John Leary (politician)

Advertisement for Leary's law practice in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 1878

One of Leary's most consistent occupations in Seattle was law; he was active in this area for eleven years. After studying law, he was admitted to the bar in 1871, becoming a "pioneer lawyer" in Washington Territory.[16][23] That same year, Leary became a junior partner in McNaught & Leary law firm.[24] In 1872, McNaught & Leary was one of five law firms in Seattle[25] and one of the six most active law firms in Washington Territory.[26]

In 1878, James F. McNaught became an attorney for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, and the law firm dissolved.[27] Leary initially started his own law practice, but then formed another firm with Henry G. Struve. The Struve & Leary Company was organized in 1879, and in 1880, when J.C. Haines joined the firm, it was renamed Struve, Haines & Leary. Leary stayed with the firm until 1882, when he left to devote himself fully to his business and civic activities.[19][28][29]

Leary opened the Talbot coal mine (located in present-day Renton) in 1874, with partners John Collins and James F. McNaught.[30] This operation brought first coal to Seattle.[31] To expose a vein of coal, the company constructed a tunnel 450 feet (140 m) long, 16 feet (4.9 m) wide, and 11 feet (3.4 m) high.[32] To ship the coal to Yesler's Wharf in Seattle, they laid 1 mile (1.6 km) of railroad track towards Black River.[32] However, as the bed proved to be badly faulted, the mine closed after a few years.[33]

Between 1878 and 1880, Leary financed several geological expeditions in Washington in an effort towards the general development of the region (which normally would have been financed by local governments). The parties explored the west coast towards Cape Flattery, the Skagit and Similkameen rivers, and parts of Eastern Washington. The expeditions confirmed the presence of rich coal and iron deposits, and the reports were made available to the public.[5][30][34]

In 1884, together with J.M. Colman, Leary took part in the opening of the Cedar River mines. He was also an early stockholder of other mines in Renton area.[35]

Leary's most substantial mining effort was the creation of the Leary Coal Company, which developed the Ravensdale coal mines in Ravensdale. This mining town was founded by Leary, and initially called "Leary." Its initial initial output of 48,000 tons in 1900 increased to 185,000 tons by 1905. The large coal shipments were made possible by a dedicated railroad line, which was financed by other railroad projects with Leary's involvement, and connected the mines to the Northern Pacific Railway. After Leary's death, the mine was sold to Northern Pacific, which maintained yearly output of 120,000+ tons of coal through 1915, until a mining accident killed 31 miners and prompted the company to abandon the mines.[36][37]

Leary organized various ventures, often without regard for their potential profitability, that helped build Seattle's infrastructure.[21]

In November 1881, Spring Hill Water Company (earlier purchased by Leary with Jacob Furth and Bailey Gatzert because of its insolvency) was the first to lay water pipes along Seattle streets, pumping the water from Lake Washington. This created Seattle's first water system, and by 1886, its capacity reached 200,000 US gallons (760,000 litres). In 1890, Leary and his partners sold the company to the city for $352,000.[7][38][39]

Leary also helped organize the city's first gas company, and served as its president until 1878.[30][31][34]

In September 1882, Leary participated in the founding of Seattle's first bank, the First National Bank of Seattle. (Before 1882, only a loan business founded by Dexter Horton operated in town.) Among Leary's partners in this enterprise were William S. Ladd, a famous banker from Oregon; Henry Yesler, Seattle's richest citizen; C.L. Dingley; G.W. Harris; and J.R. Lewis. The bank opened on November 15, 1882, with the capitalization of $150,000.[40][41]

The bank's solvency and stability helped the city withstand the Panic of 1893.[41] Leary served as the president of the bank, but later "was obliged to resign … owing to the pressure of his other business interests."[5] The bank later merged into Seafirst Bank, which was eventually acquired by the Bank of America.[41]

In 1878, Leary founded The Seattle Post, the city's second daily newspaper alongside The Seattle Intelligencer. Leary was the main stakeholder in The Post, and built the new Post building, a modern office building at a prime location. The newspaper never became profitable, and in 1881, Leary engineered a merge of the two dailies into The Seattle Post-Intelligencer.[34][42][43][44] By 1884, he sold all interest in the combined paper.[7]

In 1890, together with several partners, Leary purchased the Seattle Trade Journal, which was established in 1888 by Edmond S. Meany and Alexander Begg. A year later, he sold it to The Seattle Telegraph.[45]

Yesler-Leary Building, 1888

Leary's multiple investments in real estate were based on his firm belief in the future of Washington Territory, and in Seattle in particular. These convictions proved accurate, and his real estate investments became the main source of his accumulated fortune.[19]

