SETH W. HESTER.
Since starting out in life for himself Seth W. Hester has followed agricultural pursuits and is today one of the prosperous farmers of Columbia county, Washington. He has always been a resident of the Pacific northwest, being born in Linn county, Oregon, January 2, 1872, and during his infancy he was brought to Walla Walla county, now Columbia county, by his parents, William M. and Sarah K. (Combs) Hester, who were natives of Kentucky and Iowa respectively. It was in 1852 that his father came to the Pacific coast and after spending four years in California, removed to Oregon in 1856 and in 1872 came to Walla Walla county, Washington, where he settled on a farm. Here he and his wife both died. To them were born nine children and five of the number are now living.
Seth W. Hester passed his boyhood and youth in Walla Walla county and is indebted to its public schools for the early educational advantages he enjoyed. He was only thirteen years of age when his father died and he took charge of the home farm, which he carried on for a few years. Being a wide-awake, up-to-date farmer, he has steadily prospered as the years have gone by and is today the owner of valuable land in Columbia and Garfield counties. He has become interested in other enterprises and is now a stockholder in different businesses in Walla Walla, Garfield and Columbia counties.
In 1893 Mr. Hester was united in marriage to Miss Minnie Loundagin, and they have two daughters: Lucile M., who is a graduate of the Walla Walla high school and is now a student at Mills College, Oakland, California; and La Nor C., now attending high school.
Mr. Hester takes a commendable interest in educational affairs and has efficiently served on the school board. His political support is given to the democratic party and he never withholds his aid from any enterprise which he believes will prove of public benefit.
W. H. RICHARDSON.
W. H. Richardson is now living retired in Dayton, but for many years was actively identified with farming interests and owned and cultivated an excellent tract of land. He was born on St. Joseph's island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario, Canada, February 1, 1864, his parents being W. T. and Jane (Holland) Richardson, the former a native of Ontario, Canada, while the latter was born in Ireland. During her girlhood days the mother crossed the Atlantic with her parents, who established their home in Ontario. Soon after their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Richardson took up their abode on St. Joseph's island, where they resided until 1869 and then removed to Minnesota, where they lived for about seven years. In 1876 they came to Washington, taking up their abode upon a farm about six miles west of Dayton, in Columbia county, where the father was actively engaged in general agricultural pursuits until the time of his death, becoming one of the big wheat raisers of the county. At the time of his demise he owned six thousand acres of farm land, the greater part of which was devoted to wheat, and his efforts were resultant in producing splendid crops. He closely studied conditions of soil and climate and his methods were at all times progressive, so that he gathered abundant harvests. He died in 1900, at the age of sixty-six years, while his widow, surviving until 1907, passed away at the age of seventy-two.
W. H. Richardson was educated in the Thorn Hollow public school and in the Huntsville Academy. In early manhood he began farming in cooperation with his father and gradually as their operations extended to a larger scale, W. H. Richardson more and more assumed the burden of managing the business and cultivating the land. Following the death of his father he purchased the entire holdings, which he continued to develop and improve further until 1909, when he disposed of the last of his farm property and has since lived retired. His business affairs were wisely and carefully controlled and he became one of the representative agriculturists and wheat growers of the valley. The industry which he displayed in all of his business undertakings brought to him a very substantial measure of prosperity, so that he is now enabled to enjoy his remaining days in leisure and comfort.