* A portrait of Mr. Davidson appears between pages 384 and 385.
HORATIO F. DAVIDSON stands at the head of the Davidson Fruit Company, one of the important enterprises of the Hood River country. He is president and manager of the same and owing to his genius and energy it is making an unbounded success. He is one of the most successful young business men of the county and has demonstrated his ability in many ways. The company handles fruit, owns sixty acres of fruit producing grounds, twenty-five of which are devoted to strawberries and the balance to apples, peaches, and so forth. The company does a general manufacturing business in fruit lines, making vinegar, jams, jellies, and so forth, besides canning much fruit for export. They manufacture and sell to the trade, fruit boxes of all kinds, besides handling all kinds of farm implements in the line of Studebaker wagons, Parin plows, cultivators, and in fact all articles needed in the fruit culture business. In addition to this, Mr. Davidson has made a special study of the chemistry of the soil in this part of the country and ascertaining the salts lacking, has supplied a complete line of fertilizers to make up the various deficiencies. In all these lines mentioned, he has shown a spirit of progression which has done more good than can be told in upbuilding and improving the country and bettering the conditions to make fruit raising remunerative.
Horatio F. Davidson was born in Ohio, on July 20, 1868, the son of Charles and Elizabeth (Rice) Davidson, natives of Knox county, Ohio. The mother died at Canton, Illinois, in 1900. The father followed carriage painting for many years and is now secretary of the Davidson Fruit Company. He comes from an old American family of Scotch extraction. The first thirteen years of our subject's life were spent in Ohio and then he went with the balance of the family to Canton, Illinois. After completing the high school course, he entered the employ of the Parlin & Orendorff Plow Company. For three years he wrought and it is of interest that Mr. Davidson is now selling the same brand of plows that he used to paint and handle at that time in the shop. After leaving this company he came west and spent two years in traveling about. In the spring of 1891, he selected Hood River as a proper location and settled down, and gave his attention to carpentering. Three years later he assisted to organize the fruit growers' union and was installed secretary and manager. It is interesting to note the increase in values, that at that time he purchased forty acres of land for thirty dollars per acre, which was sold the other day for three hundred dollars per acre.
Mr. Davidson was one of the prime movers in the formation of the Valley Improvement Company, which does irrigation, and has been responsible for much of the increase of values in this country. He has bought and sold much land in the vicinity of Hood River and has always been active in the establishment of proper values.
At Canton, Illinois, on September 14, 1893, Mr. Davidson married Miss Mary Brewin, who was born near Canton. Her father, William Brewin, was a native of England and died when she was small. Her mother, Julia (Winegar) Brewin, was a native of Virginia and lives with her daughter. To Mr. and Mrs. Davidson three children have been born, Helen, Harry, and Merrill, the last two having died in infancy. Mr. Davidson is a member of the A.F. & A.M., of the R.A.M., of the O.E.S., and of the A.O.U.W. He has passed the chairs of these orders and his wife is past matron of the O.S. Mrs. Davidson has one brother, William and the following named sisters, Jennie Miner, Emily Sosey, and Minnie King. Politically, Mr. Davidson is independent and reserves for his own decision the questions of the day. He has frequently been a member of the city council.
In August, 1904, the cannery and warehouse were consumed by fire. Owing to subject's many and varied interests, in business lines, he will probably not rebuild. He is erecting a cold storage plant and will continue the manufacture of fruit boxes and the handling of fresh fruits. Mr. Davidson is president of the Hood River Electric Light Company and the Hood River Water Company, which he recently reorganized, being a heavy stockholder in these enterprises.
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.