The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 5
A portrait of W.L. Steinweg appears in this publication.

W. L. STEINWEG.

Honored and respected by all, there is no man who occupies a more enviable
position in the financial and business circles of Yakima than W. L. Steinweg,
the president of the First National Bank of North Yakima. This is due not alone
to the success which he has achieved but also to the straightforward business
policy which he has ever followed and to his active and resultant efforts to
cooperate in the upbuilding of the community in which he has made his home. He
was born in Baltimore, Maryland, September 30, 1852, and is a son of Charles and
Henrietta Steinweg, who, leaving the Atlantic coast in 1855 made their way to
San Francisco, California. The father was a wagon maker and wheelwright by trade
and he and his wife continued to make their home at the Golden Gate until they
were called to their final rest.

W. L. Steinweg was but three years of age at the time of the removal of his
parents to San Francisco and his education was acquired in its public schools.
He afterward removed to Bellingham Bay, Washington, and occupied the position of
secretary to the superintendent of the mines of the Bellingham Bay Coal Company.
Later he had charge of the property of that corporation for a number of years
after the mines were abandoned. He came to Yakima in 1886 to accept the position
of cashier of the bank with which he is now identified and through the
intervening period, covering more than three decades, he has been a most
prominent factor in the successful management and conduct of what is today
recognized as one of the strongest financial institutions of this section of the
state. It was organized as the First National Bank of Yakima in the old town of
Yakima, and upon the founding of North Yakima in 1885 was reorganized as the
First National Bank of North Yakima and removed to the new town. It was
originally founded as a private bank by Judge Whitson. In 1886 the officers
were: J. R. Lewis, president, who was at one time circuit judge and is now
deceased; and A. W. Engle, cashier. The latter was formerly of Seattle and later
of Ellensburg and ultimately of Yakima, Washington, and was the first state bank
examiner. He now resides in Seattle. The vice-president of the institution was
Edward Whitson and the directors, in addition to the officers, were Charles and
J. H. Carpenter, who were pioneer settlers and have now passed away. In the year
1886 W. L. Steinweg became cashier and thus entered into active relations with
the management and control of the bank. Following the retirement of the first
president, Edward Whitson served as chief executive officer of the institution
and was succeeded by W. M. Ladd, while on the 14th of January, 1908, Mr.
Steinweg was elected to the presidency and on the 10th of July, 1912, C. R.
Donovan became cashier as the successor to A. B. Cline. The old building
occupied by the bank was removed to the corner of Second and East Yakima streets
and in 1888 the present brick building was erected. It was fifty by one hundred
feet and since that time a room has been added, making the bank fifty by one
hundred and twenty-five feet and two stories in height. The upper floor is used
for offices. The bank is today capitalized for one hundred thousand dollars and
has surplus and undivided profits of almost one hundred and eighty-two thousand
dollars, while its deposits have reached three and a quarter million dollars.
The bank is a member of the Federal Reserve system and is the oldest and largest
bank in central Washington. The policy which has been maintained is one which
has ever borne the closest investigation and scrutiny. The officers have
recognized the fact that the bank is most worthy of patronage that most
carefully safeguards the interests of depositors and its course has at all times
been above suspicion. Moreover, it has done much through judicious loans to
advance business enterprise and prosperity in this section of the state and
results achieved have been most satisfactory. Thirty two years' connection with
the bank makes the institution a monument to the enterprise and ability of W.
L. Steinweg.

In the year 1876 Mr. Steinweg was united in marriage to Miss Susanna Engle, of
New Jersey, who passed away in 1895. Eleven years later, or in 1906, he married
Ida H. Sharkey, of North Yakima. The children of the first marriage were William
Engle and George Woolman, both of whom have passed away.

Fraternally Mr. Steinweg is connected with Masonry, belonging to Yakima Lodge,
No. 22, A. F. & A. M., and to the Rose Croix. In politics he is a republican,
while his religious faith is that of the Christian Science church. He is a man
of progressive citizenship and the place which he occupies as a factor in the
upbuilding and development of Yakima can scarcely he overestimated.

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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.