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Cage 381
Edward Baumeister
Papers, 1890-1911

The papers of Edward Baumeister of Asotin, Washington were donated to Washington State University Libraries by Mrs. Anona Staley Barnes, March 14, 1978. (78-6) The papers were arranged and processed on June 29, 1979 by Patricia M. Gourd.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Edward Baumeister was born in Saxe-Weimar, Germany on June 24, 1848. He and his family emigrated in 1854 and settled in New York City where he attended public schools. In April 1860 he and his brother, Maximilian Baumeister (1840-1909), moved to California and then, in 1863, to Walla Walla, Washington, where they worked for 19 years as barbers and then two years as real estate and insurance agents. Edward moved to Lewiston, Idaho in 1885 and worked for seven months at John P. Vollmer & Co., a general store. In the fall of 1885 he again moved, to nearby Asotin, Washington, where he built a general store just outside of the town. This later became the new location for the modern city of Asotin and the business center for Asotin County.

The general store also served some of the functions of a bank for the community and in 1900 Edward established the first bank in Asotin County. In 1908 he sold the general store, but retained the bank. Edward Baumeister has been called the father of Asotin and from 1901-1905 served as state senator for Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia Counties.

ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION

The Edward Baumeister papers consist of incoming correspondence dating from September 28, 1890 through January 17, 1911, but also include newspaper clippings, published material, and other papers. Baumeister arranged his correspondence alphabetically and this arrangement has been maintained; each alphabetic section has been arranged chronologically. The papers concern the political, business, and personal life of Edward Baumeister principally for the period between 1901 and 1905 when he served as state senator from Asotin, Garfield, and Columbia Counties. Principal correspondents include: Washington State Governor S.G. Cosgrove; U.S. Representative Francis W. Cushman; Washington State Bank Examiner J.L. Mohundro; mechanical engineer, Frederick Egner; Baumeister's banking partner, John P. Vollmer; and Baumeister's nephew, Emil Baumeister. Baumeister filed correspondence from Emil under "M" and this arrangement has been retained. Also included is the will of Maximilian Baumeister, Edward's brother, which has been placed at the end of the collection.

CONTAINER LIST

Folder	Description	Number of Items
	Correspondence:
1	A. May 10, 1890-March 2, 1908	14
2	B. February 12, 1902-January 17, 1911	21
3	C. March 25, 1896-April 5, 1909	46
4	D. February 9, 1903-August 30, 1907	8
5	E. September 28, 1890-May 13, 1910	68
6	F. January 24, 1903-December 28, 1903	6
7	G-J. January 26, 1903-April 23, 1908	11
8	K. January 21, 1903-January 8, 1906	9
9	L. February 7, 1903-December 2, 1907	19
10	M. June 10, 1892-October 22, 1908	36
11	N. December 18, 1902-December 31, 1903	8
12	O-Q. July 31, 1901-March 14, 1908	18
13	R. February 5, 1900-June 11, 1907	18
14	S. February 3, 1903-February 7, 1908	25
15	T. November 22, 1902-March 26, 1908	50
16	U-V. December 30, 1902-November 26, 1907	17
17	W-Z. September 5, 1900-February 26, 1909	14
18	Will of Maximilian Baumeister, July 17, 1909	1