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 81
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CLARENCE C. DILL.
Clarence C. Dill, who is one of the younger members of the legal fraternity, has practiced at the Spokane bar since 1909. now being deputy prosecuting at- torney and prominent in the legal circles of this city. He was born September 21, 1884, in Fredericktown, Knox county, Ohio. His father, Theodore M. Dill, who is a descendant of an old Pennsylvania family, whose great-grandfather fought in the Revolutionary war, was formerly an agriculturist of Ohio but is now living retired and for several years has been serving as commissioner of Knox county. He married Amanda Kunkel.
Clarence C. Dill acquired his higher education in the Ohio Wesleyan Univer- sity at Delaware, Ohio, being graduated from that institution in 1907, with the degree of B. L. He then determined upon a professional career and to this end
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entered the Western Reserve Law School at Cleveland, Ohio, but came to Spokane the following year, where for a short time he acted as reporter on the Spokes- man Review. Finding that this duty prevented his taking up the active study of law, he accepted a position in the South Central high school, teaching English and debating. At the same time he read law in the office of J. W. Graves and was admitted to the bar in 1909. He engaged in the general practice of law with a constantly increasing clientele and continually advanced in legal knowledge and in his ability to handle intricate problems that are presented before the courts. His ability won speedy recognition and in January, 1911, he was appointed deputy prosecuting attorney of Spokane county, a position which he still holds.
Mr. Dill is a democrat and firmly believes in the principles of the party. Since 1910 he has been serving as secretary of the democratic county central com- mittee. He holds membership in Mount Carlton Lodge, I. O. O. F., the Spokane Amateur Athletic Club and the Chamber of Commerce. He holds to high ideals in his profession and in his fraternal relations and, being richly endowed by nature with admirable qualities, he commands uniform respect and good-will wher- ever he is known.
CLARENCE Z. HUBBELL.
Clarence Z. Hubbell, an architect of Spokane whose skill in his profession is manifest in some of the most important buildings of the city, was born at Onarga, Illinois, August 13, 1869, his parents being Henry S. and Parthena T. Hubbell. While at Onarga the father devoted his energies to general agricultural pursuits, but during the early boyhood of his son Clarence removed to Chicago, where he engaged in the manufacture of screens. In the public schools of that city Clarence Z. Hubbell pursued his early education and afterward became a student of the Art Institute of Chicago, adding to his theoretical and scientific training the prac- tical experience that comes with employment in the office of leading architects of the metropolis of the middle west. He was thus well qualified for important work when he came to the Pacific coast in 1900. Making his way to Spokane he entered the employ of John K. Dow who a few years later admitted Mr. Hub- bell to a partnership, the latter relation between them continuing for six years. They were accorded a large clientage and among the principal buildings which they designed are the Masonic Temple, the old Spokane Club, the Hutton build- ing, the Paulsen building, M. Sellar's building and the residence of R. B. Patter- son. In March, 1910, Mr. Hubbell withdrew from the partnership and entered upon an independent business, since which time he has designed and had super- vision of the erection of the addition to the Hutton building and also made a number of plans for other structures. He is a member of the Spokane Architectural Club and his ability, widely recognized, has won for him the admiration of other representatives of the profession which he has made his life work.
While residing in Chicago in 1898 Mr. Hubbell was united in marriage to Miss Emma J. R. Speck, a daughter of Dr. Frank and Annie R. Speck, of Balti- more, Maryland. They have one child, T. Josephine R. Hubbell. Mr. Hubbell belongs to no secret societies nor does he take an active part in politics, yet
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he is not remiss in the duties of citizenship and where time and opportunity offer gives his aid and cooperation to public projects for the general good. He lias proven himself a progressive business man, thoroughly trustworthy under all cir- cumstances and through his merit has worked his way steadily upward until he now occupies a leading position as a representative of his profession in Spokane.
HOMER CLARK FISHER.
Spokane numbers in her citizenship many capitalists-men who started out in life practically empty handed and yet have worked their way upward by means of determination and energy that will not brook defeat. As his financial resources have increased, Homer Clark Fisher has made extensive investments in property, his holdings now including eight hundred and twenty acres of wheat land in Whit- man county, from which he derives a splendid annual rental.
