Page 89 - PGM Compendium

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Of
M⸫W⸫ Warren J. Gilbert, Jr.

1985-1986

Most Worshipful Warren J. Gilbert, Jr., affectionately known as
''Bud'' throughout the length and breadth of Washington, was born in
Seattle on January 16, 1927, the son of Catherine Matheson and
Warren J. Gilbert, Sr. Catherine, was the daughter of Captain J. A.
Matheson a well-known and highly respected businessman who came
to Anacortes in 1890 and engaged in the fishing and processing of
Bering Sea cod. Warren, Sr., was a U. S. Navy veteran of World War
I who came to Skagit County in 1921 to begin the practice of law. He
affiliated with Mount Baker Lodge, No. 36, and became its
Worshipful Master in 1926. He is also a member of the Scottish Rite and York Rite Bodies and
served as Grand Master of the Grand Council of Royal and Select Masters.

Bud missed by a few days being a native of Skagit County, his entire life, except for his military
service and college years, was spent there. After graduating from Mount Vernon High School in
1945 and serving for a time in the United States Army, he enrolled at the University of Washington
where he was a member of Phi Gamma Delta social fraternity. On completion of his undergraduate
studies, he entered the University of Washington Law School and was a member of the Phi Delta
Phi legal fraternity.
Following his graduation from Law School in 1954 and admission to the Washington State Bar,
he joined his father’s law firm in Mount Vernon in September 1954. This partnership continued
until the death of his father in 1971. Bud, himself, retired from the practice of law after a 50 year
legal career.

He married Marilyn Marsh of Seattle on December 28, 1953. Five children were born of the
marriage: Jayne, Warren, Nancy, John and Peter - and two grandchildren, Ty and Bryan Howson,
and two great grandchildren. Three of the Gilbert children attended the University of Washington.
Son, Warren, who graduated from the Gonzaga University Law School, was a member of the firm
in Mount Vernon retiring in 2006 from the family firm after being elected as Skagit County District
court judge. Daughter, Jayne, is a member of the firm and has been practicing primarily in the
areas of probate, estate planning, trusts, guardianships, and wills. Son, Peter, a graduate of
Willamette Law, joined the family firm in 2003 and is a Past Master of Mount Baker Lodge No.
36.

One of the consuming interests in Bud’s life was Scouting. As a Boy Scout his interest and
enthusiasm were such that he earned the rank of Eagle Scout. His mother must have kept busy
sewing merit badges, twenty-one of them, on his shirt. His interest in Scouting continued after he
became established in Mount Vernon, and he led Mount Vernon Troop No. 52 as Scout Master for
eight years. For meritorious service he was awarded the highest honor a Boy Scout Council can