John M. Frink

John M. Frink
Frink c. 1903
Born	January 21, 1855 Pennsylvania, USA
Died	August 31, 1914 (aged 59) King County, Washington, USA
Occupation	Politician, businessperson
Known for	Frink Park, Seattle

Washington Iron Works headquarters in Pioneer Square, Seattle; also called Frink Building and Washington Shoe Building

John M. Frink (January 21, 1855 – August 31, 1914) was an early Washington State politician and businessperson.^[1][2]

Born in Pennsylvania in 1855, Frink attended Washington College in Topeka, and began a teaching career in Kansas. Arriving in Seattle in 1874, he both taught and served as principal at Seattle's Belltown School. Capitalizing on the City's growth, Frink formed a successful foundry business, Washington Iron Works. He later established the Seattle Electric Company, was a director of the Seattle Savings Bank, and served as a Washington State senator. He lost in the 1900 general election in a bid to unseat John Rankin Rogers as Governor of Washington State, running as a Republican.^[3]

Frink in 1891

In 1906 Frink became a member of the Seattle Board of Park Commissioners, and later its president. In 1906 he donated the property that became Frink Park to the City of Seattle.^[4][5]

He died on August 31, 1914 and is buried in Lake View Cemetery, Seattle.^[6]

References

1. Will A. Steel (1895), Steel & Searl's legislative souvenir manual for 1895-1896, pp. 66–67
2. John M. Frink at Find a Grave
3. Washington governor race details, November 6, 1900, Our Campaigns, retrieved 2013-11-21
4. Kathryn True; Maria Dolan (2003), Nature in the City Seattle, The Mountaineers, p. 48 Cite uses deprecated parameter |coauthor= (help)
5. Frink Park, Seattle Parks and Recreation
6. The Everett Daily Herald, Monday, August 31, 1914, page 2