switzerland. They came to this country at an early day and were married in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and later removed to Alabama. His social and fraternal relations are with the Masons and the Elks, the Spokane Club, the Spokane Athletic Club, the Spokane Country Club, and the Metropolitan Club of Washington, D. C. Association with him means expansion and elevation. He has throughout his life been a close student of men and affairs and his analytical power has brought him clear understanding of both. This same power has enabled him at all times to see below the surface of things in his consid- eration of vital state and national questions and to correctly determine the possible outcome of a critical situation. The judicial trend of his mind has kept him free from personal bias or prejudice in his public acts and his course has at all times sustained the honor of state and country without the sacrifice of the rights of other lands. A gracious presence, a charming personality and profound legal wisdom all combine to make him one of the most distinguished and honored residents of the state of Washington.
WARNER COBB.
Warner Cobb, deceased, was born in Breckinridge county, Kentucky, October 7, 1832. The family is of Scotch lineage, having been founded in America by his grandfather, who came from Scotland and settled in Virginia. The birth of his father, Jesse R. Cobb, occurred in Bedford county, Virginia, and throughout his life he followed the occupation of farming. He died, however, in 1839, and was long survived by his wife, Mrs. Sallie (Lamb) Cobb, who was born in Camp- bell county, Virginia, representing one of the pioneer families of that state, and died in Fairfield, Washington, in May, 1889.
Warner Cobb acquired his education in the public schools of Illinois and Iowa and made his initial step in the business world as a farmer in the latter state, but in five years removed to Clark county, Missouri, where he also carried on general agricultural pursuits. Later he went to California where he spent six years, re- siding there from 1852 until 1858. He then returned to Missouri where he engaged in farming until 1861, at which time he enlisted in the Confederate army and served for three years. He was first a member of Company H of the Missouri State Guard for six months, and then joined the Confederate forces that were with General Price at Lexington. He participated in the battle at that place, also at Prairie Grove and in other smaller engagements, remaining at the front until dis- abled by a broken collar-bone in 1864, when he was honorably discharged.
Following his military service Mr. Cobb went to Illinois, where he engaged in farming for two years, and then purchased a tract of land in Bates county, Missouri, upon which he resided until 1880. In the spring of that year he came to Washington, bringing his family across the plains in wagons. At length they reached Hangman Creek and Mr. Cobb bought a relinquishment and filed on a
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homestead. The nearest place where he could purchase goods then was at Colfax, about forty-five miles away, Spokane at that time boasting only of a little trading store. He gave his attention to the development and further improvement of the farm until the spring of 1905, when he sold out and came to Spokane, having in the meantime served for a number of years in public office. In 1882 he was elected probate judge of Spokane county on the democratic ticket and filled that position for two years. In 1886 he was elected for a two-years' term to the office of county commissioner and in 1910 was again chosen county commissioner, in which capacity he served until his death which occurred August 9, 1911. A democrat in politics from the time when age conferred upon him the right of franchise, he had been a delegate to many county and state conventions, and was a member of the county central committee, doing all in his power to promote the growth and secure the success of democracy.
In January, 1867, in Jackson county, Missouri, Mr. Cobb was united in mar- riage to Miss Alice Carter, a daughter of Joseph Carter, who was a farmer and a representative of a pioneer family of both Kentucky and Missouri. Seven chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cobb, as follows: Nevada, the wife of W. C. Clark, a government employe in the collector's office at Nashville, Tennessee; Elizabeth, who married J. C. Lodge, of Tacoma, Washington, where he is engaged as bookkeeper for a lumber company; Jesse T., a farmer of Montana; Joseph E., who is married and resides in Northport, Washington, where he carries on mining; John P., following agricultural pursuits in Malheur county, Oregon; James W., who married Miss May Cleary and is serving as deputy assessor of Spokane county; and Cordelia Ann, the wife of H. C. Worley, a druggist of this city.
