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Watson C. Squire papers, 1850-1973

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Squire, Watson C. (Watson Carvosso), 1838-1926
Title
Watson C. Squire papers
Dates
1850-1973 (inclusive)
Quantity
11.28 cubic ft. (21 boxes and 1 oversized folder)
Collection Number
4004
Summary
Papers of an industrialist, Civil War veteran, and elected government official
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to all users.

Request at UW

Additional Reference Guides

The visual materials that form part of this collection are described in the Preliminary Guide to the Watson C. Squire Photograph Collection, available in the repository.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Watson Carvosso Squire, attorney, Civil War veteran, industrialist, and elected official, was born May 18, 1838, in Cape Vincent, New York. He was the only son of Rev. Orra Squire, a Methodist Episcopal minister of English ancestry. His mother, Erretta Wheeler, was a descendant of pre-Revolutionary War English immigrants. Squire was educated in public schools, at Falley Seminary in Fulton, and at Fairfield Seminary in Herkimer County, New York. In 1859 he graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He read law in Herkimer, New York, and shortly afterward was made principal of the Moravia Institute of Moravia, New York.

When the Civil War broke out, Watson Squire enlisted in the New York State service for two years. He was elected 1st lieutenant and commissioned in Company F of the New York Volunteers 19th Infantry Regiment. Squire served on the upper Potomac at Harper's Ferry under General Banks and in Virginia. He was engaged in several skirmishes and expeditions. Squire was honorably discharged, and in October 1861 he returned north to Ohio. He read law and graduated from Cleveland Law School in June 1862. When the call came for more men, Squire raised the 7th Independent Company of Ohio Sharpshooters, and on November 11, 1862 he was commissioned as Captain. His company fought on the Tennessee River and later escorted General Sherman on his march to the sea. During these campaigns, Squire served as judge advocate of the general courts martial. Later he was made judge advocate of the district of Tennessee. He served on the staff of Major General Rousseau as judge advocate and also under Major General Thomas during the siege and battle of Nashville. He also participated in the battles of Chickamauga, Resaca and Missionary Ridge. He was promoted to the rank of brevet colonel. Squire was mustered out of the army July 28, 1865.

After the war, Squire joined the E. Remington & Sons, the arms manufacturer based in Ilion, New York. He married Ida Remington, the daughter of company president Philo Remington in 1868 and became in turn manager, treasurer, and secretary of the company. Squire promoted and sold primarily Remington arms, but he also marketed the company's sewing machines and typewriters. In the years following the Civil War, the development of the breech-loading rifle led to a great demand for Remington's product. Much of Remington's business was abroad, and Squire dealt with the representatives of France, Russia, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Egypt, Mexico, and other countries. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, Remington handled purchases for France. From 1877 to 1879, he traveled extensively in Europe and Mexico. He spent several months of 1877 in St. Petersburg, and in 1878 visited Madrid, Paris, Turin, and Stockholm.

Squire moved to Seattle in 1879 to attend to the development of lands which he had purchased from Philo Remington. He constructed buildings and houses in Seattle, and cleared farmland in the White River Valley. Squire's ownership of the Seattle properties was later contested in an unsuccessful lawsuit ( Shepard, et al., v. Squire ) brought by Remington's former partners. At the time of the lawsuit (ca. 1894), the property was worth about $1,000,000. After moving West, Squire divided his time between Seattle and New York. He maintained his ties with the Republican Party in New York State. In 1872, Squire was a member of the Republican executive and finance committees and became acquainted with Presidents Garfield and Arthur. Squire sold his interest in the Remington Arms Company in 1884 and in the same year was appointed Governor of Washington Territory by President Arthur. He served in this position until 1887. As governor, Squire was faced with the task of maintaining law and order during the anti-Chinese riots in Tacoma and Seattle. These troubles began in 1885 and peaked on February 8, 1886, when Squire declared martial law and inaugurated a military system of government until order was restored. Martial law was withdrawn on February 22. At the request of the State Department, Governor Squire afterwards investigated the losses of property by the Chinese.

Squire was replaced as governor in 1887 by Eugene Semple, a Democratic appointee. In January 1889, Squire was made president of the Statehood Convention in Ellensburg, which met to urge admission of Washington as a state. Later that year, he was elected to the U.S. Senate by the state legislature. He was re-elected in 1891. In the Senate, Squire won appropriations for improvements of the rivers and harbors of the state and secured a naval station (later the Puget Sound Naval Shipyards) at Bremerton. His most successful efforts were on behalf of coast defenses.

After his defeat in the election of 1897, Squire practiced law and managed his properties. He founded and was president of Union Trust Co. (later the Squire Investment Co.), which was established to administer his properties. Watson Squire died in Seattle on June 7, 1926.

