The General Who Laid Out Tacoma

TACOMA, Dec. 24.—[Special.]—Maj. Gen. John W. Sprague died today of heart failure. He suffered from bladder troubles complicated with heart disease. Yesterday he had trouble in breathing, and, although he rallied, he steadily lost strength. At midnight he called the members of his family to his bedside and bade them good-by. At 4 o'clock this afternoon he passed away.

The interment will take place here, probably under the direction of the Loyal Legion, of which he was a prominent member.

John Wilson Sprague was born at White Creek, Washington county, N.Y., April 4, 1817. While he was very young his father moved to Troy. Here he attended common school and later the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. At the age of 23 he entered the wholesale and retail grocery business, which he prosecuted successfully until he was 37. In 1845 Gen. Sprague removed to Huron and engaged in lake commerce and railroad business. His line of steamers and sailing vessels became widely known. Immediately on the breaking out of the rebellion he raised a company in his town, which was assigned to the Seventh Ohio infantry. On the reorganization of the regiment and enlistment for three years they were ordered to West Virginia.

In August, 1861, on the Big Birch river, he was captured and was for six weeks confined in a tobacco house. Mr. Sprague steadily rose in the service, receiving commissions as follows: Captain, Seventh regiment, United States volunteers, June 17, 1861; colonel, Sixty-third regiment, United States infantry, January 23, 1862; brigadier general, July 30, 1864; brevet major general, March 30, 1865.

In 1866 he was offered and declined a commission as lieutenant-colonel in the United States army. An incident in his army experience which the general looked back to with pleasure is that when his regiment was re-enlisted in 1863, only seven refused to continue in the service.

After the armies were mustered out Gen. Sprague was offered a lieutenant-colonelcy in the regular army, but declined, and was appointed assistant commissioner for the bureau of refugees, freedmen and abandoned lands, with headquarters at St. Louis. His territory included Missouri, Kansas and the Indian territory. He was next appointed general manager of the Winona & St. Peter railroad, with headquarters at Winona, Wis. He held this position till April, 1870, when he was made general superintendent of that part of the Northern Pacific railroad west of the Rocky mountains.

With Capt. Ainsworth he located Tacoma. For thirteen years, notwithstanding failing health, he continued to have charge of the Northern Pacific, but in 1883 was compelled to resign. In 1884 he had so far recovered that he was one of the organizers of the Tacoma National bank, and was made its first president. He was also one of the charter members of the chamber of commerce and was its chief officer from its inception in 1884 until 1891. He was Tacoma's first mayor under the present charter, and also organized the Tacoma Steam Navigation Company. A number of buildings in Tacoma were erected by him; prominent among these is the Sprague building, which has a frontage of 424 feet on Pacific avenue, below Fifteenth.

In 1843 Mr. Sprague married Lucy Wright, of Huron, O. She died within a year, leaving a daughter. After long remaining a widower he married Miss Julia Frances Choate, of Milan, O. She died eight years ago, leaving four sons, Otis, Winthrop, Clark W. and Charles, all of Tacoma. About three years ago he was married at Meadville, Pa., to Mrs. A. W. Vance, a sister of his first wife.

On receipt of the news of Gen. Sprague's death, Col. Granville O. Haller, commander of the Loyal Legion in this state, a position which the general formerly held, sent the following dispatch to Capt. B. Harden, of Tacoma, the senior vice commander:

'Please announce to comrades the death of our illustrious commander and companion, John W. Sprague. In becoming terms, and make suitable arrangements, with consent of his family, for attendance of the commandery in a body.'