He makes his home at 1017 Fairview avenue, Spokane, which is far separated from his birthplace in Fayette county, Pennsylvania. His natal day was May 22, 1853, and his parents were David and Sarah Jane (Huston) Fisher. His father, who was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, was a blacksmith by trade and in 1859 removed with his family from the Keystone state to Chalmers, White county, Indiana, where he followed the occupation of farming. The family num- bered ten children, eight sons and two daughters, of whom Homer C. was the seventh son. Four of his elder brothers served in the Civil war and one of the number was killed in action and another died in the hospital. His brother Henry became a resident of Whitman county in the spring of 1880 and is now an extensive landholder, owning a ranch of eight hundred and eighty acres about four miles from Endicott. The parents are both now deceased.
In the public schools of Indiana Mr. Fisher pursued his education and after- ward engaged in teaching school for seven years in that state. In 1881, how- ever, he came to Washington, making his way to Colfax to join his brother Henry. Soon afterward he took up a homestead claim near Endicott and thereon remained for five years. On the expiration of that period he once more resumed the profession of teaching and was also employed in a store for about seven years. For six years he managed a warehouse for Aaron Kuhn at Endicott and was also in the retail lumber business at that place and at St. John. As his financial re- sources have permitted he has invested in property from time to time and at the present writing owns eight hundred and twenty acres of wheat lands in Whit- man county, which he now rents. This real estate is constantly increasing in value owing to the cultivation placed upon it and also owing to the rise in property re- sulting from the rapid settlement of the country. He is a member of the firm of Corner & Fisher, of Wallace, Idaho, of which M. A. Corner is his brother-in- law. They deal in fuel and feed and also conduct a brokerage business, handling Armour's goods and also fruit and flour in carload lots. Mr. Fisher bought into the firm just twenty days before the big fire at Wallace, in which they lost the warehouse and all their stock, but upon this they carried a fair insurance and have since rebuilt, being now again on the highroad to prosperity in the conduct of their business in that place. Mr. Fisher is also president of the St. John's State Bank of Washington.
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On the 13th of October, 1880, at Battle Ground, Indiana, Mr. Fisher was married to Miss Cassie Downey Moore, a daughter of James Power Moore, of Monticello, Indiana, who were pioneers of that place. They have three children: Indiana, the wife of Harry Terhune, of St. John, who is cashier of the bank; Lucile, who attends the University of Washington at Seattle; and Ross Clark, a student.
In his political views Mr. Fisher has always been a democrat, supporting prin- ciples advocated by Jefferson and Jackson and giving unfaltering allegiance to the Nebraska statesman, W. J. Bryan. He held the position of deputy auditor and of deputy treasurer of Whitman county for five years. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and his name is on the membership roll of the Methodist church at St. John, Washington. Many theories have been advanced concerning the best way of attaining success and yet when one examines carefully into the life records of successful men it is usually found that their advancement is built upon the basis of labor-earnest, un- faltering, honest labor. And such has been the case with Mr. Fisher, who has gradually worked his way upward until he is now one of Spokane's prosperous residents.
FREDERICK WESLEY DEWART.
Frederick Wesley Dewart, a Spokane attorney and a Harvard man, has con- tinued in the practice of law in this city since 1899, being interested in many im- portant corporations and active as well in projects of a semi-public character. He was born in Ontario, Canada, July 19, 1867, a son of Rev. James Hartley and Mary (Day) Dewart. The father was a minister of the Methodist church and crossed the border of the United States when his son Frederick was four years of age, the family home being established near Cleveland, Ohio, where the boy acquired his early education in the public schools. He afterward attended the Hamline University near St. Paul, Minnesota, and with this college training as a foundation for more advanced educational work he entered Harvard, from which he was graduated in 1890. Two years later he received from Harvard the Master of Arts degree. He pursued the study of law in St. Louis, being gradu- ated from the law college of that city in 1895 with the LL. B. degree. The same year he was admitted to the bar and remained in practice in that city until 1899, in association with G. A. Finkelnburg, now United States district judge for the district of Missouri, and with Hon. Charles Nagel, now secretary of commerce and labor in President Taft's cabinet. Climatic conditions proved hurtful, how- ever, to his family and accordingly he left St. Louis and came to Spokane in 1899.
