The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 146
A portrait of Fred E. Thompson appears in this publication.

FRED E. THOMPSON.

One of the important business enterprises of Yakima is the Thompson Fruit
Company, of which Fred E. Thompson is the president. Actuated in all that he
does by a progressive spirit, he is constantly reaching out along broadening
titles that result to the benefit and upbuilding of the community as well as to
the advancement of his individual success. Mr. Thompson is a western man by
birth, training and preference and in his life displays the enterprising spirit
which has been the dominant factor in the upbuilding of this section of the
country. He was born near Tacoma, Washington, on the 29th of May, 1863, a son of
L. F. and Susanna (Kincaide) Thompson. The father was born in Jamestown, New
York, while the mother was a native of Hannibal, Missouri, and they were married
in Steilacoom, Washington, in 1857, having become pioneers upon the Pacific
coast. The father made his way to California in the year 1849, attracted by the
gold discoveries on the Pacific coast. The mother was a daughter of William
Kincaide, who arrived in 1k'ashington with his family in 1853, when his daughter
was about fifteen years of age, having made the journey across the plains from
Hannibal, Missouri. In the year 1852 L. F. Thompson had removed from California
to Washington and became the owner of one of the first and probably the first
sawmill on the Puget Sound. This was destroyed during the Indian war of 1855.
Later he became the pioneer hop grower of the Sound country turning his
attention to that industry in 1863. when he planted five acres to hops. He
became a large hop grower and dealer and very successfully conducted his
business along that line. Later he turned his attention to real estate and
banking and became one of the prominent factors in financial circles in the
state. He was a member of the first legislature of Washington territory and was
the youngest representative in that body. Later he served as a member of the
state legislature at the first session after the admission of Washington to the
Union, at which time he was the oldest member. He was born in 1827 and passed
away in 1905, while his widow survived until 1916. He had always given his
political allegiance to the republican party and was a very prominent factor in
its ranks in the early days. In fact he left the impress of his individuality
upon the history of the state in connection with its development along many
lines.

Fred E. Thompson pursued his education on the coast and attended a business
college in San Francisco. Like his father, he became interested in the hop
business, taking up the work in the spring of 1884 and continuing therein until
1891. In November, 1888, he purchased farm property in the Yakima valley and in
1891 established his home in North Yakima. Becoming interested in the question
of fruit raising, he started an orchard and was one of the first commercial
orchardists of the Yakima valley. Mr. Bicknell having planted two acres to
peaches the previous year Mr. Thompson. however, planted ten acres to peaches
and apples and planted the first Elberta peach tree and the first D'Anjou pear
tree. He also set out the first Rome Beauty apple tree, all these being planted
in 1889. He has constantly enlarged his orchards since that time and when he
sold his original place in 1904 he had developed one hundred and ten acres in
fruit growing. In 1906 he organized the Thompson Fruit Company, which now owns
one hundred and sixty acres in fruit in the Parker bottoms. They are the largest
fruit growers in the northwest, having extensive orchards of peaches, pears and
prunes. Mr. Thompson is also interested in the Cascade Orchard Company, which
was organized in 1910 and has three hundred and twenty acres of land. He is
likewise connected with the Sunset Orchard Company, which was organized in 1912
and cultivates eighty acres planted to apples, pears and crabapples. He does an
extensive business in marketing fruit as well as in raising. He shipped the
first carload of fruit ever sent from the Yakima valley across the Mississippi
river, this being about 1893 or 1894. The company employs twenty-five men
throughout the entire year and two hundred and twenty-five people in the
harvest season. In 1917 they produced over one hundred and fifty-five carloads
of fruit or about two thousand tons. The work of Mr. Thompson has been of the
greatest possible benefit to this section of the state, showing what can be
accomplished through the utilization of the natural resources of the state when
scientific methods of orcharding are employed. He closely studies every phase of
the business, knows the nature of the soil, the needs of the trees and the best
methods of spraying and caring for the fruit in every possible way.

In 1893 Mr. Thompson was married to Miss Veola Kirkman, of San Francisco, and
they have one daughter, Hazel, who is a graduate of the Berkeley university and
is now assistant superintendent of schools in Yakima. Mr. Thompson belongs to
the Masonic Fraternity and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and he gives
his political allegiance to the republican party. His position of leadership as
a fruit grower of Yakima valley has made him widely known throughout this and
other sections of the state and his example has been followed by many to the
profit of the individual and the benefit of the commonwealth.

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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.