HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 91-4619, by Representatives Tate and Casada

   WHEREAS, The city of Sumner, Washington, is celebrating the centennial anniversary of its official incorporation on February 7, 1991; and

   WHEREAS, In the 1850s the city was first named Stuck Junction because Stuck sounded like the Indian name for the area, it became Franklin in 1862, and was finally named Sumner after the famous abolitionist senator from Massachusetts in 1874; and

   WHEREAS, Its history as a city began with the first vote for incorporation in 1889, an incorporation that was sadly declared unconstitutional after Washington became a state; and

   WHEREAS, The residents had to twice revote to reincorporate, making the settlement a city the day the Secretary of State first registered the city one hundred years ago on February 7, 1891; and

   WHEREAS, The city of Sumner has fostered some remarkable citizens who achieved fame in the territory and country; and

   WHEREAS, One of the movers and shakers of Sumner was Levant Frederick Thompson, who was both the youngest member of the first Washington Territorial Legislature in 1853 and the oldest member of the first Washington State Legislature in 1889; and

   WHEREAS, Another contributor to the economic development of the valley was dairy farmer William H. Paulhamus, a member of the Washington State Centennial Hall of Honor, the "Savior of the Puyallup Fair," and known nation-wide as a pioneer in the frozen food industry; and

   WHEREAS, John F. Kincaid, the original landholder when the city was platted in 1893, was a more controversial pioneer because he put a "dry" clause in every deed, which his heirs only removed in about 1950; and

   WHEREAS, George Frederick Whitworth, who was a missionary, pastor, circuit rider, Indian affairs agent, surveyor, and president of the Territorial University, now the University of Washington, founded the Sumner Academy in 1853, which was renamed Whitworth College in 1890, to honor him; and

   WHEREAS, These are only some of the most noted citizens of Sumner; and

   WHEREAS, Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Orton, by sponsoring a garden party on April 6, 1926, that was the first gala invitational celebration following the annual early spring Bulb Banquet, created the forerunner of the Daffodil Festival; and

   WHEREAS, The economic bulb business that became famous in the 1930s made Sumner the daffodil bulb capital of the world; and

   WHEREAS, The Daffodil Festival is one of the top floral festivals in the United States bringing in more than two hundred thousand dollars to the Pierce County economy as well as happy notoriety; and

   WHEREAS, The city has managed through more than one hundred years to maintain its small town flavor even while developing an industrial park and attracting firms such as Fleischmann Yeast, Golden State Foods, and Recreational Equipment, Inc.;

   NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commend the people of Sumner for keeping their town lively while making it a special place to live and raise a family, and send congratulations on this important historical milestone as you look back with pride and ahead with excitement to the opportunities that await you; and

   BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives to the Mayor of Sumner, Dick Lawson.

I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of Resolution 4619 adopted by Rules Committee of the House of Representatives February 7, 1991.

                         ________________________________

               Alan Thompson, Chief Clerk, House of Representatives