Henry Yesler
| Henry Yesler | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 7th Mayor of Seattle | |
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In office 1874–1875 |
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| Preceded by | John Collins |
| Succeeded by | Bailey Gatzert |
| 15th Mayor of Seattle | |
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In office 1885–1886 |
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| Preceded by | John Leary |
| Succeeded by | William Shoudy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 2, 1810 Hagerstown, Maryland United States |
| Died | December 16, 1892 (aged 82) Seattle, Washington United States |
| Resting place | Lake View Cemetery, Seattle, Washington |
| Nationality | American |
| Domestic partner | Sarah Burgert |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, Politician |
Henry L. Yesler (December 2, 1810 – December 16, 1892) was an entrepreneur considered to be Seattle, Washington's first economic father and first millionaire.
Yesler arrived in Seattle in 1852 and built a steam-powered sawmill , which provided numerous jobs for those early settlers and Duwamish tribe members. The mill was located right on the Elliott Bay waterfront, at the foot of what is now known as Yesler Way and was then known as Mill Road or the "Skid Road," for the way the logs "skidded" down the steep grade from the ever-receding timber line to the mill. In running the mill, Yesler built the city's first water system, in 1854. The system was made up of a series of open-air, V-shaped flumes perched on stilts that started atop First Hill and ran down past Yesler's home and to the mill. Later on, after complaints of dirty water, Yesler developed a system made up of log pipes and Iron buried beneath the ground.
The house where Henry and his wife Sarah lived, a wooden building that resembled a store, was located near the mill, at the corner of First Avenue and James Street. When Sarah died in 1887, Henry constructed a mansion on the block between Third and Fourth Avenues at James Street, where he spent the final five years of his life.
Yesler also served in public office, at various times as a county auditor, county commissioner, and mayor.
On June 6, 1889, the Great Seattle Fire burned down the entire business district (which consisted mainly of wooden buildings), including the mill, as well as his Yesler Hall, located on the corner of and 1st Avenue and Yesler Way, and Yesler's Pavilion, at 1st and Cherry. They were never replaced. Yesler built the Pioneer Building on the same plot of land where his first home stood, now the heart of Seattle's Pioneer Square.
Yesler died on December 16, 1892, at the age of 82. He is buried, along with his wife, in Lake View Cemetery. The mansion he lived in was turned into the first supposedly permanent home of the Seattle Public Library, but burned down January 2, 1901. The King County Courthouse currently occupies that site.
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