Lockley, Fred.  "History of the Columbia River Valley, From The Dalles to the
Sea." Vol. 3.  S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1928.  p. 608.

WALTER H. RAYMOND

To have won success does not entitle an individual to the warm regard of his
fellows. It is the qualities of friendliness, tact and kindliness which endear
the individual to his associates and with those traits of character Walter H.
Raymond was richly endowed. Fourteen years have passed since he was called to
his final rest but there are many who cherish his memory. Born in Battle Creek,
Michigan, February 9, 1864, he had not yet attained his majority when he came to
the Pacific coast, being at the time a youth of nineteen years. Seattle was his
first place of abode and there he lived for a time with Judge Burke, an honored
pioneer of the northwest. Later he came to Portland and it was here that he made
his initial step in the insurance business, in which he afterward engaged,
becoming secretary of the Northwest Fire & Marine Insurance Company, with which
corporation he continued for several years. He next went to Albany and became
secretary of the Merchants Fire & Marine Insurance Company. When that company
retired from business his services were sought in San Francisco and he became
the northwest representative of the Sun Insurance Company and the Guardian
Insurance Company of London, England, continuing as a representative of those
organizations for three or four years, when his conscientious work attracted the
attention of the New York management of the Niagara Insurance Company and he was
proffered the position of general agent for the northwest. This he accepted and
acted in that capacity until he resigned to become the general agent of the
Liverpool & London & Globe Insurance Company, of London, England, with which he
was identified for fifteen years ere his demise. He was one of the most popular
and best known members of the fire insurance fraternity of the northwest. His
nature was one entirely free from jealousy and he delighted in the success of
his fellows in the insurance field just as he did in his own advancement. At the
time of his demise he was president of the Pacific Northwest Field Menās
Association, an organization of insurance men, president of the Equitable Rating
Bureau, and president of the Insurance Club and chairman of its legislative
committee for English companies.

In 1889 Mr. Raymond was married to Miss Mamie F. McIlwain, of Albany, a daughter
of A. B. and Lydia A. (Roe) McIlwain. She survives him, making her home in
Portland, where they occupied an enviable position in social circles and where
Mrs. Raymond has many warm friends. Mr. Raymond was very prominent in Masonry,
holding membership in Portland Lodge No. 55, F. & A. M., in the various Scottish
Rite bodies and in Al Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He passed away July 18,
1914, and the funeral services were held in the Scottish Rite cathedral, many of
his fellow members of the order gathering to pay their last tribute of respect
and honor to him. His entire life exemplified the truth of the Emersonian
philosophy that "the way to win a friend is to be one" and there are many who
felt that their lives were enriched and happier because of their acquaintance
and association with Walter H. Raymond.


Submitted to the OR. Bios Project in September 2006 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Oregon Biographies Project. 
The submitter has no further information on the individual featured in the
biography.