Hartman, John P. (John Peter), 1857-1945

In the letter of 1944, Mr. John P. Hartman states that a Mr. G.S. Costello was cleaning up the papers in Mr. C.B. Bagley's home. When he was cleaning up the papers, he "discovered an old Seattle Chronicle of 1883" (April 21, 1883). The article relates the story of Mr. Villard's address when he appeared before the Seattle people concerning the extension of the Northern Pacific Railroad. This appears to be the transmittal letter for the donation of the article.

Mr. Henry Villard was born in 1835 in Bavaria. He grew up and was educated in German schools. In 1853, he had a disagreement with his father and immigrated to the United States without his parents' knowledge. Upon arrival, he worked as a newspaper reporter and various other jobs as he made his way westward. He was a field reporter during the Civil War. He married in 1866. During the Panic of 1873 he was an agent for railroad securities and turned to railroad financing as the economy recovered. He gained controlling interest of the Northern Pacific Railroad and became the president in 1881. He bought the New York Post and merged several small companies to form the Edison General Electric Company. In 1900, he passed away.

Mr. Clarence Bagley was born in 1843 and arrived in Seattle in 1860. From 1860 until his death in 1932, he was concerned with the growth of Washington as a Territory and State in general, and with Seattle in particular. Bagley was involved in politics at the city and state level for many years. While holding office, he bought a newspaper and printing office and was the Territorial Printer from about 1873 to 1883. About 1910, his interest in historical writing resurfaced and took precedence. He was very active in pioneer societies. He was elected the president of the Washington University Historical Society, and under his leadership the work of collecting and preserving original data was begun. In the public mind, Bagley symbolized Pacific Northwest history in many ways. Most of the historical inquiries for the newspapers, from the post offices and Chamber of Commerce were sent to him. In 1932, he passed away after a lingering cold developed into pneumonia. It appears that the letter in this collection is a result of cleaning up his papers and handling of his estate after he passed away.

John P. Hartman was a native of Indiana and was born in 1857. He graduated from the University of Nebraska, was admitted to the Bar and practiced in Nebraska for seven years. When he moved to Seattle, he established a law firm that soon became recognized as one of the foremost firms in the city. In addition to practicing law, he had a very large farming and ranching enterprise. He married and they had two sons that joined him in his firm. By 1944, the firm's name had become Catlett, Harman, Jarvis & Williams.