Hutton was born in Batavia, Iowa, in 1860. He was the son of Levi and Nancy (Holsinger) Hutton and the youngest of their six children. When he was only three months old his father died, and at the age of six he lost his mother. Until he was eighteen, except for two weeks when, as a fifteen-year-old boy, he ran away to fight Indians in the Black Hills, he lived on a farm with an aunt and uncle who provided meager opportunities for his schooling.
In June 1928, Whitman College, Walla Walla, conferred on Hutton the honorary degree of master of arts, for his service to children.
He set out for the West. After a year or more in and about Salem, Ore. , and in northern California, he was offered in 1881 the chance to drive a four-horse team from Portland to the shores of Lake Pend d'Oreille in northern Idaho. Here he obtained employment on a lake steamer. Quitting after about a year to become a fireman on the Northern Pacific Railroad, he removed to Missoula, Mont. In less than three years he had advanced to the position of locomotive engineer and in 1887 was transferred to Wallace, Idaho, where he had the run from Wallace up the much-prospected canyon to Burke.
At Wallace he was in the very center of the lead-silver mining district of the Coeur d'Alenes, and, like most men in the region, he became interested in several mining properties. The Hercules mine on which he and his impecunious associates continued for years to do assessment work was considered among the least promising, but the ore which was finally struck in 1901 proved to be so rich that it was carried out in sacks on the men's backs. The Hercules developed into one of the great mining properties of that section, and eventually Hutton realized nearly two million dollars from it. Moving to Spokane, Wash. , in 1906, he more than doubled his initial fortune by wise investments in real estate in that city.
Taunted at an early age with being only an orphan, he had frequently declared his intention of establishing a home for this class of under-privileged children. Accordingly, on August 28, 1917, he announced his program for what was to be called The Hutton Settlement. It was originally planned to cost $250, 000, but Hutton eventually spent $850, 000 on the institution's land, buildings, and equipment. In addition he contributed $35, 000 a year to its maintenance as long as he lived, making provisions in his will for the continuance of even more generous support. The Settlement consists of 320 acres, four cottage buildings, and a large administration hall. It was Hutton's idea to minimize as much as possible the usual institutional atmosphere. The eighty children which the Settlement accommodates are cared for in small groups, and boys and girls alike are not only taught farming, housekeeping, and other useful arts, but are given a sense of actual proprietorship in the products of the farm, the kitchen, and the shop. All the work is done by the children under the direction of trained supervisors and assistants.
Hutton was preparing an annual report to be presented to the board of trustees when he suddenly died, November 3, 1928. Both he and his wife were interested in other charities and enjoyed a reputation for exceptionally generous giving to many philanthropic causes.
He and his wife were active in local Democratic politics, Mrs. Hutton serving as the first national committee-woman from Washington.
In 1887 he married Mary Arkwright of Cleveland, Ohio, who died in 1915.
