Prosser, Col. William Farrand.  "A History of the Puget Sound Country, Its
Resources, Its Commerce and its People."  Vol. 2.  New York and Chicago: Lewis
Publishing Co., 1903.  pp. 291-292.

THE LEWIS COUNTY ADVOCATE.

	This representative paper of Chehalis was founded in 1892 by a stock company
of farmers and was run for some years in the interests of the Farmers' Alliance.
It was during this time a four-page, seven-column folio, and various editors and
managers had control of it.  In February, 1897, the present owner, I. P.
Callison, purchased the plant, put in new machinery, and enlarged it to an
eight-column folio.  It is now the organ of the Democratic party in Lewis
county, and Mr. Callison has been one of the live members of that party
throughout his political career.  The Advocate has a large subscription and
advertising list, and does much job work.  Mr. Callison has made the journal a
paying enterprise, which is an excellent tribute to his management and general
business ability, for newspapers do not always tread the smooth and prosperous
way.  In May, 1898, he published ten thousand copies of a special sixteen-page
number which set forth in pleasing form the resources and business, and other
statistics of Lewis county; this edition was not only a credit to the Advocate,
but was of great value to the whole county as showing the status of affairs and
the progress made along all lines.
	Mr. Callison comes of Welsh and English ancestry, who were early set- tlers
in Virginia.  Grandfather James Callison was a native of that state and spent
his life in farming in West Virginia.  The grandfather on the maternal side,
Rev.  Alderson, was a Baptist preacher and was said to have been the first
minister to cross the Alleghany mountains.  The father of Mr. Callison was born
in West Virginia and married a native of the state, Virginia Jones.  They were
members of the Baptist church, and resided many years on the old homestead in
Nicholas county, West Virginia, where the wife still lives, but the father
passed away in August, 1902, at the age of sixty-two years.  He was a prominent
citizen and had been elected on the Democratic ticket to a seat in the state
legislature.  Twelve of their fourteen children are now living, but only two arc
in Washington, the other being R. W. Callison of Seattle.
	I. P. Callison was born in West Virginia, December 9, 1870, and remained
there until he was of age.  He was taught to be dependent on his own efforts to
a large degree, and during this period he attended school whenever he could and
worked at whatever came to his hand.  In 1891 he came to the Pacific coast, and
after teaching for a year entered the Willamette University at Salem, Oregon,
from which he was graduated in 1897.  It was then that he began his career of
journalism by purchasing the Advocate.  He enjoys this profession and has shown
much ability as a writer and business man full of enterprise and push.  He was
appointed state librarian by Governor Rogers, and filled the position very
acceptably during his administration, after which he returned to Chehalis.
	Mr. Callison was married in December, 1897, to Miss Olive Sheldon, a native
of Connecticut and a daughter of A. D. Sheldon, of Olympia, Washington.  The two
sons of the household have received the names of Henry Sheldon and Richard
Clarence.  Mr. Callison belongs to the Woodmen of the World and the Ancient
Order of United Workmen, but all his attention and enthusiastic efforts are
directed to his newspaper.  


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Submitted to the Washington Biographies Project in June 2009 by Jenny Tenlen.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.