Vedder, O. F. and Lyman, H. S. "History of Seattle, Washington - With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers." Frederic James Grant, Ed. New York: American Publishing and Engraving Co., 1891. p. 511.
CHARLES T. CONOVER
is rather a youthful godfather, but he had the honor of officiating in that capacity for the State of Washington. He is the vice-president and treasurer of Crawford & Conover, real estate and financial brokers, and among other things handles the company's extensive advertising. Crawford & Conover have well earned the gratitude of the people of Seattle and the state at large, by their liberal and well directed efforts in advertising the advantages of the Pacific Northwest and its chief city, as a place for investment and settlement. Shortly after Washington was admitted to statehood, they published a large edition of an attractive work descriptive of the country. In casting around for an attractive title, Mr. Conover decided to make an effort to give the state a sobriquet and labeled the work " Washington, the Evergreen State." After the book was published, the sobriquet was accepted unanimously by press and people as the most fitting one possible, and even Governor Ferry and United States Senator Squire wrote pleasant letters predicting that it would be generally and permanently adopted. After a year's time it has become almost as firmly fixed as have the "Buckeye State," the "Keystone State " and other familiar appellations of sister commonwealths.
Mr. Conover is a newspaper man by training and was born in New York twenty-eight years ago. Left without parents but with a comfortable fortune when he was very young, he was able to follow his own inclinations and early in life decided to become a newspaper man. After finishing his education he became a reporter on the Troy (N.Y.) Times, and was afterwards connected with various New York State papers in an editorial position and as publisher. In 1884 he came west and spent the two following years in British Columbia, where he was engaged in the lumber business and in real estate ventures. His operations there resulted disastrously and he lost the most of his means. He then accepted a position on the Tacoma Ledger, which he resigned later to take the city editorship of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. In the fall of 1888 he and Mr. S. L. Crawford, an associate on the same paper, resigned their positions and engaged in the business in which they still continue. The combination proved an excellent one, and now the name of Crawford & Conover is known from Seattle to Florida, and from Montreal to San Francisco. Their business has reached an immense magnitude, and no firm has a higher standing in their line in the Northwest. Early in the present year Crawford & Conover incorporated under the state laws with a paid-up capital of $500,000.
Mr. Conover is an excellent representative of the class of energetic and keen-sighted young business men who have been so prominently identified with the growth of Seattle in the past few years. He is considered a master of the art of advertising and is quiet in his tastes and habits. He is possessed of ample means and is largely interested in Seattle's material prosperity, and has property interests in numerous other points in the Northwest. He is a director of the First National bank of Seattle, a director and secretary of both the Seattle Instantaneous Fire Alarm company and the Washington Gamewell Auxiliary Fire Alarm company, a director in the King County Investment Company Number Two, the National Investment company, the Waterville Improvement company, and is interested in numerous other enterprises. He was the prime mover in organizing the Seattle Humane Society.
Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in March 2007 by Diana Smith. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the individual featured in the biographies.