The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1911-02-03
DEATH or W. N. DONALDSON.

DEATH w w. W. UONAlDoUN.
Boise Statesman:
Watson Neal Donaldson, genia
GOOD nstured "Don," as he wa
known By his friends, died Sun
dav afternoon at 5 o'clock at ST
Alphonsus hospital, after a II
,iars' illness, the immediate cause
bsing an attack Of pneumonia anc
an exceedingly weak heart. Tbs
funeral services were held or
Tuesday afternoon, Rev. D. FL
Jones officiating. The services
were under the auspices of the
Woodmen and Odd Fellows
lodges, Of which societies Mr.. Don.
aldson was a member.
Mr.. Donaldson was born in
Pontiac, Mich, July 20, 1864, his
father being DIR. John Donaldson,
Of that city. In 1887 he married
Miss Nellie Druckhammer, of
Minneapolis, and the next year
they came west. Mr.. Donaldson
was on the San Francisco Call. in
the business department, for a
lime, and, later on, the Portland
Oregonian. He also lived at Ia
coma and Seattle for time. He
came to Boise from Portland to
work on The Statesman, and on
leaving the newspaper interested
himself in the Boise Street Rail-
way company, and was instrumen-
tai in inducing Spokane and Phil
adelphia capitalists to purchase
the road from the local people
who owned it and extended the
line.
He was manager of the road for
several years, and on leaving the
company, conceived the idea of
an electric line from Boise to
Nampa. Failing to get eaatern
capital interested, 1t was not
thought that the road would ever
be put through, but he finally sue
ceeded in getting the required
money and he lived to see the line
in running order. Mr.. Donaldson,
has always taken an active part in
the Intermountain fair, having
been one of the directors for years.
1t was through his efforts that the
Boise gas plant was located in
the city. He reorganized the Cap
itaf News when GeorgeLewls sold
the plant and was its business
manager for number of years be-
fore it was purchased by Sheridan
and Fisher. During the past year
he has been engaged in the real
estate business. He was one of the
organizers and has served as di-
rector of the Boise Press club.
Besides his wife he leaves two
brothers, Fay Donaldson, of
Woodlawn, Cal, and M. V. Don
aldson, of San Bernardino.
j, F. Baird and Geo. E. Atwater
represented Meridian at the
funeral of W. N. Donaldson at
Boise Tuesday. The attendance
was large and the floral offerings
were numerous and of great
beauty. While Don's mission
seemed to be to spread snnshine
and good cheer during his life,
fate decreed that his funeral be
held during drizzling rain. The
corpse and the funeral party were
conveyed to Morris Hill cemetery
lnrs'car on the Boise Valley, in
charge of Conductor Gilbert. Two
years ago the same conductor took
the first funeral car on this electric
road to the cemetery, and Man
ager Donaldson accompanied the
car to see that the trip was made
In safety.
Fred Floed, formerly. editor of
The Boise Citizen, has been seleo-
Ted as private secretary to the
governor. This appointment shows
mighty good sense on the part of
Governor Hawley, as Fred is CON-
petent and worthy. In more than
one instance the secretary has
oeen person who had no claim
on the state. and ona casa 10 ra-