For example, in 1883, together with Judge Thomas Burke and William R. Ballard, Leary purchased 700 acres (280 ha) of land on Salmon Bay. It was later divided into individual plots and sold to new settlers, forming the city of Ballard, now a Seattle's suburb.[46][47]

Among Leary's other notable investments were the Cosmopolitan Hotel, the Seattle Post building, and the "Yesler-Leary Block," the most prestigious piece of commercial real estate in Seattle at the time. The Yesler-Leary Block had a 108-foot (33 m) long facade facing 1st Avenue and a 73-foot (22 m) facade facing Yesler Way. Constructed in a joint venture with Henry Yesler in 1883 at a cost of over $100,000, this office building was destroyed by the Great Seattle Fire on June 6, 1889.[5][44][48]

Like the majority of Washington Territory settlers of the time, Leary was a Republican.[8] His contemporaries described him as an "outstanding civic leader,"[8], a "natural leader,"[31] and "a pioneer among pioneers."[15]

Leary served three terms as councilman, in 1873, 1875, and 1876.[49] In 1884, he was elected mayor of Seattle (to server in 1885), receiving 1311 votes. Seattle citizens cheered for him during one of the biggest political meetings ever held in Occidental Square.[4][50] At the time, the position of mayor wasn't salaried, but regarded as a civic duty. Leary was the first mayor to hold regular office hours. He also pleasantly surprised Seattleites by investing his own money to plank 1st Avenue, Seattle's first street-paving project.[31][51]

In 1890, Leary was an incorporating member of the board of trustees of Seattle Chamber of Commerce. He was the Chamber's first president, and later served as a president once more.[52][53]

In 1892, during an economic downturn, Leary ran for mayor again, but lost to Democrat Judge James T. Ronald.[54]

Driving the first pile for Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad, 1874

The Northern Pacific Railroad was the first transcontinental railroad to reach Puget Sound. In 1873, after a few years of surveying, it unexpectedly[55] decided that Tacoma, not Seattle, would be its western terminus. That decision would direct most of the commercial traffic to the Port of Tacoma, condemning Seattle to a subservient position in the region. Dependent on commerce, the Seattle population panicked and started planning to relocate their businesses and families to Tacoma.[19][56]

Leary managed to curtail the panic with a characteristic stunt. He sold one of his hotels for $600 and used the proceedings to purchase a large quantity of piles, sinking them in straight lines along a potential railroad bed, leading into Seattle. The resulting illusion of someone building a railroad into Seattle led to multiple rumors that stopped the initial panic and thus the exodus of people from Seattle.[19]

To resolve the problem in the long term, however, Seattle desperately needed a railroad connection.[57] The situation was exacerbated by the fact that Northern Pacific Railroad had invested massively in Tacoma real estate, and was actively luring Seattleites to relocate there.[58]

Leary's stunt led to the inception of the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad,[19][31] which planned to connect Settle to Walla Walla via Snoqualmie Pass and to direct at least some of Washington Territory commercial traffic into the Port of Seattle. Several prominent citizens backed the project financially, including Arthur Denny, John Collins, Franklin Mathias, Angus Mackintosh, Henry Yesler, James McNaught, J. J. McGilvra, J. M. Colman, and Dexter Horton, but Leary wasn't among the investors. It soon became apparent that Walla Walla had little interest in the project, and Seattleites' resources alone were insufficient (the construction was estimated at $4 million). Nevertheless, the construction of the railroad began in 1874, but never went beyond King County.[59][60]

In 1881, a temporarily leadership change at Northern Pacific led the company to build a connection to Seattle and Walla Walla railroad at Black River. The service to Seattle began in 1884; however, Norther Pacific continued using its monopoly power in favor of its Tacoma business interests and discriminated against Seattle merchants.[57][61]

The problem wasn't resolved until Seattle commenced another railroad – Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway (SLS&E) – which would connect Seattle via Snohomish, Sedro-Woolley, and Sumas to Canadian Pacific Railway, thus circumventing Northern Pacific entirely. Leary was one of the organizers, incorporators, and investors into SLS&E, but the bulk of the needed investment came from New York bankers under specific and strict conditions.[62][63]

