The Industrialist Who Built the Waterfront
John Leary's ambitious shipbuilding operations at the dawn of 1885 turn Seattle into a hub of private enterprise and labor, defying the shadow of corporate interests.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
John Leary, the man of the hour, has demonstrated that his shipyards could furnish vessels fit for the government even when the government's own yards were nearly at work. The result, to the mind of the public, is that they are proud to acknowledge him to a man, and to evaluate the pool that he really accomplished. It is safe to say that John Leary has added more to the industry than all the coalition and aid of Congress combined, and that he, by his personal efforts, alone brought employment to more men than any other private citizen of the United States. While the People's boat, the 'Willamette', continues her regular trips to San Francisco, Leary remains focused on building up his steel enterprise at Chester, regardless of the criticism or the unpopularity among the people. The policy of his work is now inevitable and he has shown that private industry can outpace the slow machinery of the Navy Department.
“John Leary has added more to the industry than all the coalition and aid of Congress combined.”
Leary's role as a titan of early Seattle industry and his tension with corporate/federal interests mirrors the ongoing friction between Seattle's private development moguls and the public good. His attempt to define the city's economic future through massive, singular projects remains a hallmark of the city's growth, from the 1880s to the current tech-driven skyline.
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