Primary Name: George, Wallis Searle
Filed as: george_wallis_searle
Also known as: Wallis George, Wallis S. George
Occupation / Association: Businessman; bookkeeper; fish buyer; director, First National Bank; Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo No. 6
Born: September 15, 1891, Park City, Utah
Died:
Parents: Martin George; Caroline George
Spouse: Maybelle Burkland (m. 1913); Alleine Council (m. 1945)
Children: Wallis Searle George Jr. (deceased); Maybelle Louise George; stepdaughter Carol Ann Council
Associated places: Park City, Utah; Juneau, Alaska; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; San Francisco, California; Chicago, Illinois; Detroit, Michigan; New York City, New York
Keywords: Wallis Searle George, Wallis S George, Wallis George Juneau businessman, Juneau Cold Storage Company expansion, Baranof Hotel promoter
Biography
Wallis Searle George was a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men’s Igloo No. 6, and an influential businessman in Juneau.
George was born on September 15, 1891 at Park City, Utah, the son of Martin and Caroline George. He was educated in the public and high schools of Juneau. One of his former high school teachers described him as “a dreamy-eyed youngster with a quick answer to questions asked him.”
As a young man, he pursued studies in commercial administration at the Portland, Oregon Business College.
In 1911, he began his business career in Juneau as a bookkeeper for the B. M. Behrends store and bank in Juneau. After about a year, he entered the furniture business, which he operated until selling it in 1918. For a short time afterward, he returned to the Behrends Bank, which was short of help, in part due to conditions created by World War I. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Juneau Cold Storage Company as a bookkeeper.
This position proved to be a turning point in his career. George soon recognized the commercial possibilities of cold storage in connection with the fishing industry. At the time, the original plant of the Juneau Cold Storage Company had a capacity of less than 200,000 pounds. With associates and new capital, the company began an expansion program that increased the plant’s capacity to 4 million pounds. By 1945, plans were underway to expand the capacity to nine million pounds.
George became an important buyer of fish and other products for firms in San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, New York City, and other large population centers of the United States. He also represented the Coca-Cola Company as one of only two agents in southeastern Alaska and served as a distributor of Olympia and Budweiser beverages.
He was one of the promoters of the Baranof Hotel in Juneau and served as its treasurer and secretary. George also served as a director of the First National Bank and held financial interests in several other enterprises and organizations.
Fraternally, he was affiliated with the Elks and the Masons. He was also a member of the Washington Athletic Club and the Arctic Club in Seattle.
George married Maybelle Burkland in 1913. They had two children, Wallis Searle George Jr., who died young, and Maybelle Louise George. In 1945, he married Mrs. Alleine Council, who had a daughter, Carol Ann Council.
Sources
Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850–1950, Vol. 3, pp. 113–114, Ed Ferrell (May 1, 2009)