Leary played a part in the final stage of the battle for Seattle's independent railroad connection. As the construction of SLS&E proceeded in 1885 to Snohomish, a Tacoma judge issued a writ on behalf of Northern Pacific, ordering Snohomish authorities to stop the construction of the key Snohomish bridge. An ensuing legal battle would have resulted in a delay, leading to the violation of the financial agreement with New York bankers, and thus endangering the entire operation. Along with Judge Thomas Burke, another principal investor in SLS&E, Leary commandeered a SLS&E railroad engine and rushed it to Snohomish. They arrived before the writ did, and convinced local sheriff and deputies to "disappear for a couple of days," so no one could enforce the writ until the matter could be resolved in court. Putting all available personnel to work on the bridge, SLS&E completed the bridge on time.[64][65]

Construction of The Bailey Gatzert, 1890

With Seattle railroad connections secured, the Port of Seattle experienced a boom of maritime transportation. About $1 million worth of new steamers were added to the fleet of companies operating from Seattle in 1890, [66] and Leary contributed by organizing the Seattle Steam Navigation & Transportation Company, incorporated with $500,000 of capital stock. Leary served as the company's first president, alongside other principal investors Jacob Furth, Edward Neufelder, W.R. Ballard, and H.G. Struve.[67]

Leary built the steamer Bailey Gatzert for the company.[67] One of the finest steamers of her time,[67][68] it was named after Leary's friend and close business associate Bailey Gatzert, and cost between $100,000[69] and $125,000.[67]

In 1891, steamboat operators consolidated into the Columbia River & Puget Sound Navigation Company. The president of the new company was Captain Uriah Bonsor Scott, and Leary became the vice-president. The company owned various steamers, including the steamers The Telephone, The Fleetwood, The Flyer and Leary's Bailey Gatzert. They operated between Puget Sound and Victoria, British Columbia.[5][44][70]

Leary also played a significant role in organizing the first mail route from Seattle to Alaska.[71]

Leary organized and served as the president of West Coast Improvement Company, Seattle Land & Improvement Company, Seattle Warehouse & Elevator Company. He was also one of the directors and promoters of the James Street & Broadway Cable & Electric line and of the West Street & North End Electric Railway Company.[30]

The Leary old family house, 208 Madison Street, Seattle

The Leary new family house on Capitol Hill, 1551 10th Avenue East, Seattle

John Leary was married twice, but had no children from either marriage.[19] His first wife, Mary B. Leary, died on July 17, 1890 in San Francisco, "after a short illness."[9][72]

On April 21, 1892, Leary married Governor Elisha P. Ferry's daughter, Eliza P. Ferry.[10]

The family resided on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Madison Street. In 1903, Leary started the construction of a new family home at a prime location in Capitol Hill, overlooking Lake Washington. At the time, it was estimated to be the most expensive private residence in Seattle. The architects were John Graham (the founder of John Graham & Company, later credited for many historic Seattle landmarks, including the Space Needle) and Arthur Bodley.[19][73][74][75]

The new house wasn't fully completed before Leary's death, but remained the residence of his widow and a famous place for social and charitable gatherings until Eliza Leary's death in 1935. In 1948, Episcopal Diocese of Olympia purchased the house which remains its headquarters in 2020. The house was added to National Register of Historic Places in 1972.[73][74]

At the time of his death, two of Leary's relatives were known to be still living: his sister Margaret (or Maggie) Leary Baker of Philadelphia, and Jane Leary of Fredericton, New Brunswick.[76]

Leary was known for a broad spectrum of charitable activities.[77] His associate, Alfred Battle, described Leary as "...the most charitable men I ever knew. He gave money to everybody he thought needed it."[19]

Both of Leary's wives were actively engaged in charitable activities and donated to notable causes. Mary B. Leary was the founder and the president of the Ladies relief society of Seattle, organized in 1884 to help unfortunate families and individuals.[78] Eliza P. Leary was an active member of Seattle's Sunset Club and a member of the local chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution.[79]

Leary was among the original founders of the Rainier Club, one of Seattle's most prestigious organizations. He served as its president in 1890.[80][81]

In addition, Leary was an officer in Seattle's chapter of the Royal Arch Masons and a member of a local chapter of Odd Fellows.[82]

Leary suffered from liver decease in the last three years of his life. He withdrew from most of his business activities and spent substantial time in Southern California. He also made two trips to Carlsbad, Germany.[19][83]

Leary died of heart failure in Riverside, California, on February 9, 1905.[84] His body was transported to Seattle, and his funeral took place on February 15.[22] He was buried at Lake View Cemetery on Capitol Hill.[3]

Leary died one of the wealthiest person in Seattle,[22] leaving a fortune valued at $2 million.[7] It was almost entirely left to his wife Eliza.[76] One of Seattle's streets, Leary Way, was named after him.[85]