William Pitt Trimble

Trimble was born on February 2, 1865, in Cynthiana, Kentucky. He came from a family of lawyers{{Emdash}}his father was an attorney, his grandfather was a justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, and his great-uncle was Robert Trimble, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.{{Cite book |last=Snowden |first=Clinton A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KIEUAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22william+pitt+trimble%22&pg=PA303 |title=History of Washington: The Rise and Progress of an American State |publisher=The Century History Company |year=1909 |editor-last=Hanford |editor-first=Cornelius H. |editor-link=Cornelius H. Hanford |volume=Five |pages=305–306 |editor-last2=Moore |editor-first2=Miles C. |editor-link2=Miles Conway Moore |editor-last3=Tyler |editor-first3=William D. |editor-last4=Chadwick |editor-first4=Stephen J. |editor-link4=Stephen J. Chadwick}}

As a child, he studied in public schools in Kentucky and Ohio, along with Paris' École Alsacienne. He attended the University of Cincinnati and studied law at the school's College of Law.

Trimble moved to Washington in 1890 and settled in Seattle two years later. He worked as a real estate financier and cultivated a network of buildings throughout downtown Seattle.{{Cite web |last=McClary |first=Daryl C. |date=2003-07-28 |title=Blake Island – Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/5491 |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=HistoryLink}} In 1899, he was involved in a legal dispute with the state of Washington relating to the jurisdiction of the Washington Board of Land Commissioners, and in 1903 he sued King County, arguing that land he owned was not eligible for condemnation.{{Cite news |date=1899-11-11 |title=Testing Their Jurisdiction |pages=9 |work=The Tacoma Daily Ledger |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tacoma-daily-ledger-testing-their-ju/124222428/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=1903-03-30 |title=Sustains Superior Court |pages=1 |work=Tacoma Evening News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-sustains-superior-court/124222451/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |via=Newspapers.com}} By 1904, Trimble's real estate business was so successful that he was listed as one of the wealthiest men in Seattle.{{Cite news |date=1904-01-22 |title=Seattle's Monied Men |pages=2 |work=The Seattle Republican |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-republican-seattles-monied/124222611/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |via=Newspapers.com}}

In 1908, Trimble ran for Mayor of Seattle as a Republican.{{Cite web |last=DeCoster |first=Dotty |date=2011-10-17 |title=Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum (Gaches Mansion) |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/9875 |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=HistoryLink}} Throughout his campaign, he was viewed as a strong contender and was endorsed by The Seattle Republican.{{Cite news |date=1908-01-03 |title=Political Pot-Pie |pages=4 |work=The Seattle Republican |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-republican-political-pot-pie/124225909/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=1908-01-31 |title=How To Vote |pages=1 |work=The Seattle Republican |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-republican-how-to-vote/124225953/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |via=Newspapers.com}} He came second in the primary, losing the party's nomination to John F. Miller, who would go on to win the general election as well.{{Cite news |date=1908-02-05 |title=Miller Nominated by 1,891 Plurality |pages=10 |work=The Tacoma Daily Ledger |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tacoma-daily-ledger-miller-nominated/124225846/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |via=Newspapers.com}} An op-ed in The Seattle Republican later attributed Trimble's loss to being endorsed by The Seattle Times.{{Cite news |date=1908-04-24 |title=Political Pot-Pie |pages=1 |work=The Seattle Republican |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-republican-political-pot-pie/124226082/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |via=Newspapers.com}} Trimble later served as a presidential elector for the 1908 United States presidential election.{{Cite news |date=1909-01-13 |title=Trimble to Carry Vote to Taft |pages=7 |work=The Wenatchee Daily World |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-wenatchee-daily-world-trimble-to-car/124290917/ |access-date=2023-05-08}} The mayoral campaign was good for Trimble's reputation and for the next year he was regularly suggested as a candidate for the United States Senate.{{Cite news |date=1909-03-12 |title=Seattle News Items |pages=3 |work=The Leavenworth Echo |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-leavenworth-echo-seattle-news-items/124291266/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=1909-04-09 |title=William Pitt Trimble Must Be Considered |pages=1 |work=The Seattle Republican |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-republican-william-pitt-trim/124291331/ |access-date=2023-04-09 |via=Newspapers.com}}

In 1911, Trimble announced his candidacy for Governor of Washington, citing high taxes, infrastructure, and women's rights as key issues in his campaign.{{Cite news |date=1911-09-14 |title=King County Man Presented For Governor |pages=9 |work=The Sunnyside Sun |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-sun-news-king-county-man-presented/124291907/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}} Shortly after his announcement, The Idaho Republican alleged that he had enclosed money with his campaign announcements but requested newspapers not label the announcement advertising, and Trimble's name did not ultimately appear on the ballot.{{Cite news |date=1911-09-29 |title=Big Lumber Mill Merger Forming |pages=2 |work=The Idaho Republican |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-idaho-republican-big-lumber-mill-mer/124292031/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite web |title=Elections Search Results – September 1912 Primary |url=https://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/results_report.aspx?e=124&c=&c2=&t=&t2=&p=&p2=&y= |access-date=2023-05-08 |website=Washington Secretary of State}} Trimble remained somewhat active in politics, advocating for the construction of a transit system in Seattle, serving on the cities' charter commission, and arguing against changing the name of Mount Rainier.{{Cite news |last=Bolt |first=Fred L. |date=1914-02-14 |title=We'll Zip Along Some When We Get Our Subway |pages=1 |work=The Seattle Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-star-well-zip-along-some-wh/124294677/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=1914-03-05 |title=Gill's Majority Fixed at 14,329 |pages=12 |work=The Tacoma Daily Ledger |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tacoma-daily-ledger-gills-majority/133817140/ |access-date=2023-10-21 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=1917-05-12 |title=Seattle Man Glad Efforts to Change Mountain Name Failed |pages=8 |work=Tacoma Daily News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-tribune-seattle-man-glad-effort/124294729/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}}

