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Topic: Biographies

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Vickery, Gordon Franklin (1920-1996)

Gordon Franklin Vickery served the City of Seattle for 34 years, first as a firefighter, rising to the office of Chief, and then as Superintendent of Seattle City Light. In both offices he exercised s...

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Volpentest, Sam (1904-2005)

He was known as "Mr. Tri-Cities," the "Man from Hanford," the "Godfather of the Tri-Cities," and, occasionally, by less-flattering terms. For more than 60 years, just about everyone at Hanford and in ...

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Wagoner, David (1926-2021)

David Wagoner, considered the dean of Pacific Northwest poets, was already embarked on a promising literary career when his mentor, the legendary Theodore Roethke (1908-1963), called in the winter of ...

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Wainwright, General Jonathan Mayhew, IV (1883-1953)

Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV was born on August 23, 1883, at Fort Walla Walla into a family with a long history of U.S. military service. He furthered that tradition by attending West Point Military ...

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Walker, Doug (1950-2015) and Maggie (b. 1953)

Doug Walker was a Seattle software entrepreneur -- cofounder of Walker, Richer & Quinn (WRQ) -- who became a linchpin in Puget Sound philanthropy, with national conservation commitments that include c...

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Walker, Lillian (1913-2012)

Lillian Walker was an African American civil rights activist in the Bremerton area. Raised in rural Illinois, Walker went on to Chicago to pursue nursing, and moved to Bremerton in 1941 with her husba...

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Walker, Marjorie (1906-1992)

Marjorie Walker was an unconventional and well-to-do New York artist who left city life to live on rural San Juan Island. She'd first seen the San Juan archipelago, located between the Northwest Washi...

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Walker, Mary Richardson (1811-1897)

As a young girl in Maine, Mary Richardson set her mind to become a missionary. Upon marrying Elkanah Walker in 1837, the couple set out for the Oregon Country. They settled among the Spokane Indians t...

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Walkinshaw, Jean (b. 1926)

Award-winning producer Jean Walkinshaw (b. 1926) pioneered television documentary filmmaking in the Northwest. Beginning at KING-TV in the 1960s, Walkinshaw pushed TV beyond its white middle-class com...

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Wallgren, Monrad Charles (1891-1961)

Monrad Charles "Mon" Wallgren (1891-1961) served four terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and four years in the U.S. Senate before becoming Washington's 13th governor in 1944. Swept into office...

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Wallingford, John Jr. (1833-1913)

John Wallingford Jr., a real estate developer who gave his name to the north Seattle neighborhood of Wallingford, arrived in Seattle in 1888 at the age of 55. He was born in Maine, and served in the C...

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Wanamaker, Pearl Anderson (1899-1984)

Pearl Wanamaker was a long-serving Superintendent of Public Instruction (1941-1957), whose years in the non-partisan office addressed World War II educational and vocational demands, and managed the b...

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Wappenstein, Charles W. (1853-1931)

Charles "Wappy" Wappenstein was a colorful character who was twice Seattle's chief of police (from 1906-1907 and from 1910-1911) and served as a member of the Seattle police force for a much longer pe...

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Warashina, Patti (b. 1940)

The queen of Northwest ceramics, Patti Warashina is internationally recognized for her technically refined, figurative sculptures that helped expand the boundaries of clay as a medium. While poking fu...

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Warbass, Edward (1825-1906)

"A Pioneer of Three States -- Adventurer, Prospector, Miner, Trader, Explorer, Promoter, Soldier and Public Official," was how Edward Warbass was once described ("San Juan's Best Known Pioneer"). He c...

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Ware, Flo (1912-1981)

Florasina Ware was the quintessential activist, known for raising a strong and logical voice on behalf of children, the elderly, and the poor.

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Warren, Joel Franklin (1858-1934)

Joel "Joe" Warren was Spokane's Chief of Police during the 1880s. He left this position to form his own detective agency. Later, from 1917 to 1920, he served as Seattle's Chief of Police, playing an a...

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Washington, James Jr. (1911-2000)

The eminent African American sculptor and painter James Washington Jr. was a leading member of the Northwest School. He grew up in Mississippi. After working as a WPA artist, he came to the Puget Soun...

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Washington, Janie Rogella (1908-2000)

Janie Rogella Washington was a Seattle nurse and supportive wife who shared and inspired the spirituality that shaped the art of her husband, Dr. James W. Washington Jr. (1911-2000), the international...

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Watson, Emmett (1918-2001)

Emmett Watson was a fixture in Seattle journalism for more than half a century, first as a sports writer for the Seattle Star and then as a columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and The Seattle...

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Waughop, Dr. John Wesley (1839-1903)

Dr. John Wesley Waughop is the eponym of Waughop Lake in Lakewood's Fort Steilacoom Park. He was the superintendent of what was in past times called the Washington State Hospital for the Insane. It is...

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Weaver, Timothy Roy (1944-2010)

Tim Weaver didn't set out to become a lawyer, let alone a lawyer specializing in Indian fishing rights. He just knew he wanted a profession that would allow him to control his work hours and leave tim...

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Wehn, James A. (1882-1973)

James Wehn, a Seattle-based sculptor noted for his statue of Chief Seattle, sculpted figures and medallions depicting historically significant persons. His work is displayed across the state and as fa...

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Wehr, Wesley (1929-2004)

Wesley Wehr, a gifted musician at age 19, was invited in 1949 to tutor the painter Mark Tobey (1890-1976) on the piano. Thus began Wehr's close relationship with Tobey and ultimately with all the arti...

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