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.
HOWARD SPINING, a widely known
and successful newspaper man of Wilbur, Washington, is a native of Fountain
county, Indiana, and was born November 26, 1853, being the eldest of a
family of eight children now living. His father, Francis D. Spining,
died in 1879, but his mother, Czarina (Walker) Spining, is living on a
farm near Davenport, in her seventy-third year.
At the age of fifteen the subject removed
to Warren county, Indiana. During his youth he received a good education,
and at the age of nineteen began teaching school. In 1879 he transferred
his place of residence to Baxter Spring, Kansas, teaching at intervals
until the spring of 1884, when he came to Washington and settled on a ranch
near Davenport. He also taught the first winter term of the Davenport
school during the winter of 1886-87. Being a man not afraid of physical
toil, he purchased two yokes of oxen and set about improving his homestead,
applying his energies thus until 1889, when he was given the nomination
on the Republican ticket for the office of county clerk, and was elected.
Upon the expiration of his second term as clerk he was chosen treasurer
of his county. Sprague at that time being the seat of government
of Lincoln county, that city was his home during his encumbency in office.
In May, 1896, in partnership with Herman G.
Bassett, he purchased the
Wilbur Register, and in 1902 they established
the
Hartline Standard. Mr. Spining purchased his partner's
interest in both these papers in September, 1903. He lives in Wilbur
and exercises direct supervision over the editorial and business management
of the
Register. Since Mr. Spining's taking a hand in the
control of the
Register it has grown in circulation until it now
is surpassed by only one other journal published in the Big Bend, and it
has an office equipment second to no publication, outside of Spokane and
Walla Walla, in Eastern Washington.
March 28, 1887, occurred the marriage of Howard
Spining to Clara Alice Lowe, a native of Vermilion county, Indiana, the
daughter of Joseph C. and Matilda (Hubler) Lowe. This union has been
blessed by three children, Harry Leslie, Ethel Maud, and Nina Adelaide.
Mr. Spining has been a man unusually prominent
in politics and active in fraternity circles. He now holds membership
in the K. P., A. O. U. W., W. O. W., and the K. O. T. M. societies.
Though not a wealthy man, he is comfortably and well situated financially.
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