In 1925, while serving as Seattle's planning commissioner, Trimble revived his transit advocacy, proposing a $4,000,000 investment in a city-wide transit system ({{Inflation|index=US|value=4000000|start_year=1911|fmt=eq|cursign=$}}).{{Cite news |date=1925-09-14 |title=Ownership of Street Car System Worries Seattle |pages=11 |work=The Berkshire Evening Eagle |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-berkshire-eagle-ownership-of-street/124295154/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}} His "Rapid Transit" plan was approved in August 1926, however, the project was plagued with financial issues.{{Cite news |date=1926-08-12 |title=Rapid Transit is Approved |pages=9 |work=The Seattle Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-star-rapid-transit-is-approv/124295274/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news |date=1927-09-17 |title=Inquiry Searching |pages=5 |work=The Bellingham Herald |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bellingham-herald-inquiry-searching/124295325/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}} Trimble lost a significant portion of his wealth in the Wall Street crash of 1929.

In 1911, Trimble, who already owned part of Blake Island in the Puget Sound, purchased the island's remaining land and became the sole owner, renaming the island as "Trimble Island."{{Cite news |date=1911-11-07 |title=Owns it all now |pages=3 |work=The Seattle Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-star-owns-it-all-now/124292162/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}} In 1917, he and his family moved to a newly constructed mansion there. They were the first family to move to the island, and Trimble acted as the island's postmaster and handled the bi-weekly delivery of supplies to the island. While living on the island, Trimble donated property to the Seattle branch of the Camp Fire Girls.{{Cite news |date=1920-05-31 |title=Blake Island Home |pages=2 |work=The Seattle Star |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-star-blake-island-home/124294838/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}}

The family moved back to Seattle in 1924 but continued to use their home on the island as a vacation residence. After his wife's death in 1929, Trimble never returned to Blake Island. In 1936, he traded the island to Ben Ehrlichman for ownership of the Medical Arts Building in Tacoma.{{Cite web |last=Tate |first=Cassandra |date=2006-08-06 |title=Ehrlichman, Ben Bernard (1895-1971) |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/7861 |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=HistoryLink}}

In 1948, several years after Trimble's death, the mansion on Blake Island burnt down in a fire. For sixty years, the perpetrators were unknown, and rumors circulated in the local area that the mansion had been burnt by the Navy as a pretext to construct a military base on the island. In 2008, a man came forward and admitted that he had accidentally burnt down the mansion after exploring the island with a friend in high school.{{Cite web |last=Broom |first=Jack |date=2008-07-28 |title=Kitsap man says he probably started fire at mansion 60 years ago |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/kitsap-man-says-he-probably-started-fire-at-mansion-60-years-ago/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=The Seattle Times}}{{Cite web |title=Trimble, William Pitt and Cassandra, House, Blake Island State Park, WA |url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/12541/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=Pacific Coast Architecture Database}}

Trimble married his wife, Cannie Webb Ford, in 1897.{{Cite news |date=1897-11-12 |title=Nuptial Knots |pages=4 |work=The Bourbon News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-bourbon-news-nuptial-knots/124221692/ |access-date=2023-05-07 |via=Newspapers.com}} He had five children. Upon marrying William, Cannie changed her name to Cannie Ford Trimble. She was a founding member of the Seattle Historical Society.{{Cite web |last=Stein |first=Alan J. |date=2002-01-30 |title=Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/3682 |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=HistoryLink}} Cannie was killed in an automobile accident on December 7, 1929, when the family car crashed into Elliott Bay.{{Cite web |last=McClary |first=Daryl C. |date=2003-08-10 |title=Cannie Trimble, wife of Seattle millionaire William Pitt Trimble, drowns on December 7, 1929. |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/4229 |access-date=2023-05-07 |website=HistoryLink}}

Trimble was an aviation enthusiast and president of a Seattle-area aviators club.{{Cite news |date=1909-01-08 |title=Washington Notes |pages=6 |work=The Kennewick Courier |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kennewick-courier-washington-notes/124290811/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |via=Newspapers.com}} In 1909, he became one of the first men in the Pacific Northwest to own an airship, saying "Within the next ten years airships will be as common as automobiles."{{Cite news |date=1909-03-27 |title=Airship for Big Exposition |pages=1 |work=The Silver State News |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-silver-state-airship-for-big-exposit/124291111/ |access-date=2023-05-08}}

Trimble died on March 19, 1943.{{Cite news |date=1943-03-19 |title=Death Claims W.P. Trimble |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-seattle-star-death-claims-wp-trimb/124295460/ |access-date=2023-05-08 |work=The Seattle Star |pages=16 |via=Newspapers.com}}

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Category:1865 births

Category:1943 deaths

Category:Businesspeople from Seattle

Category:Politicians from Seattle

Category:Lawyers from Seattle

Category:University of Cincinnati alumni

Category:University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni

Category:20th-century American businesspeople

Category:20th-century American lawyers

Category:20th-century American politicians

Category:Businesspeople from Kentucky