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Content Description

The Watson C. Squire Papers consist of correspondence, speeches, financial records, legal documents, and other material that document the life of the Civil War veteran, businessman, and public servant. The papers measure 11.28 cubic feet and span the years 1850 to 1973, including later clippings added by family members. They include material on Squire's early years in New York, his Civil War service, political activities, and business affairs, including his work at E. Remington & Sons. Some documentation of Squire's tenures as Washington's territorial governor and U.S. senator is also included.

The materials in the Washington Territory, Governor series relate largely to the anti-Chinese riots of 1885 and 1886. These are found in the Anti-Chinese Riot subject files and include correspondence, clippings, orders and proclamations. The U.S. Senate subgroup consists of correspondence and other material, and sheds light on Squire's work in promoting coastal defenses and on Washington State politics. This subgroup includes materials on the North (Government) Canal, later known as the Lake Washington Ship Canal, and the Bremerton Dry Dock, later known as the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington.

The E. Remington & Sons Arms Co. subgroup provides significant documentation but is fragmentary. It contains correspondence, financial records, legal documents, speeches and writings, and subject files. Most of the correspondence in the subgroup is Squire's, but some is for other members of the firm. These are largely found in General Correspondence files and the correspondents are clearly indicated. A significant amount of the interoffice correspondence dates from 1877 to 1878, the years Squire was based in Europe, and they detail Remington's efforts at negotiating arms sales overseas. The Outgoing Letters series includes two letterpress books also dating from Squire's time in Europe. Major correspondents include W.H. Grimwade, Samuel Norris, S. [Samuel] Remington, Philo Remington, and E. Remington & Sons.

Squire's early years are documented in the School Years subgroup. It includes correspondence and other material dating from his years at Falley Seminary, Fairfield Seminary, and Wesleyan University. A small subgroup contains materials from Squire's term as president of Moravia Institute.

Three subgroups document Squire's Civil War service. The Infantry Regiment, New York Volunteers subgroup contains only a few items, including letters and Squire's commission. The materials in the Independent Company of Ohio Sharpshooters subgroup date largely from 1862-1863. Both the correspondence and equipage series, which includes reports detailing returns of ordnance and supplies, discuss mostly administrative matters. The Judge Advocate subgroup dates primarily from 1864-1865. The correspondence includes that of Squire and other members in the military justice chain of command, including fellow Judge Advocate Major G.P. Thurston, Assistant Judge Advocate General William M. Dunn, and Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt. The letters, together with the orders, circulars, and proclamations, provide insight into the administration of military justice during the Civil War. There is also a small number of letters from members of the Ohio Sharpshooters who accompanied General Sherman on his march.

Squire's other business, political, and personal affairs are documented in the Personal Papers subgroup. Some of the material overlaps with the other subgroups. The incoming correspondence spans the period from his school years to his final days. Major correspondents include parents Orra and Erretta Squire, wife Ida and son Philo. Letters from Thomas Cavanaugh, Henry Landes, and H.C. Wilmarth discuss Washington state's political landscape in the period leading up to statehood in 1889. Squire's real estate affairs are documented in subject files for Real Estate 1871-1881, Union Trust Co., and Shepard et al. v. Squire .

The collection also contains subgroups for Squire's wife, parents, and the Remington Family. Squire's letters to family members can be found in the respective subgroups. The Orra Squire subgroup in particular contains numerous letters written by Squire to his father in Clyde, Ohio, over a span of over 40 years. Squire's business affairs, including those in Seattle, are discussed in his letters to his wife in the Ida Remington Squire subgroup.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The creator's literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Organized into 2 accessions.

  • Accession No. 4004-001, Watson C. Squire papers, 1850-1926
  • Accession No. 4004-002, Watson C. Squire papers, 1858-1973

Custodial History

Some of the papers were in the possession of Squire's eldest daughter, Aidine Squire White, in Toronto, Cananda, but were later transferred to Seattle to Mrs. Shirley Squire, widow of Squire's son. After her death, the papers were passed on to her daughter, Mrs. R. Hugh Dickinson.

Processing Note

The collection was processed in 1989, 1991 and 2009.

Sixty-five prints, including portraits and European scenes, were relocated to the Watson C. Squire Photograph Collection, PH Accession No. 2004-049, in 2004.

Bibliography

Shapiro, Scott Evan. Watson C. Squire: Senator from Washington, 1889-97 (Bachelor's honors thesis, Wesleyan University, 1992).

Snowden, Clinton AWatson C. Squire (New York : Century History Company, 1909).

Related Materials

Squire's gubernatorial records, Papers of the Watson C. Squire Administration (1873-1889), are at the Washington State Archives.

The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, holds dictation and biographical material on Squire.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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Subject Terms

Personal Names

Corporate Names

Family Names

Geographical Names

Other Creators


2005 (Last modified: 12/7/2017)

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