Here he has since practiced and is recognized as one of the cminent representa- tives of the bar of eastern Washington. His broad general learning constitutes the basis of a success that is more directly attributable to his thorough and com- prehensive understanding of legal principles and his ability to accurately apply the points in law to the points in litigation. In him we find many of the rare qualities which go to make up the successful lawyer. He possesses perhaps few of those brilliant, dazzling, meteoric qualities which have sometimes flashed along
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the legal horizon, riveting the gaze and blinding the vision for a moment, then disappearing, leaving little or no trace behind, but rather has those solid and more substantial qualities which shine with a constant luster, shedding light into dark places with steadiness and continuity. He has in an eminent degree that rare ability of saying in a convincing way the right thing at the right time.
It is seldom that the capable lawyer proves equally successful in the field of business, yet Mr. Dewart has gained equal prominence in handling important com- mercial interests. He is now a director of the Bank of Spirit Lake, Idaho, and of the Lamont State Bank, of Washington. He is likewise vice president and treasurer of the International Portland Cement Company, and vice president of the Panhandle Investment Company, of the East Spokane Improvement Company, the Carbolineum Treating & Paving Company, the Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe Transportation Company and president of the Long View Orchard Company, all of which indicates the nature and variety of his interests and investments. These companies are recognized as prominent factors in the business development of east- ern Washington and, moreover, are sources of gratifying income to the stock- holders. Aside from this, Mr. Dewart is a trustee of the Spokane County Good Roads Association and a trustee of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce, both of which are elements in the improvement of the district.
In politics Mr. Dewart is active as an advocate of republican principles yet without desire for office. He has attained high rank in Masonry and is a member of El Katif Temple of the Mystic Shrine. As a club man he is well known in the city, holding membership in the Spokane, Spokane Country, Spokane Amateur Athletic and the University Clubs.
In August, 1894, Mr. Dewart was married to Miss Edith L. Drought, a daugh- ter of Henry and Mary Drought, of St. Paul, Minnesota, and they have two chil- dren, Frederick and Donald, residing with their parents in an attractive home at No. 201 Sixth avenue which Mr. Dewart crected. Mr. and Mrs. Dewart are mem- bers of Vincent Methodist Episcopal church and active in church work and its affiliated branches and societies.
His ability as a lawyer enables him to analyze and dissect the case at hand to its slightest detail. His power in business is manifest in his ability to build up and coordinate forces into a unified and harmonious whole. A carefully trained in- tellect enables him to see the possibilities in one field as clearly as in another and while he delves to the root of the matter in his law practice, in his business he sees as clearly from the center of things to the utmost circumference of possibil- ity for successful accomplishment.
DANIEL C. COLLINS.
Daniel C. Collins, who is engaged in the real-estate business with offices at East 827 Baldwin avenue and is one of the heavy property owners of Spokane. was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1867. He came to Spokane in 1884, attended the country school and at the same time worked on a farm. From 1886 until 1887 he was a student in the Spokane Methodist College, and when he left that institution he began earning his own livelihood by accepting employment with the
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Spokane Gas Company. He has the distinction of being the first man hired by them in their plant, which is located at Stevens and Railroad streets. He re- tained this position for three years. During the fire which occurred on August 4, 1889, Mr. Collins was one of the first men to help haul the hose cart to the fire, he be- ing near the fire house when the alarm was turned in. That night while on duty at the gas works he gave shelter and protection to over two hundred people inside the Gas Company's plant. Although it was in August, the night was cold, and the warmth and shelter thus afforded were highly appreciated by those to whom it was extended. In January, 1890, Mr. Collins joined the fire department and the following year was made captain of No. 3 Fire Station where he remained until 1896. Political troubles, however, reduced his station to that of the ranks for a short time, but the following year he was promoted to foreman and assigned to No. 5 Station, where he served until his resignation from the fire department in 1900. Desiring to engage upon a business career he opened the Pioneer Hotel at the corner of Howard and Front streets, having leased the property. He continued there until 1906 when he entered the real-estate business. In that year he purchased property on the corner of Washington and Front streets and erected a seventy-five room hotel which was at first known as Hotel Collins but has since been called The Palace. The next year he erected the St. Helen's apartments at South 320 Brown street, and in 1910 purchased the Second and Wall street prop- erty upon which the Hotel Collins now stands. In that same year he also built a sixty-six room annex to the St. Helen's apartments. He owns many dwelling houses throughout the city, and because of the extensive dealings he has carried on in real estate he is considered one of the most able and conservative judges of real estate and city property holdings in Spokane.
