Portland, Oregon - Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders : in Connection with the An (part 10 of 25)

Oliver Clay

Portland has especially honored her pioneers for all times in naming many of her streets for them. The thoroughfares of the older sections of the city nearly all bear the name of one who came here in early days and was closely associated with the substantial progress and upbuilding of the city. Among this number was Oliver Clay, who was born in Massillon, Ohio, on the 30th of March, 1827. His parents, Isaac and Mary Clay, were Quaker people and the Clay family was founded in America by ancestors who came from England during an early period in the colonization of the new world. Both Isaac and Mary Clay departed this life in Ohio.

Oliver Clay pursued his education in the public schools of Massillon, and his first work in providing for his own support was on a farm. He later turned his attention to the livestock business and engaged in raising fancy stock. His people were all prominent farmers of Ohio, who carried on business on an extensive scale. Continuing his residence in the Buckeye state until thirty-two years of age, Oliver Clay then came to Oregon in 1859, arriving here in the month of January. He had made the journey by the water route and the isthmus of Panama, bringing with him his wife and two children. Misfortune, however, overtook them in the loss of all their goods, which were shipped on the next boat that started from Panama after they sailed. The boat on which the goods were sent, however, went down. Believing that he could do better in Oregon than in California, Mr. Clay made his way to this state and purchased a farm in Washington county, where the town of Reedville now stands. There he lived for about nine years, or until 1868, when he sold out and came to Portland. He was engaged in teaming for a time in this city and later turned his attention to the livery business, conducting a barn at the comer of Front and Jefiferson streets. There was a good demand for the horses and vehicles which he had for hire and he continued successfully in the business until, with a comfortable competence, he retired to private life about 1890.

It was on the ist of November, 1854, in Canton, Ohio, that Mr. Clay was united in marriage to Miss Jane A. Elliott, a daughter of Isaac and Anne (Bowman) Elliott. Mrs. Clay was born in Randolph, Ohio, June 11, 1833, and by her marriage became the mother of six children. Olive, born in Ohio, August 7, 1855, was married September i, 1874, to George E. Watkins, and they became the parents of two children : Frank E., who was born September 20, 1877, and married Helen Chambreau; and Grace E., born May 29, 1880, who is the wife of Dr. George B. Story and has one son, George Watkins Story. Oscar I. Clay, the second member of the family, was born in Ohio, June 8, 1858, and died October 11, 1888. He was commercial editor of the Oregonian for a num- ber of years and edited the Oregon Amateur, being the first amateur editor in Oregon. Harry M. Clay, born May 29, i860, was the first child of the family born in this state. His death occurred May 30, 1898, He was married on the 25th of September, 1884, to Miss Olive Butler, and at his death left two children, Frances A. and Hazel D. The former, who was born June 4, 1888, is the wife of James W. Pomeroy and has one child, Clay J. Hazel D. was born September 10, 1893. Edwin P. Clay, the fourth member of the family, was born March 14, 1865, and on the 26th of December, 1888, was married to Miss Edith C. Thomas of Olex, Oregon. He is now located at Forsyth, Montana, where he is engaged in the stock business. Alice A. Clay, born January 8, 1867, was married April 8, 1886, to Arthur S. Gibbs, who was born at Hillsdale, Michigan, April 23, 1857, and came to Portland in 1883. Here he was cashier and local treasurer for the Pacific Coast Company and was always connected with railway interests up to the time of his death, which occurred August 6, 1902. Mr. Gibbs and all of the members of the Clay family who have passed away have been laid to rest in Riverview cemetery. Unto Mr. and Mrs. Gibbs were born two children: Leon C, born February 12, 1887; and Arthur E., June 25, 1896. Achsah B., the sixth member of the Clay family, was born May 22, 1871, and died March 20, 1873.

