The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1900-02-01
Ghe Official Paper Of San Juan County.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY j, 1907
A LONG LIFE AND LIFE INSURANCE.

The late Gideon Gurnett, father of
Mrs. Sitter, of this place, and Mrs.
Dickson, of Chehalis, was the holder OF
one of the oldest life insurance policies
issued by the great Mutual Life Insur-
ance Company, of New York. 1t is
No. 6,Sl3 and was issued June %, 1S49,
when Mr.. Gurnett was 43 years old.
The face of the policy was 1000 and
the annual premium $3.50. The total
premiums for fifty years amounted to
$l,755, but for many years the divi-
dends earned upon the policy had paid
the premiums, and Notwithstanding
the long life of the policy, more than
half q century, the net amout paid in
premiums was only about 500, and the
cash value of the policy at the time of
Mr.. Gurnett's death was in round
numbers 81 700. These facts are taken
from q little folder published by the
company some time ago showing re-
suits OH number of policies. When
the company was organized in lS43 the
total population of the United States
was less than nineteen millions and the
company's total assets were less than
100000. Now its assets exceed $500,
100000, its annual premium income is
over $43, 000, 600 and it has over $1,000
600 600 insurance in force and claims to
be "the largest life insurance company
and the greatest financial institution in
the world.n
Mr.. Gurnett's long life covered the
most marvellous period of growth and
development in the history of the west
ern continent and of the world. When
he was born, in 1906, there had been
but seventeen years of constitutional
government i'm the United States. He
lived in the life time of every president
except Washington. He was six years
old when England was taught by the
remarkable achievements of our little
navy in the war of 1912 to respect the
American flag upon the high seas
power in Europe and Mr.. Gurnett was
nine years old when that wonderful
figure in the worlds history was finally
overthrown at Waterloo, and fifteen
years old when the great emperor died
a prisoner of "the powers" at St.
Helena. He was thirteen years old
when Queen Victoria was born and
thirty-one when her remarkable reign,
the longest in the history of the British
empire began. He was nearly four
years oder than Gladstone, the "Grand
Old Man" of England, and nine years
older than Bismarck, the "IrOn Chan
cellor" of Germany, and he outlived
them both. The vast territory west of
the Mississippi river, most of which
had been added to the Union by the
Louisiana purchase only three years
before, was trackless wilderness, in
habited only by savage beasts and still
more savage men, save for few VEN
turesome traders and trappers here and
there along the great rivers. There
were no steamboats,, no railroads, no
telegraphs, no cables. The cotton CIR,
the sewing machine, the harvester, and
other great inventions which have
revolutionized the industries of the
world, were unknown. Slavery flour.
ished not alone in the new world, but
in the old, and the mighty war which
resulted In its abolition in the United
States did not begin until Mr.. Gurnett
had reached the age Of iifty-five years
We read occasionally of the death of a
centenarian, and scientists tell us that
the duration of human life is lengthen.
ing, but still it is sufficiently rare fol-
anyone to be witness of such wonder.
full changes as were wrought through.
out the world during the lifetime OF
Mr.. Gurnett to make reflection and
retrospective comment natural when
such all occasion comes to our knowl
edge.