Josiah Collins (Washington fire chief)

Josiah Collins V (1864-1949) was an American attorney, civil servant and politician who was Seattle Fire Commissioner and a State Senator. He was Seattle's Fire Chief at the time of the Great Seattle Fire on June 6, 1889. On that date, he was in San Francisco, attending a regional conference of Fire Chiefs.

Josiah Collins
Member of the Washington State Senate
In office
1911–1915
Personal details
Born(1864-06-17)June 17, 1864
Hillsborough, North Carolina
DiedJuly 1, 1949(1949-07-01) (aged 85)
Seattle, Washington
Resting placeLake View Cemetery
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Caroline Wetherill
(m. 1907)
Children2
OccupationLawyer, civil servant, politician
Signature

Biography edit

 
Josiah Collins's fire chief hat on display at MOHAI

Josiah Collins was born in Hillsborough, North Carolina on June 17, 1864. He moved to Washington in 1883, where he became a lawyer.[1]

He was chief of the volunteer fire department at the time of the Great Seattle Fire in 1889.[2]

He was one of the cofounders of the first golf clubs in Seattle at Laurelhurst in 1895.[3]

Initially a Democrat, he joined the Republican Party in 1896.[1] He served as a member of the Washington State Senate from 1911 to 1915.[2]

He married Caroline Wetherill in June 1907, and they had two sons.[1][2]

He died in Seattle on July 1, 1949.[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Snowden, Clinton A. (1911). History of Washington: The Rise and Progress of an American State. Vol. 5. Century History Company. pp. 394–395. Retrieved October 21, 2021 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d "West Coast Leader, Native of Hillsboro, Succumbs at Seattle". Times-News. Seattle. AP. July 2, 1949. p. 5. Retrieved October 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Wilma, David. "Golf arrives in Seattle in 1895". HistoryLink. Retrieved October 21, 2021.