Portrait of "Uncle Joe" Surber, Seattle, circa 1915 (MOHAI 12992)

Prior to the 1869 organization of the Seattle Police Department, an appointed marshall kept peace in the small but quickly growing town. William Harvey "Uncle Joe" Surber (1834-1923) is generally accepted as the city's first sheriff, purportedly appointed in 1861 by the town council. Mr. Surber had arrived in Seattle in 1858, after unprofitable attempts at gold mining in California and British Columbia led the Indiana native to settle in the lumber-rich Pacific Northwest. He found work in Seattle as a pile driver before homesteading on Union Bay, in what is now the Laurelhurst neighborhood. Mr. Surber preferred the area's remoteness and was a skillful marksman who regularly supplemented his income by shooting game for market. Surber Drive Northeast is thought to be about where his property was located, and is named in his honor.

The portrait of Surber here is undated, but must have been taken near the end of his life. He was known as someone who had a kind heart, despite his gruff exterior. In his will he left $60,000 to his heirs, and his beloved violin to the musically talented young daughter of a friend.

Handwritten beneath image: William Harvey (Joe) Surber

Photographer's signature on photograph: T[illeg]

Handwritten on verso: W. H. Surber, Chief of Police, 1861, Chas. Trunant

Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times: July 2, 1923, p. 7; July 11, 1923, p. 2; and July 14, 1968, p. 137.

Caption information source: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36090661/william-harvey-surber

Subjects (LCTGM): Seattle (Wash.). Police Department; Pioneers--Washington (State)--Seattle; Portrait photographs

pioneers portrait photographs seattle museum of history and industry bearded man california

1880 - 1910

Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) Seattle

https://mohai.org

Public Domain