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

GEORGE H. FORTSON, City Attorney of Seattle, was born in Elberton, Georgia,
October 19, 1860. His parents, George G. and Louisa S. (Wall) Fortson, were
natives of the same State, their ancestors having settled in the State prior to
the war of the Revolution. George G. Fortson was a planter by occupation upon an
extensive scale, owning and operating about 2,500 acres of land. The subject of
this sketch was reared upon the farm and educated in the schools of the
locality. He followed agricultural pursuits up to January, 1882, when he
completed his law studies at Washington, Georgia, under the preceptorship of
Hon. William M. Reese, ex-Superior Judge and one of the most prominent attorneys
of the State. In September following Mr. Fortson was admitted to the bar, before
the superior court of Georgia. He entered at once into practice and formed the
co-partnership of Colley & Fortson, which continued about two years. In
November, 1885, he went to Palatka, Florida, and engaged in practice, and also
invested in fruit lands, but during the winter following, the orange trees were
nearly destroyed by frost, and the loss of fruit was followed by a year of
terrible depression, which brought financial disaster upon Mr. Fortson and he
left the country in the fall of 1886 with barely enough money to reach the
Pacific coast. Landing at Olympia, he then visited Tacoma and Seattle,
financially stranded and without a friend in the Territory. It was not a
question of practicing law with him then, but one of sustaining life, and he
accepted the first job which offered, which was as a common laborer in the Port
Blakely sawmill. After about three months he returned to Seattle and secured
employment at clerical work in an abstract office, and was thus employed until
January, 1889, when he entered the United States Land Office, where he remained
until the time of the disastrous fire of June, 1889. He then decided to take his
chances with the other lawyers, all being without libraries, and he once more
engaged in the practice of his profession, he opened an office and, shortly
after, the firm of Crocket, Brown & Fortson was formed and continued about one
year. In the summer of 1891 the copartnership of Fortson & McElroy was formed,
and, they conducted a profitable business up to June, 1892, when it was
dissolved and Mr. Fortson entered upon the discharge of the duties of City
Attorney. He is a member of the Seattle Bar Association, the K. of P. and of
Company B, First Regiment National Guard of Washington, which last he joined in
1889, and in which by successive promotion he has attained to the rank of Second
Lieutenant. By honesty, integrity, perseverance and studious habits, Mr. Fortson
has steadily ascended the scale of success until he has made for himself a
position and a name among the professional men of 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.