An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The
Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893

CLARENCE HANFORD, one of the firm of Lowman & Hanford, stationers and printers,
of Seattle, was born in Seattle, May 13, 1857, being the youngest son of Edward
and Abbie J. (Holgate) Hanford, of Ohio, but pioneers of Washington Territory,
whither they came in 1854. The subject of this sketch was educated in the public
schools and Territorial University of Seattle, and at the age of thirteen years
engaged in that line of work which he has so successfully followed through life.
In 1870 he began learning the printers' trade in the office of one of the
pioneer papers, the Seattle Intelligencer, printed upon the old Ramage press,
the pioneer printing press of the Northwest. Young Hanford worked in the office
before and after school and on Saturdays, and he rolled the forms, printed the
papers, and then took them about the town. From 1872 he gave his entire time to
the business and then learned the practical work of type-setting and other
details of the "art preservative," and subsequently became foreman of the
establishment. In 1875 he went to San Francisco and attended the Washington
Business College and also followed his trade up to December, 1876, when he
returned to Seattle as foreman of the printing department of the Intelligencer.
After about six months he bought out the job-printing department, which he
thereafter conducted and thus established the nucleus of his present extensive
business. During its incipiency the work of the office was performed with
footpower presses and with two assistants. In 1879 J.H. McClair purchased an
interest, and in 1880 Mr. Hanford made a prospecting tour of the Skagit river
and British Columbia mines, returning to Seattle in 1881, when he resumed the
printing business, bought his partners' interest, and continued alone until
1883, when he consolidated the printing business with the stationery business of
J.D. Lowman and incorporated the Lowman & Hanford Stationery and Printing
Company. With the increase of business large presses were added and they did the
printing for all the papers of the city. This was continued up to the time of
the great fire of June, 1889, when the entire establishment was destroyed.
Before the ruins had ceased to smolder plans were made for rebuilding, and just
two months later a two-story building was erected. Machinery was in place,
operations actively instituted, and have since been steadily continued, With the
demand for lithographic work in 1891 the company added a plant for that purpose
and are now sending goods throughout the Northwest. The increase of business and
the necessity of greater facilities resulted, in 1892, in the conversion of the
two-story building into one of four stories, and by building over and around the
original structure the new building was constructed from the foundation without
interfering with the activities of the business. The present establishment is
unmistakably the most complete of all north of San Francisco, and about 100
hands are kept steadily employed in the retail, wholesale and manufacturing
departments. Mr. Hanford has devoted his entire time to the manufacturing, while
Mr. Lowman supervised the salesrooms up to 1886, and when other matters demanded
his attention J.N. Jackson was placed in charge of that department. Mr. Hanford
was married in Seattle, in 1882 to Miss Eleanor Neff, of San Francisco. Two
children have blessed this union: Amie Lois and Lauron. Mr. Hanford was a
charter member of Harmonic Lodge, K. of P. In addition to his other
representative interests he owns valuable improved and unimproved property in
and about the city of Seattle.

Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in January 2004 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies
Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the
individual featured in the biographies.