The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 559 WILLIAM VERRAN. William Verran, editor and owner of the Wapato Independent, was born in Merrimac, Michigan, on the 15th of August, 1867, a son of John and Marjorie (Trevena) Verran. The father died in the year 1917 but the mother is still living. John Verran was a miner and thus provided for the support of his family. William Verran acquired a public school education and made his initial start in the business world as printer's devil in a job printing shop. Later he was with the Scranton (Penn.) Times and following his return to Michigan was for thirteen years associated with George A. Newett. On the expiration of that period he went to Rossland, British Columbia, where he remained for four and a half years, and was part owner of a weekly and daily paper there published. In 1903 he came to Washington, settling at Yakima, and was with the Yakima Democrat for two years. Later he was with the Daily Herald as superintendent and on the 16th of June, 1909, came to Wapato and purchased the Wapato Independent, which had been established on the 23d of March, 1906, by Charles M. Shrader, who failed, and the paper was sold to the Wapato Development Company, from whom Mr. Verran purchased it. He then installed new equipment and gets out a fine weekly paper which would be a credit to a much larger town. He is progressive in all that he does and has made the Independent a most readable journal, that is now a popular weekly visitor in many a home in this section of the state. It is published as an independent sheet and it has been an active factor in promoting public progress and improvement in the locality. On the 18th of December, 1890, Mr. Verran was married to Miss Eliza A. Kemp, who was born in Ishpeming, Michigan, a daughter of Mark and Eliza J. (Trewartha) Kemp. Mr. and Mrs. Verran have become the parents of four children: Goldie, who died at the age of eighteen months; William, who is in the United States Navy as a musician; Doris M., who is in the First National Bank at Wapato; and Myrtle, who is a student in the high school. Mr. Verran belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Knights of The Maccabees. He is also a member of the Wapato Commercial Club, of which he became the first secretary and of which he later served as president. In politics he is a republican where national questions and issues are involved but casts an independent local ballot. He has become an integral factor in the development of the community in which he makes his home and his work indicates that he stands for all that is progressive in newspaper publication. ******************************** Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in December 2007 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.