The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 582
A portrait of Edward Pruyn appears in this publication.

EDWARD PRUYN.

Edward Pruyn, one of Washington's prominent attorneys, practicing in
Ellensburg, is still active in the profession, although he has now passed the
seventy-fourth milestone on life's journey. He was born in Rensselaer county,
New York, July 17, 1844, a son of Samuel F. and Mary S. (Sears) Pruyn, both of
whom were natives of the Empire state and were representatives of old colonial
families, tracing their ancestry in America back to the period of early
colonization in the new world. The father was a merchant and in 1856 left New
York and removed with his family to Brooklyn, Iowa, where he devoted his life to
commercial pursuits, both he and his wife passing away in that state.

Liberal educational opportunities were accorded Edward Pruyn. He has a degree
from the Iowa College with the class of 1867 and is also an alumnus of the law
department of the State University of the class of 1867. He was admitted to the
bar on the 17th of December of 1867 and entered upon the active practice of his
profession in Iowa, where he remained until 1873. He then came to the west and
spent the succeeding five years in California, Idaho and Washington. In 1878 he
located in the city of Yakima, where he opened a law office and continued in
successful practice there until 1882. In 1886 he came to Ellensburg, where he
has since been an able and prominent representative of the bar. The importance
and extent of his practice is indicated in the fact that he has tried twenty-six
murder cases and many thousand criminal and civil cases. He has practiced over
fifty years and has ever been a close and discriminating student of legal
principles. His preparation of cases is ever thorough and exhaustive and his
ability to present his cause with clearness and cogency has been one of the
strong elements in his success. He has served in former years as city attorney
and for the past two years has been United States commissioner.

In 1882 Mr. Pruyn was united in marriage to Miss Nellie Brooks, who was born in
Auburn, New York, a daughter of Winthrop Chandler and Ellen (White) Brooks. Mrs.
Pruyn passed away in 1913. Mr. Pruyn is a republican in his political views,
having supported the party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise.
He proudly wears the little bronze button that proclaims him a member of the
Grand Army of the Republic, for at the time of the Civil War he enlisted in
Company K, One Hundred and Thirty-ninth Illinois Infantry, with which he served
until the close of hostilities as second sergeant. In matters of citizenship he
has always been as true and loyal to his country in days of peace as when he
followed the nation's starry banner on the battlefields of the south. Although
now in his seventy-fifth year, Mr. Pruyn is still hale and hearty, possessing
all of his faculties and being as active as most men of fifty. He is still
engaged in practice, being probably the oldest active attorney in the state, and
he is also engaged in developing some mining property here.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.