Tacoma Pioneer David Lister Dies, Leaving a Legacy of Industry and Resilience

David Lister, of Tacoma, died today at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. James Chambers, in Olympia. He came to Olympia during the recent G.A.R. encampment to visit his daughter. His health broke down suddenly, and he was unable to return to Tacoma.

The funeral of pioneer David Lister will take place Monday. The Knights of Pythias will attend in a body.

David Lister was born in England in 1831, and came to New York in 1847. He worked for steamboat companies in that city until 1854, when he went to Philadelphia and connected himself with the Delaware Canal Company, where he remained ten years. He then went to Peshtigo, Wis., a town located among the pineries on Green Bay. In that place he established a foundry and machine shop and conducted it successfully until October 8, 1871, when his establishment was burned in the great fire that traversed the whole township, destroying every house, and causing the death of more than 1,000 people. This fire left Mr. Lister penniless; but, with the help of William B. Ogden, of Chicago, he started in business again in the same place, and continued there until 1873. The winter of that year was so cold that he determined to seek a milder climate, and came direct to Washington, arriving at Tacoma, then a hamlet of thirty inhabitants. In 1876 he built a foundry and commenced business. In 1881 he began to turn out jobs for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, and from that time business has increased very rapidly. In 1883, at Wilkeson, about thirty miles from Tacoma, he successfully began coke making in Washington. Mr. Lister did all the repairing of steamers running to and from Tacoma for many years, and his business assumed such magnitude that he erected large repair and machine shops on the docks. He was a brother of J. H. Lister and an uncle of School Director J. H. Lister and Councilman Lister, of Tacoma. He was an active Methodist, a large owner of Tacoma real estate and had a beautiful home at North Ninth and I streets in that city.