Mr. and Mrs. Clay on coming to Portland established their home on Sixth street near Madison. Later they removed to the corner of Third and Madison and after five years took up their abode at the corner of Thirteenth and Market streets, purchasing a lot one hundred feet square. A small house was standing there and they occupied it until a larger residence was erected, Mr. Clay living there up to the time of his death. He was always a republican, but would never hold office. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist church on Taylor street, and their many substantial qualities gained for them the kindly regard of all who knew them. Mr. Clay passed away December 4, 1900. He had survived his wife for only about a year, her death having occurred on the 5th of November, 1899. Both were laid to rest in Riverview cemetery. They were widely known by the old residents of Portland. Mr. Clay's activity in business, his faithfulness in the church, and his loyalty in citizenship gained him a firm hold on the friendship and regard of those who knew him, and Clay street, one of the principal thoroughfares of the older district of the city, was named in his honor.

Hon. George Clayton Brownell

Few men in the state of Oregon have attained a more honorable record than Hon. George C. Brownell, a prominent attorney of Oregon City, and a man whose services in behalf of the state may be said to have marked an era in the annals of Oregon. The efifect of legislation which he introduced in the general assembly of the state will be felt for many years to come, and an examination of his public acts indicates that many of the measures he favored are those that are being fought for by friends of progress in other states of the Union.

Mr. Brownell was born at Willsboro, New York, August 10, 1858. He is a son of Ambrose and Annie (Smith) Brownell, the family being of English ancestry and among the early colonists of New England. Ambrose Brownell was a native of Essex county. New York, but removed to Columbia county of the same state, where he continued until his death. He was a soldier in the Civil war, fighting for the Union as a member of Company F, One Hundred and Eighteenth New York Infantry. The regiment took part in many engagements in Virginia and at one time he was severely wounded. His wife was a native of Addison county, Vermont.

After the usual course of study in the public schools and academy, George C. Brownell entered upon the study of law in the office of Hon. Charles L.

The City Of Portland 305

Beale, a member of congress of Hudson, New York, and in Albany in 1880, at the age of twenty-two years he was admitted to the bar. He practiced for a time at Frankfort, Kansas, and also served as mayor of the town from 1884 to 1885. In January, 1886, he removed to Ness City, Kansas, and soon afterward was appointed attorney for the Denver, Memphis & Atlantic Railroad, extending from Chetopa, Kansas, to Pueblo, Colorado. For two years he served as county attorney of Ness county, Kansas, but, although he had made an admirable start in his profession and had acquired a good reputation as a practicing attorney throughout a wide region in the Sunflower state, he could not resist a call that came from the northwest, and in June, 1891, he took up his residence in Oregon City, where he has since made his home.

It required a very short time for Mr. Brownell to become recognized among his brethren at the bar as a good lawyer and one who was destined to attain prominence in his profession. His business increased rapidly and his clients are among the leaders in all lines of business in western Oregon. He has all his life been a supporter of the principles of the republican party, and in 1892 was a nominee of the party for state senator. Under the law of the state, however, he was obliged to decline the honor at that time, as he had been a resident of Oregon for less than a year. He was made chairman of the delegation from the county convention to the state convention and was chairman of the republican central committee of Clackamas county during the campaign of 1892. In 1894 he was nominated by acclamation as state senator, an office which he occupied for three terms of four years each, extending over a period of twelve years. In the special session of 1898 he was chosen by his party caucus to present the name of Hon. Joseph Simon to the joint assembly as the candidate for United States senator. In 1900 he received the unanimous indorsement of the republicans of Clackamas county for member of congress. During the session of the state legislature in 1901, when the hope of electing a senator was almost abandoned, Mr. Brownell presented the name of John H. Mitchell, who was elected to the office. He also succeeded in the session of 1903-4 in securing the election of Hon. C. W. Fulton to the United States senatorship, full credit for this act being given him by Senator Fulton in a speech which he made immediately after the deciding ballot had been cast.

