The Unlikely Benevolence of John H. McGraw
Before his gubernatorial run, Seattle Sheriff John H. McGraw earned a reputation for paying the taxes of the destitute and finding jobs for released prisoners.
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D. B. McKinley, a well-known and popular business man who has lived in Seattle for over twenty years, spoke on the character of John H. McGraw. He said, 'As a deputy under Sheriff McGraw, one word spoken was always kind, and his conduct was invariably that of a gentleman. When a poor man came to the office and wanted to pay his taxes but couldn't, McGraw often told me to make out the receipts and turn the money into the county, while he paid the amount himself. I have never known a prisoner to leave the expiration of his term without the best of feelings toward McGraw; in a great many cases he has told me to take money out of his own funds to pay their way until they could secure employment.' Matt P. Kelly, who was in the drug business in Seattle for twenty-two years, added: 'In 1884, when times were terribly hard, McGraw was sheriff. I had a hard struggle, and he had to perform a disagreeable duty regarding my business. Although he was strict in his duty, he did it so kindly and courteously that I felt no ill-will. I went to pay his fees, which amounted to $15. McGraw said, "That's all right, Matt, they're paid." McGraw had paid them himself.'
“I have never known a prisoner to leave the expiration of his term without the best of feelings toward McGraw; in a great many cases he has told me to take money out of his own funds to pay their way until they could secure employment.”
John H. McGraw was a powerful figure in Seattle politics who later became Governor. His reputation for personal charity toward the poor and his treatment of prisoners—often in stark contrast to the era's standard of harsh law enforcement—paints a complex picture of a machine politician’s local influence.
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