In 1893 Mr. Collins was married to Miss Anna Burke, who was born in Ire- land but was residing in Spokane at the time of their marriage. To their union three children have been born: Nellie, whose birth occurred in November, 1893; Marie, who was born in December, 1895; and Daniel Jr., born in November, 1903. Mr. Collins holds membership in the Fraternal Order of Eagles of Spokane; in the Loyola Athletic Club of Spokane and also in the Roman Catholic church. His residence, which is situated at East 827 Baldwin avenue, is one of the most beau- tiful and substantial homes in that section of the city. Spokane thoroughly ap- preciates the material aid which Mr. Collins has given to its development and the stimulus and active cooperation which he has given to its building operations.
FRED H. McDERMONT.
Those who are born west of the Mississippi have comparatively little to do in adapting their ideas and habits to changed conditions when they attempt to es- tablish homes and develop business enterprises in the Spokane country. The great western district of America lying on this side of the Father of Waters has had in its various localities the same spirit of enterprise and determination, crowned by successful achievement. These qualities have found exemplification in the life record of Fred H. McDermont, now conducting a general law practice in Spokane. He was born in Lake City, Minnesota, October 23, 1862, his parents
F. H. McDERMONT
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being James and Emma (Arnold) McDermont. The father was of Irish birth and the mother of English descent. They are now residents of Lake City, Min- nesota, and the father is living retired after many years devoted to general agri- cultural pursuits. He has been quite active and prominent in local affairs, es- pecially in political circles, and has held a number of public offices. His wife is descended from the Arnold family prominently known in connection with the Revolutionary war and her brother Jeremiah was a soldier of the Civil war. She is also a second cousin of Byron G. Arnold, a well known civil engineer of Chicago, who was the builder of the city's subways. The two brothers of Fred H. Mc- Dermont are Frank and Eugene J., the former a farmer at Maiden Rock, Wis- consin, and the latter a wholesale business man of Williston, North Dakota. The three sisters of the family are: Elva, living at home; Minnie, the wife of Azro Condon, a plumber of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Ella, the wife of William Little, a merchant of Minneapolis.
Fred H. McDermont won the LL. B. degree upon his graduation from the law department of the State University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in the class of 1888, and among his classmates were ex-Judge W. H. Moore, of Seattle; Judge Huneke, of Spokane; and Judge Devries, of the customs court at New York. His youthful days had been devoted to farm work and to the acquirement of a preliminary education which was completed in the high school of Lake City, Min- nesota. A professional career seemed more attractive to him than an agricultural or commercial one and to this end he prepared for the bar and in 1890 opened an office in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he remained in active practice for ten years. He was afterward at Rugby, that state, until he went to Colville, in 1905, where he continued in practice until March, 1908, when he returned to Spokane, After a partnership of six months with W. H. Plummer the firm was dissolved and since that time Mr. MeDermont has continued independently in a general law practice. He has secured a good clientage and has been very careful in the conduct of litigated interests before the court, preparing his cases with thorough- ness and care, and presenting them in the strong, clear light of common sense and logical argument.
Aside from the direct path of his profession Mr. MeDermont has been active and become well known as a leader in republican ranks. He served on the central committee in North Dakota and also in Washington, and is a precinct committee- man for the Manito district. He attended the county conventions when a resi- dent of Colville and while residing at Grand Forks, North Dakota, filled the office of municipal judge. While there he was also the nominee of his party for prosecuting attorney but was not elected. He was twice chosen as speaker of the state central committee of North Dakota during Bryan's first campaign and also on the occasion of Major McKinley's second candidacy for the presidency. Under- lying his active work in behalf of the party is a firm belief in its principles, the good it has accomplished and its promises for the future.
