The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 909 

WILLIAM M. WATT.

Business enterprise finds exemplification in the efforts and in the record of
William M. Watt, manager of the Pioneer Lumber and Coal Company, conducting a
growing and profitable business in Yakima. He is of Canadian birth, born
November 16, 1859. His parents, James and Isabel Watt, were natives of Scotland
and for many years resided in Canada, where they passed away. They had become
early settlers of that country and the father there engaged in business as a
millwright. William M. Watt acquired a public school education in his native
country and when his textbooks were put aside learned the carriage-making trade.
In 1892 he came to Yakima and bought a fruit ranch, on which he resided for four
years, after which he entered into business relations with the Pioneer Lumber
and Coal Company, of which he is now the manager. This business was reorganized
in July, 1906, after having been in existence for about ten years. Its location
is at No. 9 North First avenue, where the company has one hundred and fifty by
one hundred and eighty feet. They handle a full line of builders' materials,
shingles, moldings, lath, sash, doors, blinds, lime, cement, plaster and sewer
pipe, together with bee supplies, fruit boxes, tin tops, grape baskets, berry
crates, drain the and Roslyn coal. They employ five men throughout the year and
at times have ten in their employ. The officers of the company are: T. H. Brew,
of Puyallup, Washington, president; F. W. Morris, of Puyallup, vice president;
and William M. Watt, secretary, treasurer and manager.

Mr. Watt married Miss Annie Cornett, of Canada, now deceased. He afterward
wedded Linda Barton, of Minneapolis. The children of the first marriage were
Gordon, Elizabeth and Roberta, all of whom have passed away. By the second
marriage there is one son, Harold, seventeen years of age, now attending high
school. Mr. Watt is well known in Masonic circles, belonging to lodge, chapter
and commandery, and the spirit of the craft finds exemplification in his career.
He belongs to the Commercial Club and to the Business Men's Association and is
thus putting forth earnest effort to promote commercial activity and improve
business conditions. His political allegiance is given to the republican party
and for six years he served as one of the school trustees, but has never been a
politician in the sense of seeking political office. That he is interested in
moral progress and the welfare of the community in its character building is
shown in his membership in the Presbyterian church and the Young Men's Christian
.Association. In a word, he places no false values on life and its opportunities
but regards each duty with a sense of conscientious obligation that makes his
career worth while to the community in which he lives.

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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in January 2008 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.