As a hard-working member of the state senate, Mr. Brownell was instrumental in framing much legislation which has been of great value to the state. He introduced a resolution for an amendment to the state constitution, providing for the initiative and referendum. This measure was brought forward in the session of 1901, and through Mr. Brownell's efforts, seconded by the votes of many members of both houses, the resolution was adopted and later was submitted to the vote of the people, and it was confirmed by popular suffrage, thus providing a means for the passage of the primary law, giving the people of Oregon the power to nominate their state officers without the aid of state or county conventions and also to elect United States senators by popular vote. Mr. Brownell was also author of the law providing that supervisors may be elected instead of being appointed ; of a bill exempting to every laboring man who is the head of a family thirty days' wages from attachment and execution for debt and other measures of state-wide importance. At each session he introduced a bill authorizing the calling of a constitutional convention to revise the organic law of the state and secured the passage of the bill through the senate in 1901, but in the house it was defeated by two votes. He was the author of a bill to elect precinct assessors instead of county assessors, and succeeded in securing the passage of this act in the senate, but it was defeated in the house by a very small majority. He introduced a resolution calling for the appointment of a committee to investigate the school funds of the state, and was made chairman of the committee which later reported a shortage of thirty thousand in the school funds and stopped abuses which threatened to dissipate the money that should be used for educational purposes. Mr. Brov/nell was president of the senate in 1902, 1903 and 1904, and continued as a member until 1906, since which time he has devoted his attention mainly to the practice of law. While acting as presiding officer of the senate, by a unanimous vote of both houses of the legislature, he was selected to deliver the address of welcome to President Roosevelt on the occasion of the president's visit to Oregon May 22, 1903. This was a distinguished honor. The address is an eloquent and beautiful tribute not only to the chief executive of the nation, but to the spirit of the people, whose representatives voiced their sentiments through the presiding officer of the highest legislative body in the state. The address is as follows :

"In behalf of the legislative assembly of the state of Oregon, we welcome you to this state. I know that I express the welcome of each member of both houses of our legislative assembly, irrespective of political creed. We welcome you as president and chief executive of the greatest people and greatest country in the civilized world. We welcome you also because we believe you stand for the highest ideals of American citizenship.

"We welcome you because we believe that in your personality you represent more strongly than any other public character in America the energy, the pushing and progressive spirit of all Americans.

"We welcome you because we believe that you represent and stand for the high and legitimate claims of labor and capital to unite without repression from either in the upbuilding and development of the material resources of this republic.

"We welcome you because we feel that we can see in you that same spirit that has been illustrated so many times by our fathers in this, that wherever we go as a people, wherever we stand, we stand for the right and a higher civilization ; and 'wherever our flag is put, there it shall stay put.'

"We welcome you because we believe that you stand for the idea that a nation or a people can never stand still, that they must go forward and upward or else the race will retrograde.

"We welcome you because we believe that whatever problems we as a people have to meet, whether they be in the coal fields of Pennsylvania or on the Pacific sea or in the Orient, that you will meet them as the chief magistrate of this country in a spirit of high liberal statesmanship, all the time governed with the idea that what is right for us to have, that we shall have.

"And again, I assume the responsibility here of welcoming you in behalf of the Second Oregon Regiment of Volunteers who served eight thousand miles across the sea in the Philippine Islands to uphold the same flag that was so upheld by you and those under you on that July day on San Juan Hill."

On the 28th of September, 1876, at Rockland, Massachusetts. Mr. Brownell was united in marriage to Miss Alma C. Lan. Two sons have been born to them, Howard and Ambrose. Mrs. Brownell is a member of the Presbyterian church, and Mr. Brownell is connected with a number of fraternal organizations, among them the Knights of Pythias, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Improved Order of Red Men, the Knights of the Maccabees, the Woodmen of the World and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. As is to be clearly seen by even a cursory glance at the salient points in the career of Mr. Brownell, he is a man of determined character. He is also the happy possessor of great resources within himself, which he can marshal when occasion offers. He is a live factor in the community and whatever his hands find to do he does with all his might. As a lawyer he has proven to be a safe counsellor, an able pleader and in the courtroom an opponent who gains the respect even of his bitterest adversary. He is a clear and forcible speaker, and has a mind well stored not only with lore gathered from law books, but with facts gleaned from the great fields of literature which have been his recreation and delight. He is diligent in his profession, active in pursuit of truth, and always lends a willing ear to calls upon his time or service, even when there is no expectation of pecuniary reward. He has earned the place he occupies as a citizen whose record is a complete refutation of the claim that all men have their price and that no man can engage in public life for a series of years and retire with an unsullied reputation.

