The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 94
A portrait of H. C. Davis appears in this publication.

H. C. DAVIS.

H. C. Davis, of Yakima, is a man of well balanced activities and powers and his
intelligently directed efforts have brought him to a creditable and enviable
position in financial circles of his city, for he is now the president of the
Central Bank & Trust Company. He was born in Bellaire, Ohio, on the 21st of
August, 1872, a son of T. C. and Sarah J. Davis, who in 1884 removed with their
family to southeastern Kansas, where the father purchased land, but failure
overtook them there and a later removal was made to St. Clair county, Missouri,
where the family home was maintained for twelve and a half years, during which
period the father with the assistance of his sons engaged in farming. In 1902
the family came to the Yakima valley and the father again gave his attention to
general agricultural pursuits up to the time of his retirement from active
business life.

H. C. Davis acquired his education in the public schools of Kansas and Missouri
and upon the removal of the family to the northwest began working for wages. He
was ambitious, however, to engage in farming on his own account and as soon as
possible purchased some land. This he later traded and also at different times
bought land until he is today the owner of a very fine ranch near Granger,
Washington, which he has carefully developed and improved. He had thereon a fine
herd of pure blooded Holstein cattle but sold these in 1918. In 1913 he held a
sale of fifty-seven head of cattle, which brought the largest average price of
any such sale held in this section of the country, an average of four hundred
and sixty-two dollars per head. In fact the price was greater than had ever seen
paid for any herd of cattle of that size in the world at the time. Mr. Davis has
done much toward improving the grade of cattle raised in the Yakima valley and
has thus contributed materially to the prosperity of the section. In the east he
had largely devoted his time to stock feeding, and although he is no longer
engaged in stock raising, he still keeps his land.

At the present time Mr. Davis concentrates his efforts and attention upon the
banking business, having become president of the Central Bank & Trust Company,
which was organized on the 11th of June, 1910, taking ever the old Farmers &
Merchants Bank on the 8th of July of the same year. The latter had been
organized August 12, 1907, by Philip Armbruster, who became president, J. R.
Marshall vice-president, and C. E. Fraser, cashier, while other directors were
L. A. Dash, F. A. Morgan, Orvis McCullough and Lee C. Delle. The capital stock
was thirty thousand dollars, all paid in. The bank was located at the corner of
Second avenue and Yakima street and in 1910 a removal was made to the corner of
Fourth avenue and Yakima. In January, 1917, another removal was made, on which
occasion they returned to the old location at Second avenue and Yakima, buying
the building, which is a two-story structure one hundred and forty by fifty
feet. The bank is splendidly equipped with mahogany fixtures and with the latest
fireproof and burglar-proof vaults and safes and everything to protect the
interests of depositors and of the bank. In 1910. upon the reorganization of the
business under the name of the Central Bank & Trust Company, George C. Mitchell
became the president, Ernest Woodcock vice-president, E. A. Beekman temporary
secretary, with Charles H. Allen, S. Grant Smith, G. H. Grotewohl and William
Wiley as directors. R. S. Wickersham afterward became cashier and secretary but
not a director. On the 4th of October, 1915, following the resignation of Mr.
Mitchell, W. R. Philips was chosen to the presidency and on the 4th of October,
1915, A. B. Hood was elected cashier and W. F. Gitchell became assistant
cashier. On the same date G. C. Waller was elected treasurer.

Another change occurred in the presidency when Mr. Philips resigned and D. L.
Buren was chosen to fill the vacant position on the 20th of September, 1916, at
which date W. F. Gitchell was elected cashier. In January, 1916, H. C. Davis
became one of the directors of the bank and on the 1st of September, 1917, was
elected to the presidency. Mr. Woodcock has remained as vice-president and on
the 1st of September, 1917, E. S. Rowe, of Sandpoint, Idaho, was made cashier.
The present directors are W. E. Coumbe, E. B. Marks, Ernest Woodcock, H. C.
Davis and E. S. Rowe. The Central Bank & Trust Company was organized with a
fully paid-up capital of fifty thousand dollars. The bank's statement of July 7,
1910, showed its resources to be one hundred and twenty-eight thousand seven
hundred and forty-three dollars and eighty-nine cents, while the statement of
December 30, 1916, showed the resources to he two hundred and six thousand four
hundred and thirty-five dollars and that of December 24, 1918, indicates a
notable growth, for the resources at that date amounted to more than five
hundred and seven thousand dollars. To his duties as president Mr. Davis brought
keen discernment, sound business judgment and unfaltering energy and he is
proving his right to rank with the leading financiers of the city.

On the 12th of February, 1895, Mr. Davis was married to Miss Sarah J. Baxter,
who was born in Texas but was reared in Missouri, a daughter of Hale Baxter. The
children of this marriage are: Opal J., twenty-one years of age; Elmer B.,
eleven years of age; H. C., Jr.; and Roy, who has passed away.

Fraternally Mr. Davis is connected with the independent Order of Odd Fellows and
his prominence in the society is indicated in the fact that he has served for
four terms as noble grand. He is also an active member of the Benevolent
Protective Order of Elks. In politics he is a democrat where national issues and
questions are before the people but at local elections he casts an independent
ballot. He has been a candidate for the state legislature and the state senate
and although the district normally has a republican majority of over six
thousand, he ran within one hundred and sixteen votes of election-a fact
indicative of his personal popularity and the confidence reposed in him by his
fellow townsmen. He deserves much credit for what he has accomplished in a
business way, as his entire career has been actuated by a spirit of progress
that has benefited the community as well as promoted his individual interests.

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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.