Henry Yesler
Henry Yesler | |
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6th Mayor of Seattle | |
In office August 3, 1885 – August 2, 1886 | |
Preceded by | John Leary |
Succeeded by | William H. Shoudy |
In office August 2, 1874 – August 2, 1875 | |
Preceded by | John Collins |
Succeeded by | Bailey Gatzert |
King County Commissioner | |
In office January 1, 1875 – December 1, 1876 | |
Preceded by | Stephen P. Andrews |
Succeeded by | Terence O'Brien |
In office January 1, 1867 – January 1, 1873 | |
Preceded by | R. M. Stewart |
Succeeded by | R. Robinson |
In office July 1, 1858 – November 1, 1864 | |
Preceded by | Edward Hanford |
Succeeded by | John H. Nagle |
Personal details | |
Born | Henry Leiter Yesler December 2, 1810 Washington |
Domestic partner | Sarah Burgert |
Occupation | Entrepreneur, Politician |
Henry Leiter Yesler (December 2, 1810 – December 16, 1892) was an American entrepreneur and a politician, regarded as a founder of the city of Seattle. Yesler served two non-consecutive terms as Mayor of Seattle, and was the city's wealthiest resident during his lifetime.[1]
Biography
Yesler arrived in Seattle from
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Sarah_B_Yesler_standing_portrait%2C_probably_in_Seattle%2C_1868_%28PEISER_139%29.jpeg/220px-Sarah_B_Yesler_standing_portrait%2C_probably_in_Seattle%2C_1868_%28PEISER_139%29.jpeg)
In 1858, Yesler's wife Sarah joined him in Seattle, and the couple lived in a simple house across from the mill.[2] Prior to her arrival, Yesler fathered a child named Julia with the fifteen-year-old Native daughter of a local Duwamish hereditary chief.[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Henry_L_and_Sarah_Yesler_in_front_of_their_home_at_1st_Ave_and_James_St%2C_Seattle%2C_July_4%2C_1883_%28PEISER_36%29.jpeg/220px-Henry_L_and_Sarah_Yesler_in_front_of_their_home_at_1st_Ave_and_James_St%2C_Seattle%2C_July_4%2C_1883_%28PEISER_36%29.jpeg)
Yesler also served in public office, at various times as a county auditor, county commissioner, and mayor.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Seattle_-_Pioneer_Building_-_1900.jpg/220px-Seattle_-_Pioneer_Building_-_1900.jpg)
On June 6, 1889, the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Seattle_Public_Library_-_1900.jpg/220px-Seattle_Public_Library_-_1900.jpg)
Yesler died on December 16, 1892, at the age of 82. He is buried in Seattle's Lake View Cemetery. After his death, Yesler's mansion became the first home of the Seattle Public Library, and burned down on January 2, 1901. The King County Courthouse currently occupies the site.[4]
Personality
In his informative and tongue-in-cheek book, Sons of the Profits, columnist and Seattle historian William C. Speidel pointed out some of Yesler's negative aspects. On numerous occasions, Yesler had lawsuits filed against him. On other occasions, it was Yesler himself doing the suing. "The City of Seattle made him a millionaire," wrote Speidel, "yet he sued it...fought it...plundered it...and on two occasions he brought it to the brink of bankruptcy." Speidel also recounts how, according to courthouse records, Yesler owed John McLain, an old friend from Ohio, $30,000 for the loan that the latter set up for construction of the mill. Yesler would pay him $12,000 of it over time, and it wasn't until McLain sued him that he was able to collect on the rest.[7]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Original_Skid_Road_Seattle_-_1874_photo.jpg/220px-Original_Skid_Road_Seattle_-_1874_photo.jpg)
Yesler and his wife Sarah were Spiritualists and believed in free love.[8]
References
- ^ ISBN 9780738571447.
- ^ a b "Ten who shaped Seattle: Henry Yesler struck gold in lumber and real estate". seattlepi.com. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
- ISBN 9780295741345.
- ^ a b "Yesler's Hall | Seattle Theatre History". www.seattletheaterhistory.org. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
- ^ "Site of Yesler's Pavilion - Seattle, WA - Washington Historical Markers on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
- ^ "Temporary housing after Seattle's Great Fire". The Seattle Times. 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
- ^ Speidel, William (1967). Sons of the Profits. Seattle: Nettle Creek Publishing Company. pp. 57–80.
- ^ Kathie M. Zetterberg with David Wilma, Henry Yesler's Native American daughter Julia is born on June 12, 1855, HistoryLink.org Essay 3396, 2001-07-30. Accessed online 2013-01-16.
Further reading
- ISBN 0-914890-00-X.
Speidel provides a substantial biography with extensive primary sources. - James R. Warren, "Ten who shaped Seattle: Henry Yesler struck gold in lumber and real estate", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, September 25, 2001.
- Junius Rochester, Yesler, Henry L. (1810–1892) HistoryLink.org ("The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History"), October 7, 1998, revised by Walt Crowley on October 17, 2002.
Writings
- Yesler, Henry (1907). Daughter of old Chief Seattle. Coast Pub. Co.Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection
External links
- Finding aids from the Special Collections, Washington State Historical Society (WSHS). Includes a finding aid on Henry and Sarah Yesler, available as a PDF or a Word document.
- Henry Yesler at Find a Grave