Tom Phocion Randall

Tom Phocion Randall, postmaster of Oregon City, was born in that city November 22, 1863, a son of Noble Warren and Susannah Randall. His father, who was a native of Ohio, was born in 1825 and came to Oregon over the trail in 1852. He lived for many years in Oregon City and Clackamas county and occupied many public offices of trust. He was a man of high character and many noble impulses, and was one of the most popular citizens in this part of the state. He died on the 30th of May, 1890. Mrs. Randall was a native of Kentucky, where she was born in 183 1. She survived her husband for fifteen years, and was called to rest after a long Hfe of usefulness in 1905.

The subject of our review was reared under highly favorable auspices and was educated in the public schools of Oregon City and at the Portland Business College. After leaving school he was for some time in the employ of the Milwaukie Flouring Mills of Milwaukie, Oregon, as bookkeeper. Giving up that position, he entered the real-estate business with Thomas F. Ryan in Oregon City and there gained a thorough knowledge of a line which is one of the necessary elements in the growth of any city. He became a member of the Oregon City Transportation Company, and for five years acted as purser of the company. Like his father, he possesses the traits which are essential to those who succeed in public life, and it required no special effort on his part to gain a seat in the city council, over which body he presided during the years 1891, 1892 and 1893. In 1898 he again was elected to office, this time as county recorder, in which position he served with general acceptance for two terms. In 1903 he was appointed postmaster, and in 1907 was reappointed to the same office, having shown a capability which was greatly appreciated by the business men and citizens generally. He has been a lifelong republican, and is an ardent supporter of the principles of the party.

On the 5th of November, 1895, Mr. Randall was united in marriage to Miss Violet A. Matthieu, the youngest daughter of F. X. Matthieu of Butteville, Oregon. She was called away in 1896, leaving no issue. Mr. Randall was again married at Oregon City on the 3d of April, 1904, to Miss Nellie E. Boyd, by whom he has one child, Velma Margaret, who was born April 3, 1905.

Mr. Randall has at various times been connected with movements having for their aim the improvement and advancement of this region. He was a member of Company F, Oregon National Guard, and served as lieutenant of that organization. He has passed through the chairs of Oregon Camp No. 3, I. O. O. F., and also of Falls Encampment No. 4, I. O. O. F., and Watchene Tribe No. 13, I. O. R. M. He holds membership in Oregon City Lodge No. 1 189, B. P. O. E., and at the present time is president of the Oregon City Commercial Club, which is one of the leading factors in the upbuilding of this city.

Mr. Randall has passed his life in the community where he now resides and the honorable position he occupies is evidence of the esteem in which he is held by those to whom he is best known. It would be difficult to find a higher indorsement than that of our lifelong neighbors and friends. In all his acts, Mr. Randall has been governed by a desire to be just, and in no case to exact more than that which is due. As postmaster he is courteous and obliging, and the office is administered in a way that meets the commendation of citizens and of the authorities at Washington. He acts upon the principle so ably enunciated by Theodore Roosevelt that the office holder is exercising a trust for the benefit of the people, and the first consideration which he should keep constantly in view is honest and efficient service. The permanency of free institutions depends in a large measure on the application of these principles.

Paul Wessinger

To speak of Paul Wessinger only in business connections would be to give but a one-sided view of his life, for, aside from his genius for organization and his powers of management resulting in the substantial control of one of the important productive industries of the city, operating under the name of the Henry Weinhard Brewery, his interests and activities have important bearing upon municipal progress and upon that broader development which finds tangible expression in art and music. He was born in Esslingen, southern Germany, on the 9th of February, 1859. His father, William Wessinger, was professor of Latin at Stuttgart, Germany, to which place he removed when his son Paul was but six years of age. He continued to devote his life to educational interests until 1877, when he passed away at the age of forty-six.

