Hunt, Herbert and Floyd C. Kaylor.  Washington: West of the Cascades.  Vol. II.
Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1917.  p. 113-114.

GUS LAFAYETTE THACKER:  Gus Lafayette Thacker is one of the leading attorneys
practicing at the bar of Lewis county with offices in the Coffman-Dobson
building at Chehalis.  He was born in Springfield, Missouri, October 17, 1883,
and is the oldest in a family of five children, his parents being James G. and
S. A. (Hodge) Thacker, both natives of Tennessee.  Believing in the advantages
of the far west the father brought his family to Washington in 1886 and located
at Winlock, Lewis county.  He is now living on a farm near Centralia, having
made agricultural pursuits his life work.
	During his boyhood Gus L. Thacker attended the country schools of Lewis
county and later completed is [sic] education at the State University in
Seattle.  On the 1st of June, 1906, he was admitted to the bar and at once
entered upon practice with M. A. Langhorne, how of Tacoma.  During the eleven
years that have since passed Mr. Thacker has always maintained  his office in
the Coffman-Dobson building where he is now located.  Although a comparatively
young man he has already attained a position of prominence in his chosen
profession and from 1906 to 1908 served as assistant prosecuting attorney of
Lewis county.
	Mr. Thacker was  married in Toledo, Oregon, in 1907, to Miss Minnie
Pearsall, of Chehalis, Washington, a daughter of J. A. and Emma (Russell)
Pearsall, both of whom are now deceased.  Her maternal grandfather built the
first sawmill in Chehalis.  Mr. and Mrs. Thacker have a little son eight years
of age, Loren, now in school.
	Since attaining his majority, Mr. Thacker has always affiliated with the
republican party and is chairman of the Lewis county republican central
committee.  In religious faith he is a Presbyterian.  He is quite prominent in
fraternal organizations, belonging to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks,
the Knights of Pythias, the Woodmen of the World, the Ancient Order of United
Workmen, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Loyal Order of Moose, and the
Fraternal Order of Eagles and he is also a member of the Commercial Club of
Chehalis.  Being a musician of ability, he organized the Military Band on the
4th of July, 1913, and has since served as its director and manager.  It has
become one of the most noted bands of this part of the state, now having a
membership of thirty-two, and it is called upon to take part in all popular
entertainments and is also used for advertising purposes in Chehalis. For over
thirty years Mr. Thacker has been a resident of Lewis county and he can well
remember when the present site of Chehalis was covered with brush and stumps.
He has taken a great interest in the development of the city, is delighted with
the climate of this region and has firm faith in the future greatness of western
Washington.


Submitted by: Jenny Tenlen

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Lewis Co., WA GenWeb Project.
Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the individual
featured in the biographies.