Mr. Cobb belonged to Fairfield Lodge, No. 342, F. & A. M., and held nearly all of the offices in the organization, save that of master. He was a member and president of the Spokane County Missouri Club for three years, until the time of his death. He was recognized as a public-spirited and progressive citizen and was thoroughly loyal to the interests of Spokane and his adopted state. The city had a population of only two hundred when he arrived here and he witnessed its growth to its present proportions. The village has been converted into a city of many thousands with every kind of commercial, industrial and manufacturing en- terprises, while all the educational advantages known to the older east are also to be found here. Mr. Cobb was very enthusiastic in his support of the city and of the northwest and in the discharge of his public duties proved himself thor- oughly loyal to the state.
LYMAN F. MILLER.
A descendant of Revolutionary ancestry and of good fighting stock, Lyman F. Miller, of Deer Park, fearlessly performed his duty as a soldier in the Union army and has also ably discharged his responsibilities as a private citizen and a public officer. A native of Vermont, he was born September 1, 1844, his parents being Julius W. and Harriet E. (Field) Miller. The father died in 1895 and the mother passed away many years previous, in 1852. The grandfather of our subject on the
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maternal side was a captain in the war of 1812 and ancestors of the family have been traced as far back as Colonial times.
Lyman F. Miller was taken to Wisconsin when he was eight years old and re- ceived his preliminary education in the public schools of that state and Illinois. In response to the call of President Lincoln he enlisted in Company C, One hundred and sixth Illinois Infantry, and served in the Civil war under General Sherman, under General Grant at Vicksburg, and under General Steele in Arkansas. After receiv- ing his honorable discharge he went to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and was engaged in a mill, doing millwright work and filing. In 1871 he engaged at his trade as millwright at Lebanon, Missouri, and became half-owner in a mill. After three years he went to Marshalltown, Iowa, and followed his trade for eight years in that place. He then took up his residence at Bartlett, Nebraska, where he became quite promi- nent, serving as county surveyor for four years. He removed to Kinbrae, Minnesota, at the end of the time named and followed his trade there, also filling the position of mayor of the town for six years and postmaster for eight years. Believing that the northwest offered more favorable inducements than he perceived in Minnesota, he came to Washington and was for three years a resident of Newport, where he en- gaged as a millwright, and from there he removed to Deer Park, where he has since remained. He has prospered in his work at this place and is now superintending the construction of the new high school building.
On the 2d of April, 1868, Mr. Miller was married in Wisconsin, to Miss Harriet C. Cook, a daughter of Jacob Cook. Her ancestors were among the first German set- tlers of New York state. Mr. and Mrs. Miller became the parents of the following children: Edward, who married Cora Shipman; Ida M., who is the wife of W. J. Drake; Laura E., now Mrs. H. A. Noyse; Nellie H., who married J. Moore; and Myrtle. The mother of these children died in 1888. Mr. Miller has given his sup- port to the republican party ever since he arrived at manhood and is now serving as mayor of Deer Park. He is not identified with any religious denomination but is an attendant of the Congregational church. Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows and has passed through all the chairs of the subordinate lodge, being at the present time chaplain of Deer Park Lodge. He is also a member of the Rebekahs and of the Grand Army of the Republic. As is indicated by the various offices he has filled, Mr. Miller is highly active and efficient in anything he undertakes. He has never shirked responsibility and as he is a man of good judgment and tact he has been successful in many important undertakings. He sees no reason to regret estab- lishing his permanent home in Deer Park, as here he has found friends and is recog- nized as one of the most useful men of the community.
FRED H. OLIVER.
Many corporate interests have been promoted and stimulated by the enterprise, business activity and executive ability of Fred H. Oliver, who is now largely en- gaged in the development and sale of mining properties and is an officer in a num- ber of mining companies. His life record had its beginning in New York state on the 27th of April, 1862, He is one of a family of seven children, having one brother and five sisters. His parents were William H. and Elizabeth (Shaw)
F. H. OLIVER
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Oliver, both of whom were born in Maine. Both were of English descent and be- longed to families that were represented in the Continental army during the Revolutionary war. The mother died in 1881 but the father still survives and now makes his home in Spokane. Of their children Frank G. is now a resident of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the five sisters are: Mrs. F. E. Snodgrass, of Los Angeles, California; Mrs. Paul Brown, of Portland; Mrs. George Bey- stone, of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Mrs. Fannie Devitt, of Denver, Colorado; and Mrs. F. R. Fiske, the wife of Dr. Fiske, of Spokane.