Paul Wessinger pursued his education in the high school of Stuttgart, benefiting largely by instruction there received, for the educational system of that city was taken as a model throughout Germany on the reorganization of the empire in 1871. Following his graduation in 1877 Mr. Wessinger took the examinations for an officer in the German army and made the required grades. He then finished his education with a course in a mercantile school and entered business life in connection with a large linen mill, serving there for about five years, the first two years being devoted to an apprenticeship, while three years were spent upon the road as representative for the house in northern and central Germany. This brought him in close contact with many of the most prominent merchants and gave him insight into business methods which were followed.

In November, 1885, Mr. Wessinger came to Portland and entered the Weinhard Brewery in order to learn the business. He worked in every department, beginning in a most humble capacity and advancing step by step through successive promotions until he became Mr. Weinhard's right-hand man, so continuing until the latter's death. In 1892 Mr. Wessinger made a trip through Germany, studying the methods and machinery in use in the breweries of that country during his six months' sojourn there. Upon the death of Mr. Weinhard in 1904 he became one of the executors of the estate and has since had the active management of both the brewery and the estate.

While the extent and importance of his business afifairs make continuous demand upon his time, he yet finds opportunity for cooperation in public affairs wherein Portland is directly benefited. He was one of the original fifteen directors of the Lewis and Clarke Exposition and was chairman of the grounds and building committee. He also served as one of the sub-committee of three which selected the grounds, choosing a district which for natural beauty and scenic environment could not be surpassed. He was one of the first workers in the movement to secure the exposition and contributed in large measure to its success. In 1906 he served as one of the trustees of the Chamber of Commerce and at the present time he is a member of the Portland Live Stock Association. He is also president of the Oregon Brewers Association and he is interested in many of those things to which men devote their leisure - interests which work for culture and intellectual expansion as well as recreation. He belongs to the Commercial Club, to the Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturers Association, the Arlington Club and various German societies. He has always been a lover of music, is a member of the Apollo Club and in 1905 was president of the Northern Pacific Sangerbund. Moreover, he is a devotee of art and was one of a committee of five who selected the silver service for the battleship Oregon. Fine horses claim his attention to some extent and he has a large stable, being the owner of Hal B, which has the record for speed on the coast of 2:043/4. He has done much to improve the stock in the northwest and in this connection his work deserves more than passing credit.

In December, 1885, Mr. Wessinger was married, in Portland, to Miss Anna Weinhard, and they have two children : Milla and Henry William, aged twentythree and twenty-two years. Such is the history of one who is today recognized as among Portland's most prominent citizens. He has wisely utilized his time and talents in the attainment of success, but his interests have been by no means self-centered, his labors extending to the social, intellectual, esthetic and political activities which are the chief forces in society and municipal organization. Such is his personal worth and social qualities that all who know him are glad to call him friend.

Rev. A. Hillebrand

Rev. A. Hillebrand, pastor of St. John's parish, Oregon City, is one of the leading moral and religious forces of western Oregon. A representative of the Teutonic race, he came to America many years ago. and has been a powerful instrument in advancing the prosperity of the northwest. He was born at Brilon, Westphalia, Germany, July 19, 1859, and is a son of A. and Catherine (Weber) Hillebrand. After the usual course in the elementary schools, he attended the gymnasium, where he was graduated in 1881, and was matriculated at the University of Munster, later becoming a student at the American College in the University of Louvain. After two years in theology and philosophy, he was ordained to the priesthood June 28, 1885, at Louvain by Right Rev. Aegidius Junger, bishop of Nesqually, of the state of Washington, who was at the time in Belgium. He came with Bishop Junger to Oregon, and was placed in charge of the missions of the eastern part of Oregon, in a district two hundred and fifty by three hundred miles in extent. His duties required his presence in many places over this extensive region, then thinly inhabited. He traveled on horseback and for three years lived the life of a pioneer missionary priest.

In his work in a new country, surrounded by many difficulties which are almost unknown at the present time, Father Hillebrand displayed a zeal and capability which led to his appointment July 4, 1888. as pastor of St. John's parish, Oregon City. Here he has ever since remained and his efiforts have been crowned with an abundant measure of success. St John's is recognized as one of the best organized parishes in Oregon, and during the last twenty, years the church has been enlarged to twice its original size, the last addition having been made in 1902. A new parochial residence was erected, and in 1907 the McLoughlin Institute was added as a crowning feature of the educational system of the parish. This institution is the outgrowth of St. John's parochial and high schools and is named in honor of Dr. John McLoughlin, who has been given the title of Father of Oregon, and whose bones repose in St. John's churchyard. The institution is a monument to his memory. Father Hillebrand has been a prorninent worker in the effort to preserve the old McLoughlin home at Oregon City as a memorial to one who will long be remembered as a leader in pioneer days.

