Cowlitz County WA Archives Biographies.....Barnes, Hon. Frank Grant September 24, 1868 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/wa/wafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila Wakley iwakley@msn.com November 7, 2009, 12:47 am Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 172-176 Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company Any list of the truly representative men of Cowlitz county, Washington, must include the name of Hon. Frank G. Barnes, to whose initiative ability and well directed efforts the development and prosperity of the county is largely due. He has been active and influential in many lines of effort and as a business man, legislator and citizen stands in the front rank of the able and successful men of his section of the state. Mr. Barnes, who for twelve consecutive years has represented Cowlitz county in the state senate, was born in Douglas, Gentry county, Missouri, on the 24th of September, 1868, and is a son of Alfred and Charlotte (Willy) Barnes. The father was born in New York state, April 28, 1837, and was of English descent. He was reared to farming, which vocation his family had followed for generations. He enlisted in the Union army in response to the first call for ninety-day men at the outbreak of the Civil war; later reenlisted and served throughout the struggle. He was taken prisoner and was confined in a southern military prison for many months but was finally exchanged. During that time, being handy with tools, he made many fancy trinkets, which he sold to the Confederate officers at big prices, and with this money he bought sweet potatoes, in the eating of which he cured himself of scurvy. In 1881 he took his family to Dow's Prairie, Humboldt county, California, where he was engaged in farming during the remaining years of his life. His wife, who is of Scotch ancestry, was born at Sugar Grove, near Aurora, in Kane county, Illinois, February 18, 1848, and now resides in Eureka, California, at the age of eighty years. Frank G. Barnes attended the public schools of Missouri until twelve years of age, and later the schools at Dow's Prairie, California, completing his education in Eureka Academy and Business College. He worked on farms until 1891, when he came to Washington and, after inspecting various sections of the country, settled at Silver Lake, which was his home for thirty years. There he engaged in the shingle and lumber business in partnership with Frank Bull, a former neighbor of his in California, who died in 1893. Mr. Barnes succeeded him as postmaster, in which office he served for twenty-seven years, and during that period he also ran a general store, in which he was successful. In 1920 Mr. Barnes moved to Longview, where he still lives. In 1919 he moved his shingle mill to Kalama and soon afterward sold it to the Barr interests. In 1902 Mr. Barnes, E. S. Collins, J. A. Byerly and H. W. Ross organized the Silver Lake Railway & Lumber Company, of which Mr. Barnes became secretary, and said company built the railroad from Castle Rock to Silver Lake. In 1924 he sold his interest in that company. He owns valuable business and residence properties in Kelso and Longview; is a director of the Lumbermen's Bank & Trust Company of Longview; is vice president of the Twin City Investment Company of Kelso; is treasurer and a director of the Commercial Savings & Loan Association of Kelso, and vice president of the Hess Motor Company of Longview, dealing in Ford products. He is the owner of valuable farm lands and also rents lands, on which he has one hundred and fifty head of cattle. Since early manhood he has been interested in agricultural pursuits, giving special attention to livestock interests. When a boy he followed the plow and today is keenly interested in and sympathetic to the needs of the agricultural class. Mr. Barnes was directly responsible for the establishment of the Long- Bell Lumber Company here, which led to the building of the model city of Longview. He sold to them nine thousand, six hundred and sixty-six feet of water front and six hundred and sixty-seven acres of land at a nominal figure and personally brought the officials of the company here, that they might get a close view of the land and the country. This led to enormous investments by the company and great resultant benefit to the county through its extensive operations. These incidents do not by any means represent the sum of Mr. Barnes' activities, for during all the years of his residence in Cowlitz county he has shown a constant interest in everything pertaining to the development of the community and the promotion of the public interests and has been effective in thus contributing to the general prosperity. On December 23, 1893, in Portland, Oregon, Mr. Barnes was united in marriage to Miss Elenora J. Dahlman, who was born at Silver Lake, Washington, March 10, 1872, a daughter of William and Josephine Dahlman. Her father was born in Sweden and sailed the seas for a number of years. He then settled in Silver Lake, Cowlitz county, in 1870, after which he sent to Sweden for the sweetheart of his youth, who came to Washington alone, and they were married here. The mother died many years ago and Mr. Dahlman still lives at Silver Lake at the age of eighty-seven years. To Mr. and Mrs. Barnes have been born five children, of whom one died in infancy, and a little daughter, Elsie, whose clothing caught on fire and her death resulted from the burns. Vernon F. is now the wife of Dr. George A. Sale, a dentist of Longview, and they have a son, George. Cecil is the wife of A. B. Little, of Kelso, and they have a son, Allen B. Earl was killed in 1919 by gas engine exhaust fumes while in charge of diking operations. He was married to Miss Georgia Tippery and to them were born two children, Elinor and Frank Grant. Mrs. Sale, Mrs. Little and Earl Barnes were all graduated from high schools of Cowlitz county and completed their education at the Washington State College in Pullman. Fraternally Mr. Barnes is a member of the Masonic lodge at Castle Rock; Vancouver Commandery, No. 10, K. T., and Afifi Temple of the Mystic Shrine at Tacoma, of which he is a life member. He is also identified with Vancouver Lodge, No. 823, B. P. 0. E.; Lloyd Huntington Lodge, No. 192, K. P.; the Young Men's Christian Association; the Lions Club; the Chambers of Commerce at Kelso and Longview, and is chairman of the Cowlitz County Game Commission. Politically Mr. Barnes is an active supporter of the republican party and served a number of terms as county and state committeeman. In 1902 he was elected a member of the board of county commissioners from Silver Lake. In 1916 he was elected to represent Cowlitz county in the state senate and, by repeated reelections, has served continuously to the present time. During all of this period he has been a member of the road and bridge committee and has served as chairman of the committees on banks and banking, industrial insurance and dikes, drains and ditches. He has long been greatly interested in the improvement of the public highways and in 1919 he secured the appropriation for the Ocean Beach highway over the Cowlitz river at Kelso. At the present time Mr. Barnes is again a candidate for state senator and in making his announcement he is quoted as follows: "In thus submitting my candidacy to you for the fourth consecutive time I want to express my appreciation of the confidence in me that has been shown in the past by the citizens of this county, and to offer as a reason for again seeking to represent you in the state senate my desire to bring to a successful conclusion one of the principal projects for which I have devoted much of my time and energy while a state senator, namely, the Ocean Beach highway. This is a project which I feel to be of the very first importance, because of the rich territory it will traverse and make tribu¬tary to the communities of this county. When I went to Olympia for my first session of the legislature no part of the Pacific highway had been constructed in Cowlitz county. Seeing in this great main artery of coast travel the undertaking to which I could devote my legislative activities with a maximum of benefit to Cowlitz county, I resolved to use every effort to speed construction of that highway through the southwest part of the state. That magnificent highway is now completed through the length of Cowlitz county and the far-reaching benefits of its construction are common knowledge. I have but two pledges to make: one, to bring about the earliest possible completion of the Ocean Beach highway, and the other, to use every influence that I may have to promote economy in public affairs." Mr. Barnes has given earnest support to every worthy benevolent or charitable cause and has stood consistently for the best things in community life. The beginning of his career was marked by hard and determined effort, backed by sound judgment and right principles, and he has abundantly merited the splendid success which has come to him. A man of sterling character and unassailable integrity, he commands the unequivocal confidence and respect of all who know him. Photo: http://www.usgwarchives.net/wa/cowlitz/photos/bios/barnes128gbs.jpg File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/wa/cowlitz/bios/barnes128gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/wafiles/ File size: 9.7 Kb