An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The
Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL. 1893

EDWARD HUGGINS. - Of the pioneers of Washington, the subject of this notice
ranks among the earliest corners of those living, at this writing. He was for
many years associated in an official capacity with what was perhaps the greatest
factor in shaping the affairs of the entire Northwestern region throughout its
early days, and for this and kindred reasons it is altogether probable his name
will ever live in the history of the Pacific coast. A brief outline sketch of
his career, giving some of the salient features, as well as treating of his
origin, becomes therefore a valuable and indeed essential feature of this volume
of Washington history. Mr. Huggins was born in London, England, June 10, 1832,
his parents being Edward, Sr., and Ellen (Chipp) Huggins. His boyhood days were
spent in his native city, and there also his education was received. Upon its
completion, his attention having been drawn to the operations of the Hudson's
Bay Company, and its initial efforts to settle the island of Vancouver, to
accomplish which the Company was pledged. In consideration of concessions, he
purchased a small tract of hand on the island, and was, in fact, the first
purchaser of these lands. From promises made to him, he also felt confident of
employment by the company in case of settlement, and in 1849 he left his home
for the American continent. It was his intention at that time to settle on
Vancouver island. In England, many servants had also been engaged to come over
and settle there. They were required to pay for their lands partly from the
wages they were to receive from the company, at a rate which seemed sufficiently
remunerative in their native land, but when  they had reached their destination,
the gold fever, which was attracting so many to California, was on, and a great
many of them deserted from the colony. On arriving at Port Victoria, Mr. Huggins
was engaged by Governor Douglas, afterward Sir James Douglas, who sent him over
to Fort Nisqually, located about six miles from Steilacoom, in charge of several
of the servants above mentioned. This was in March, 1850. The Hudson's Bay
Company had established a post there in 1833, and at the time Mr. Huggins
arrived there this had grown to large proportions and to corresponding
importance, and for purposes of defense there was a strong stockade and an
abundance of arms. Dr. William Fraser Tolmie, who had gone out from England in
1833 as a physician in the employ of the company, was at this time at Fort
Nisqual1y, and under him Mr. Huggins was chief clerk, in which capacity he
became intimately acquainted with all the details and minutiae of the company's
affairs. With the Indians of the various tribes inhabiting this region, as well
as with the early white settlers, who had begun to gradually, if slowly, to
settle up the country, or portions of it, he was on terms of intimacy. After the
subject of this sketch had passed ten years at Nisqually as chief clerk, Dr.
Tolmie was appointed to succeed Governor Douglas as one of the Board of Managers
in charge of Victoria, and Mr. Huggins succeeded him in charge of Fort
Nisqually, in which capacity he continued until 1870, when the rights of the
Puget Sound Agricultural Company -- an offshoot of and kindred corporation to
the Hudson's Bay Company -- claimed under the treaty of 1846, were surrendered
to the United States Government; and it was Mr. Huggins who transferred the
property for a large pecuniary consideration. Upon the surrender of the
interests of the company at Fort Nisqually, Mr. Huggins was ordered to Fort
Kamloops to take charge of the post there. While this point is now on the line
of the Canadian Pacific Railroad and in a civilized region, it was then in the
midst of a wilderness, so that Mr. Hugginis did not feel justified in taking his
wife and children to such surroundings to begin again primitive pioneer life.
Accordingly, he resigned his position with the company, and having become an
American citizen as long ago as 1857, when the property of the company was
turned over to the United States Government, he entered a part of the fort as a
pre-emption claim, which claim was sustained in the subsequent proceedings. For
a number of years he carried on the fur business which had been conducted by the
company, and for some time was quite successful, but the settling up of the
country brought in many traders, and the competition between them brought the
business eventually to an unprofitable state, so that he finally withdrew from
it. He also kept up the company's store for some time on his own account, but
gave it up when it ceased to be profitable. Subsequently he added to his
original landed possessions at Fort Nisqually, until he now owns about 1,000
acres, 120 acres of which is first-class agricultural land, the remainder being
adapted to grazing purposes. Through this land, the route selected for the
projected lines of the Great Northern and Pacific railroads extends for a
distance of one mile. The Great Northern (Olympia and Gray's Harbor) is already
operated contiguous to the property. He continued to reside on his place at the
old fort, and in 1876 was elected a member of the Board of Commissioners of
Pierce county. He was re-elected in 1878, and during the second term of two
years was chosen and served as chairman of the board. He was acting in this
capacity when the county seat was changed from Steilacoom to Tacoma. In 1884,
after an intermission of two years, he was again chosen, however, against his
protest, as a member of the County Board of Commissioners, and again served as
chairman of that board. He was elected Auditor of Pierce county in 1886, to
which office he was re-elected in 1888, serving four years in all, and during
the entire continuance of the historic boom which accompanied the phenomenal
building up of Tacoma. Although it was offered, he refused to consider a
renomination for the position. In January, 1892, he became associated with the
National Bank of Commerce of Tacoma, and was elected a director. He was later
chosen vice-president of the bank, a position he now holds. Mr. Huggins was
married at Fort Nisqually, in September, 1857, to Miss Letitia Work, a daughter
of John and Suzette (La Gase) Work. Mrs. Huggins' father came out while a young
man, to fill a position of authority for the Hudson's Bay Company, and, in
charge of a party, made many traveling expeditions into the interior, and it was
on one of these occasions that his daughter, now Mrs. Huggins, was born. He was
for many years in charge of Fort Simpson, an important post, 350 miles northeast
of Victoria, and, later, he was appointed a member of the Board of Managers,
with Sir James Douglas, of the Company's affairs for the western department at
Victoria. He acquired, among other properties, about 1,000 acres of land within
the present limits of the city of Victoria, and on this tract, which he had
highly improved, he continued to live after his retirement from the Company's
management, until his death, in 1862, at the age of seventy-five years. His
widow still resides there, aged eighty-five years, in 1893. The eldest son of
Mr. and Mrs. Huggins, who was named William, in honor of Dr. Tolmie, became a
civil engineer, during the building of the Northern Pacific Railroad, on which
he was employed during its construction. He has for nine years been living in
South America, pursuing his profession, and has completed two very extensive
contracts in Brazil, where he now is. Edward, the second child, is deceased; and
the other children are: John, Thomas, David, Ellen Suzette (also deceased),
Henry and Joseph. In Mr. Huggins' distinctive character shine two qualities of
the successful, and therefore typical, pioneer, namely, practicalness and
firmness. One of the most marked features of the early history of this region
was the ill feeling characterizing a great part of the relations, as well as the
absence of relations, between the American pioneers and the representatives of
the Hudson's Bay Company. >From the resulting ill will, however, Mr. Huggins was
singularly exempt, though he was so long identified with the company in a
position of authority. This part was due to his sense of justice and adherence
to honorable practices in the conduct of his business affairs. No better proof
of the propriety of his bearing throughout all these years could have been
afforded than by his repeated elections to positions of honor and trust under
the new dispensation in the very locality in which had been the scenes of his
labor under the old. His standing here, now, in view of his past record in the
community in pioneer days, is impregnable in all respects. More need not be
said: less could not be in justice to the truth of history.

Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in January 2004 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.