Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The
Big Bend Country, embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin counties,
State of Washington", published by Western Historical Publishing
Co., 1904.
WARREN W. DOWNIE, clerk of Lincoln
county, was born at Elkader, Iowa, April 9, 1871. His parents were
John and Ruth (Williams) Downie, both of whom are deceased. The father
was a native of Canada, his parents having come from Scotland, and was
a farmer and a pioneer of the northeastern portion of Iowa. The mother,
who was a native of the Empire State, died in Clayton county, Iowa.
Her father was a native of Vermont and her mother of New York. He
was a descendant of the old and prominent Williams family of Revolutionary
stock.
Our subject was reared
on a farm and attended school until he was fifteen years of age.
Returning to the farm he remained there until he was twenty. Graduating
from the Capital City Business College, of Des Moines, Iowa, he became
associated with a grain company in that city in the capacity of a bookkeeper,
and was then given a station on the line with which he remained until 1899,
when he came to Davenport, Washington. Here he remained only one
month, going thence to Mohler, Washington, for the J. Q. Adams grain company,
with whom he continued continuously until he was elected to his present
office. This was in 1902. Warren W. Downie has two brothers,
Ray H., in Iowa, and John W., on the old homestead in that state, and one
sister, Lillie, wife of Samuel D. Burgeson, a farmer living in Illinois.
Politically, our subject
is a Republican and he is still unmarried. His fraternal affiliations
are with Ariel Lodge, No. 354, I. O. O. F., Churdan, Iowa, of which
he is past grand, and Morning Star Lodge, No. 59, A. F. & A. M., Jefferson,
Iowa. Popular with all classes regardless of fraternal or political
affiliations, Mr. Downie is highly esteemed and an influential factor in
the community in which he resides.