Page 86 - 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 bestow, the Order of the Silver Beaver. He
describes his involvement with the Boy Scout movement as one of the most rewarding experiences of his
life: “Scouting is wonderful for boys, and it was wonderful for me. The deeper my involvement with

P a ge | 85