On the 28th of June, 1910, was celebrated the silver jubilee of the entrance of Father Hillebrand to the priesthood. The occasion attracted a great throng of his friends and admirers. A local paper in the course of an extensive article had the following to say : "Rev. A. Hillebrand, pastor of St. John's, Oregon City, on Tuesday of this week, celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of his ordina- tion to the priesthood. Most Rev. Alexander Christie and a large number of the archdiocesan clergy were present at the jubilee services. Solemn high mass was celebrated at ten o'clock by the reverend jubilarian in the presence of a congregation which filled St. John's church to the doors. At one o'clock dinner was served to the visiting clergy, and in the evening a public reception was held in McLoughlin hall at which a great throng gathered. It was a joyful occasion for the people of Oregon City, both Catholic and non-Catholic, who turned out in great numbers to present their felicitations to Father Hillebrand who has earned their affection and gratitude by twenty-two years of zealous labors in their community." In the evening of this auspicious occasion, a public reception was tendered in McLoughlin hall, the Grand Army band serenading Father Hillebrand at his residence and accompanying him to the hall, where congratulatory addresses were made by clergymen and distinguished laymen, most of them non-Catholics, and a purse was presented to the jubilarian in behalf of the parishioners.

During the time Father Hillebrand has been spiritual director of St. John's parish, he has made hosts of friends, both within the church and without. A worthy disciple of a world-wide faith, he has at all times exerted a kindly and helpful influence and has radiated an atmosphere among his own people that has been a constant incentive to a higher life. He is a member of the Catholic Knights of America. An old book says : "He who turns many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever." Such, in the opinion of friends and admirers of this beloved pastor, is the reward to which he may aspire, as also it may be the reward of all worthy disciples of a Christian faith whose lives are governed by principles of rectitude and truth.

Phineas T. Hanson

Phineas T. Hanson, a veteran of the Civil war, now living retired at St. Johns, was born on a farm near Palmyra in Somerset county, Maine, April 20, 1842, a son of James and Hannah Hanson. After receiving the usual education at the district school, he was in attendance at a private school at Newport, Maine, when President Lincoln issued his call for volunteers to suppress the rebellion. The summons to arms met a ready response from all the loyal states, and at the age of nineteen Phineas T. Hanson enlisted, September 2, 1861, from Somerset county, for three years, or during the war. He was mustered into the United States service at Augusta, Maine, on the 22d of September, 1861, as a private of Company C, Ninth Regiment Maine Volunteer Infantry, Colonel Richworth commanding. He was honorably discharged at Black Island, South Carolina, December 31, 1863, but reenlisted as a veteran in the same company and regiment the following day to serve for three years, or during the war, his captain being George W. Brown and his colonel George F. Granger. The Ninth Maine Infantry was organized in September, 1861, under Colonel Horatio Bizbee, who was later succeeded in command by Colonels Richworth, Emery, Robinson and Granger.