On the 7th of December, 1898, Mr. MeDermont was married to Miss Grace Hunt, of Ashton, Illinois, a daughter of William A. and Melissa Hunt, the latter one of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mr. and Mrs. McDermont have one child, Dorothy. The pleasant home of the family in Spokane is a hospitable one and they have gained many friends here. Mr. McDermont is a part owner in eight hundred acres of land in Adams county, constituting a wheat
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farm, all under cultivation. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias at Colville but has never sought prominence along fraternal lines. He devotes his energies to his law practice and to the discharge of his duties of citizenship, for he has been mindful of the obligations as well as the privileges which come to the American man.
EDWARD N. ROBINSON.
Edward N. Robinson, president of the Arcadia Orchards Company of Spokane and also president of the Olsen-Robinson Company, general merchants at Deer Park, was born in Missouri, June 3, 1875. The father, George W. Robinson, a native of West Virginia and of English descent, was a soldier of the Confederate army during the Civil war. He and his wife are now living in Kansas City and the latter, who bore the maiden name of Cornelia Beckwith, is a native of Mis- souri. In addition to Edward N. Robinson, the sons and daughters of their family are: Omar E. and George W., both residents of Kansas City; Annie L., likewise living in Kansas City; and Dorothy, the wife of Fred Egger, of Appleton City, Missouri.
Edward N. Robinson supplemented his public-school education by study in the University of Missouri, where he won the Bachelor of Law degree in 1898. He thought to make the practice of law his life work and to this end took a course of study which has proven to him of marked value in his later business career. However, he was for ten years actively engaged in the practice of law in St. Louis. He arrived in Spokane in 1909 and became one of the organizers of the Arcadia Orchards Company, which was formed in March of that year and took over the property of the Arcadia Irrigation Association and the corporation known as Arcadia. The holdings of the two companies comprised eight thousand acres ly- ing in Spokane and Stevens counties about twenty-two miles north of Spokane. Since then the company has increased its holdings until it now owns eighteen thousand acres, while its sales have already amounted to over two million dollars.
The work of improvement is being carried steadily forward. The company sells land under contract to plant winter apples, irrigate and give the orchard four years' care. Six thousand acres are now planted to winter apples and the entire property is under irrigation with a gravity flow from Loon and Deer Lakes. There is now a population of over one thousand represented by sales and all will probably make their homes there during the next three years. The company is rapidly clearing and planting the remainder of the tract and practically all the land is suited to the raising of apples. Most of this will be sold in five and ten acre lots on the monthly payment plan. The property brings five hundred dollars an acre under the contract to plant it and care for it for four years, in- cluding a perpetual water right. They have water to cover fifty thousand acres and the enterprise is proving one of the most important forces in the utiliza- tion of the natural resources of the northwest. In fact the Arcadia is the largest orchard property in this part of the country and is handled on the strictest scien- tific basis by men who are prominent and practical orchardists. The sales of the company now amount to about three hundred acres per month and the land
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has been disposed of largely to eastern people. On the tract are found one hun- dred young men who are members of eastern families, many of them being col- lege graduates. Their parents have purchased the tracts of land and wish their sons to learn the business, so that the young men are there employed by the day. Some very fine buildings are being erected in Arcadia and the district is supplied with all modern conveniences. One feature which they have developed is the taking of carloads of apples back to the east to advertise the west and in this the company has been more than repaid. At one time the property was all timber land, being covered with fir and tamarack. The company clears away the stumps and brings the land to the highest state of cultivation, clearing on an average of forty acres per day and utilizing a force of from two hundred and fifty to three hundred and fifty men daily during the summer. The Spokane Falls & Northern Railroad traverses the tract, which is fast becoming one of the most important fruit-bearing districts of the region. Already the company has expended over one million dollars, including the purchase price of the land. The work is largely directed by Mr. Robinson, who is president of the company and whose executive force and administrative ability are manifest in the continuous development of the lands and their sale. He has followed the most progressive methods in the con- duct of the business and his labors have also been an important element in public progress as well as in the attainment of individual prosperity. He is not only president of the Arcadia Orchards Company but also of the Olsen-Robinson Com- pany, dealers in general merchandise at Deer Park, where they carry stock valued at thirty thousand dollars. In the Arcadia Orchards Company he is associated with W. W. Hindman, who is vice president and O. L. Olsen, who is treasurer.
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