The youthful days of Fred H. Oliver were' passed in Eau Claire, where he passed through consecutive grades in the common schools and became a high-school pupil. He entered business life in connection with lumber interests in California, whither he went in 1879, and there was connected with the lumber trade until 1882, when he removed to Spokane. He was here engaged in mining until ยท 1888 at which time he was appointed Chinese inspector and served for two years. The next office to which he was called was that of deputy United States marshal, in which he also served for two years, and later he was appointed state road com- missioner by Governor McGraw and served for two years. Since his retirement therefrom he has been connected with mining interests, devoting his time to both the development and sale of mining properties. He is largely interested in British Columbia, Ontario, Canada, and in southern Oregon properties, and as an official has voice in the management of a number of these. He is president of the Salmon River Gold Mining & Milling Company of British Columbia, is president of the Fairview Copper Mining Company of Ontario; president of the Big Four Develop- ment Company of Nevada; president of the Southern Oregon Water Power Com- pany, of southern Oregon; and also has many other mining interests. The Fair- view Copper Mining Company has its property twenty-five miles from the silver camp of Cobalt in northern Ontario. They have a body of copper ore carrying three per cent copper and heavy excess of iron, together with eight-tenths of one per cent nickel. It is being developed by diamond drilling and they have al- ready gone down four thousand feet with diamond drills and have reached a depth of fourteen hundred feet. The plant of the Southern Oregon Water Power Com- pany lies in Lake county, Oregon, five miles from the California line. The minimum horse power it is proposed to develop is twenty-one hundred and the maximum is twenty-six thousand. They hope to have the first three units of seven hundred horse power each in operation in the latter part of 1912. They can thus dispose of this at Lakeview and other small towns of that district. It is presumed that a great deal of the power will be used in pumping. The company is incorporated for three hundred thousand dollars under the laws of the state of Washington with head offices in Spokane. The officers are F. H. Oliver, president; Dr. F. R. Fiske, secretary-treasurer; with Dayton H. Stewart, George McDonald, of Coulee City, and M. R. Jennings, of Edmonton, Alberta, as directors.
In his political views Mr. Oliver is a republican and has been an active party worker in Spokane and Stevens county, but the importance of his business interests precludes personal activity along that line. He has represented his party in both county and state conventions, was a member of the first state convention at Walla Walla and served on the Stevens county central committee. His fraternal rela- tions are with the Elks Lodge, No. 228.
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On the 13th of May, 1891, Mr. Oliver was united in marriage to Miss Eliza- beth McCallum, a daughter of D. W. McCallum, of Mendocino county, California, who was. one of the pioneers of that state and is now representing his district in the general assembly. His parents were Canadians of English descent. Mr. and Mrs. Oliver have two daughters, Mildred and Margaret, who are both students in the high school. The family is well known socially and their circle of friends is an extensive one. Mr. Oliver is a splendid representative of that class of citizens who find in the conditions of the west the broader opportunities that call forth enterprise and determination. He recognizes the chances for the progressive busi- ness man to develop the country and utilize its splendid natural resources and he is taking his part in this work which promises good results both to the individual and to the communities in which his activities are called forth.
NOAH DAVID SHOWALTER.
There is no doubt that the teacher is one of the most important forces in the progress of the world and the successful teacher deserves the respect and honor of all friends of humanity. Noah D. Showalter, principal of the Normal school at Cheney, is a conscientious and progressive educator and deserves prominent mention in a work relating to Spokane county and the men who have contributed most to its development.
He is a native of Cass county, Nebraska, born February 22, 1869, a son of Noah and Nancy (Shoopman) Showalter. His ancestors came from Leipsic, Ger- many, in an early day and settled in Southwestern Pennsylvania, which is still considered the old homestead of the family. The grandfather on the paternal side moved south into old Virginia, where he reared a family of nine children. He became a pioneer on the frontier in the United States, and moved west into Illinois during the early settlements in the northwestern territory. The grandfather on the maternal side also settled in central Illinois soon after the war of 1812, and the uncles, six in number, in the same line of descent, were all soldiers in the Civil war. Three of them are now living and are prominent members of the Grand Army of the Republic.
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