lumberman, banker, b. Mount Carroll, Ill. He attended Mount Carroll Seminary and moved to Wisconsin in 1865, settling in Chippewa Falls. He was employed in various capacities by the Union Lumber Co. of Chippewa Falls until 1881, when Frederick Weyerhaeuser (q.v.) and his associates purchased its successor, the Chippewa Lumber and Boom Co. Irvine was secretary (1881-1885) and manager (1885-1911) of this company. After 1885 Irvine was closely associated with Weyerhaeuser in his numerous enterprises. He held directorships and offices in many corporations and trade associations, and donated Irvine Park to the city of Chippewa Falls. Amer. Lumbermen (3 ser., Chicago, 1905, 1906); Natl. Cyclopaedia Amer. Biog., 18 (1922); E. B. Usher, Wis. (8 vols., Chicago, 1914); Chippewa Falls Herald-Telegram, Dec. 26, 1927.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the William Irvine Papers for details. See also the William Irvine Letter.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]