Arthur Blewett

Blewett combine on the Stevenson/Kelso place south east of Reardan around 1910.

Arthur Blewett's connection to Reardan is as an implement manufacturer in Spokane. One of his machines was photographed on the Stevenson/Kelso place southeast of Reardan.

"Spokane and The Spokane Country - Pictorial and Biographical - Deluxe Supplement." Vol. II. The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1912. (No author listed.) pgs. 108-110.

The industrial enterprises of Spokane find a worthy and well known representative in Arthur R. Blewett, who is the secretary and general manager of the Northwest Harvester Company, an enterprise that has excellent equipment and is well established on the road to success. A native of Bowling Green, Kentucky, Arthur R. Blewett was born June 14, 1877, of the marriage of Alexander Chapman Blewett and Galveston Stone. The mother was named for her native city, Galveston, Texas, and belonged to an old southern family, prominent in antebellum days. She was of English descent, as was her husband, who was a native of Kentucky. The latter died in California, in 1898, and his wife passed away in 1901. In their family were three sons and two daughters: Arthur R.; Hannibal C., who is living in Turlock, California; Roy V., of the same place; Miss Betsy Stark, of Spokane; and Effie, who is also living in Spokane. Arthur R. Blewett, taken to California in his boyhood days, his parents removing to that state in 1890, supplemented his public-school course by study in San Joaquin Valley College at Woodbridge, California. After putting aside his text-books he engaged in farming ninety-five hundred acres of land at Turlock, Stanislaus, California. but withdrew from agricultural pursuits in 1906 and went upon the road as a traveling salesman for The Holt Manufacturing Company, at Stockton, California, with which he was connected six years. He traveled over the northwest territory, covering Oregon, Washington, Montana and Canada, and in 1907 was made the district manager for the company at Spokane, continuing in that position through the years 1908 and 1909. Since then he has been the secretary and manager of the Northwest Harvester Company, of which he was one of the organizers. They make a specialty of side hill combined harvesters and build two types of machines-one called the Northwest Side Hill Combined Harvester, and the other the Blewett Side Hill Combined Harvester. The inventions and patents of the latter are owned by Mr. Blewett. In addition to the manufacture and sale of harvesters, the company conducts a general foundry and machine shop business, builds a variety of special machinery and does all kinds of repair work. They have completed their second year in business and in ten months their output in machines amounted to over eighty thousand dollars. They now have plans for the building of sixty machines for the year 1912, which will represent over one hundred thousand dollars. The company owns its own plant adjoining Spokane, with four acres of ground, and has an exceptionally good class of all brick factory buildings, with concrete floors, numbering nine. Modern machinery has been installed and everything is planned for the rapid filling of orders. They have won notable success since embarking in this enterprise and not a little of the result is attributable to Arthur R. Blewett, whose previous experience with The Holt Manufacturing Company well qualified him to undertake the duties that devolve upon him in his present connection. The Northwest Harvester Company has the following' officers: Ben C. Holt, president and treasurer; C. Parker Holt, vice president; and Arthur R. Blewett, manager and secretary. The business is capitalized for three hundred thousand dollars.

In addition to his other interests, Mr. Blewett owns an irrigated ranch at Turlock, California, which he is now improving. He belongs to the Spokane Club, to the Spokane Athletic Club and also to the Chamber of Commerce. His political views are in accord with the principles of the democratic party and he keeps well informed on the questions of the day but does not seek nor desire office, feeling that his time and attention are fully occupied by business affairs, which are growing in volume and importance and which have already won him recognition as an enterprising and successful business man of his adopted city.

Submitted by: Nancy Pratt Melton

• * * * Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the individuals featured in the biographies.