The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 629

RICHARD CONNELL, M. D.

Dr. Richard Connell, a prominent member of the medical profession in Yakima who
since December, 1915, has been county physician, is also a member of the local
exemption board and its examining physician. His life record began in Allegheny,
New York, where he was born April 5, 1856, a son of Martin and Johanna Connell.
The father was a railroad employee who on leaving the east removed to Nebraska,
his son, Dr. Connell, being at that time a youth of eleven years. Martin Connell
passed away in Colorado and the mother is also deceased.

Dr. Connell acquired a public school education in Nebraska and in young manhood
took up the study of telegraphy and became an operator at the age of seventeen
years. In this way he earned the money whereby he provided for his medical
education, which was acquired in the Kentucky School of Medicine, from which he
was graduated in 1889. He then went to Fresno, California, and in 1890 arrived
in Washington, establishing his home at Tenino, where he remained for six
months. He next removed to Bellingham, Washington, where he continued for nine
months, after which he came to Yakima but at that time remained for only a brief
period. Later he was in Spokane county and from there went to Odessa,
Washington, in 1900, remaining there until 1907 when he returned to Yakima,
where he opened an office and continued his practice. His ability has brought
him public recognition in a growing patronage and he keeps in touch with the
advanced thought of the profession. He is a member of the county and state
medical societies and he is giving excellent service to the public as county
physician, which office he has filled for about three years. He is also a member
of and examining physician for the local exemption board.

In 1877 Dr. Connell was united in marriage to Miss Lulu Melton, of Oakland,
California, and after her death he was married in 1882 to Miss Mary E. Israel,
of Iowa. She, too, passed away and in 1897 Dr. Connell wedded Miss Nina Hall, of
Yakima. He had two children of the second marriage: Fred, now residing in
Seattle; and Hazel, the wife of H. M. Chase, also of Seattle. Dr. and Mrs.
Connell are rearing an adopted son, Henry, who is eighteen years of age.

Dr. Connell belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows but has little time
for interests and activities outside his profession, for his duties in that
connection are continually making greater and greater demand upon his energies.
He discharges his duties with a marked sense of conscientious obligation and he
is keenly interested in everything that tends to promote the efficiency of the
medical profession.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.