The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 93 LEONARD TALBOTT. Leonard Talbott, who for four years served as postmaster of Toppenish, was born in Bement, Illinois, March 6, 1867, a son of Jefferson M. and Amanda Talbott, both of whom passed away in Illinois, where the father had devoted his life to the occupation of farming. Leonard Talbott acquired a public school education in his native state and afterward became a telegraph operator, devoting twenty-five years of his life to service of that kind. In 1892 he removed to the northwest, making his way first to Montana, where he was agent for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company for three years at Billings and seven years at Red Lodge. In 1905 he came to Toppenish, Washington, and was appointed railway agent for the Northern Pacific Company at this place. He continued in that position until 1908, when he entered the furniture business on his own account, conducting his store for six years. He sold out, however, in 1914 and was appointed postmaster, in which capacity he served until his death September 20, 1918. In 1892 Mr. Talbott was married to Miss Sadie F. Fox, of Mazeppa, Minnesota, and to them was born a son, Robert F., whose birth occurred in Montana in 1896 and who is a graduate of the Toppenish high school, having completed the course in the first class to graduate there from a class of but two members. He is now serving with the One Hundred and Sixty-first Infantry of the United States army and is in active duty in France. Mr. Talbott belonged to Toppenish Lodge, No. 178, A. F. & A. M., of which he was a past master at the time of his death, and he was regarded as a most loyal adherent to the tenets and purposes of the craft. He also belonged to the Knights of Pythias lodge, of which he was a past chancellor. In the Toppenish Commercial Club he was an active and earnest member and served as its president in 1910 and 1911. His political allegiance was given to the democratic party and he was an earnest worker in its ranks. He served as the first mayor of Toppenish in 1907 and was reelected to that position in 1909. His administration was of a practical and businesslike character and greatly promoted the interests of the town. When he came to Toppenish there were only a few houses in the place and its population was very small, but through the intervening years it had grown rapidly and Mr. Talbott was closely associated with its development and progress in many ways, at all times proving himself a loyal and public-spirited citizen. ******************************** Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.