On September 24, 1861, the command left the state of Maine for Washington and after remaining there two weeks, sailed for Hilton Head, South Carolina. The entire year of 1862 was spent in garrison duty in Florida, and in January, 1863, the regiment returned to Hilton Head, where it remained on picket duty until the following June. The regiment then joined the forces operating in Charleston Harbor under command of Colonel Emery and participated in the assault of Strong's brigade on Fort Wagner, and in the opening fight on Morris Island, South Carolina, capturing two of the enemy's flags. In October, 1863, the command moved to Black Island, and while there four hundred and sixteen of its original members reenlisted and received veteran fur- loughs. On April i8, 1864, the Ninth Regiment proceeded to Gloucester Point, Virginia, where it was assigned to Ames' division, Tenth Army Corps, and ascended the James river, landing at Bermuda Hundred and advancing immediately upon the enemy's lines. During its service the regiment saw much hard fighting, but at all times upheld the reputation of the state of Maine for patriotism and loyalty to the Union. Its total loss of officers and men in killed and wounded was six hundred and forty-four. The regiment took part in the following battles: Hilton Head, Fernandina, Florida; Morris Island, South Carolina; the siege and assault of Fort Wagner, Port Walthall, Arronfield Church, Drurys Bluff, Warebottom Church, Cold Harbor; the siege and assault of Petersburg, Deep Bottom, Chapman's Farm and Darbytown Road in Virginia, in addition to many minor engagements and skirmishes and much guard, garrison and picket duty, at all times performing gallant and meritorious service. The regiment marched to Fort Fisher, North Carolina, drove the Confederates out of the fort at Smithville, and then marched to Wilmington and from there to Goldsboro, North Carolina, where it met Sherman's army returning from Savannah, and marched on to Raleigh. Later the regiment gathered at Raleigh North Carolina, where it was mustered out. The subject of this review was promoted to the rank of sergeant October 22, 1864, in recognition of efficient service. He was confined in a hospital at Fernandina, Florida, on account of sunstroke, but at the end of six weeks rejoined his regiment which was stationed there at that time. He bore a gallant part in all the service to which he was assigned, and never shirked any duty that would advance the interests of the Union cause. He received his final discharge at Raleigh, North Carolina, on the 13th of July, 1865.

At the close of the war Mr. Hanson returned to his old home in Maine, where he remained until 1867, when his marriage occurred. After ten years spent on a farm, which he purchased at East Corinth, Penobscot county, he disposed of this property and bought a farm near Palmyra, which he operated until 1882. Having decided to visit the west and establish a permanent home there if it should prove satisfactory, he bade farewell to his family for two years, and came with an emigrant train across the plains to San Francisco. There he went aboard the steamer Columbia and landed at Astoria, Oregon. He soon found employment in a logging camp at Deep River, Washington, where he continued for two years. He then established his home in St. Johns but at the end of nineteen years took up his residence at Point View, one of the suburbs of St. Johns, where he now lives. For several years he conducted a contracting business, but ill health compelled him to retire from active operations, and he is now living in a comfortable home at his ease, having through many years of industry and good management acquired a competence for the evening of life. In 1867 Mr. Hanson was united in marriage to Miss Adele J. Johonnot of Newport, Maine, and unto them were born two children: Mabel V., now Mrs. John B. Walker, who has one child, James, aged nine years; and Blanche, now Mrs. William Marchy, who has three children - Ruth, four years of age, Lewis, aged two, and Benjamin Franklin, now an infant. Mrs. Hanson belongs to a family of soldiers. Her great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary war and was in the battle of Ticonderoga. The family originally came to America from France as refugees at the time of the persecution of the French Huguenots. Her father, John G. Johonnot, was a soldier of the Civil war. He enlisted in the Fourteenth Maine Regiment, but was sent home on account of age. He reenlisted in the Sixth Maine Battery, Light Artillery, and served as gunner until his death December 20, 1862. Mrs. Hanson is a charter member of General Compson Post No. 32, Women's Relief Corps. Mr. Hanson has always taken a deep interest in the organizations resulting from the Civil war, and his name has been found on the rolls of Stephen Davis Post No. 11, Grand Army of the Republic of Maine; James W. Nesby Post No. 32, of The Dalles, Oregon;

The active career of Mr. Hanson practically began amid preparations for the great Rebellion, one of the most important conflicts in the annals of history. In this great war he performed the service of a true soldier, and as he draws near the close of a long life he regards with just pride the efforts he made many years ago to uphold the flag and render possible the existence of a republic which is today the mightiest monument that has ever been erected by man. It is to the gallant soldiers of the Civil war, many of them farmer boys who were just beginning to look out upon life and wonder what it held for them - it is to these brave men and to others of a later generation who have assisted in the perpetuation of the principles of freedom, that the republic owes its existence. It has been truly said that these men need no monument of marble. They built an enduring monument in the great American republic. To them the oppressed of the whole world look as a prototype that will finally culminate in a realization of the dream which has not as yet taken tangible form, "The parliament of man and the federation of the world."

Louis Nicolai

The qualities of business leadership are in a substantial degree the possession of Louis Nicolai. An initiative spirit and ability to coordinate forces so as to produce a unified and harmonious whole and to direct the labors of others so that maximum results are achieved at a minimum expenditure of time, labor and material, are strongly marked characteristics in his business career, and his ability and success places him in a prominent position in the ranks of those who represent industrial activity in Portland, for he is now president of the Nicolai- Neppack Company, proprietors of a planing-mill and sash and door factory which cover the entire block bounded by Davis, Everett, First and Second streets. His name has been associated with the lumber industry here since 1868 and the importance and extent of his business interests are today indicated in the fact that he now employs over one hundred workmen.

A native of Saxony, Germany, Mr. Nicolai was born February i, 1838, his parents being John Henry and Margaret (Held) Nicolai, farming people of the fatherland. When he was fifteen years of age the family emigrated to America, settling on a farm in Michigan, where they remained from 1853 until 1868. At that time the entire family came to Oregon by way of the isthmus of Panama and San Francisco with Portland as their destination. Louis Nicolai had previously been married in Michigan, the lady of his choice being Miss Margaret Kurtz, a native of the state of New York.

Following his arrival in Portland in the spring of 1868, Louis Nicolai joined with his brothers, Adolph and Theodore, in the establishment of a sawmill business at Beaver Valley, where they remained for about seven years and then removed to Albina, where the business was conducted for a number of years. They then returned to Beaver Valley, being associated together in a sawmill at that place for about fifteen years. About the time that they first began the operation of a sawmill they also established a planing-mill on Second and Everett streets in Portland. It was a small concern but the enterprising business methods of the partners, who operated under the firm style of Nicolai Brothers, soon won for them increased patronage and the business grew to extensive proportions. In 1887 it was incorporated and is now being carried on under the style of the Nicolai-Neppack Company. The plant has been extended to cover the entire block bounded by Davis, Everett, First and Second streets and employment is furnished to more than one hundred workmen. The present officers are Louis

Louis Nicola The City Of Portland 317

The last named is the eldest of the four children of Louis Nicolai. He married Octavia Betz. George, the second son, is a real estate and insurance man of Portland, who married Miss Harter and unto them have been born five children. Amelia is the wife of Walter Waite, a resident of eastern Oregon. Eveline is the wife of W. W. Chambro and they, with their four children, live with her father.

Mr. Nicolai has long been regarded as a prominent factor in the industrial circles of Portland. A few years ago during the strike every lumber and planing mill in the city closed down with the exception of the Nicolai-Neppack plant. On that occasion the engineer refused to perform his duties but Mr. Nicolai, who is a thorough mechanic, ran the engine himself. When in Michigan he had learned the carpenter's trade and throughout his entire life has been most handy with tools and capable in all mechanical lines. He belongs to the Masonic fraternity and is an exemplary representative of the craft. He has a beautiful home at No. 355 Hasselo street, which is located on a plot of ground covering a half block.

George W. Boschke

George W. Boschke has been characterized as "always on the fighting line." In other words, he is ever at the front to meet conditions face to face, and in the contests with nature, which are ever features to civil engineering, comes off conqueror in the strife. To say that he occupies the position of chief engineer of the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company seems comparatively little save to the people of the northwest, who are watching with breathless interest his operations in railroad building in Oregon, but to state that he was the builder of the great sea wall at Galveston is to bring him prominently before the country, for who has not heard of the splendid piece of engineering which has resisted one of nature's strongest and most dynamic forces - the great tidal wave which for a time threatened the destruction of the rebuilded city on the gulf?

His life history had its beginning in Boston on the loth of October, 1864. His parents were Albert and Mary (Paffy) Boschke, natives of Russia and Spain, respectively. They were married in Washington, D. C, and had two children, our subject's brother being now a resident of Los Angeles, California. Following his course in the public schools, George W. Boschke attended Wilson College. When his college days were over, he started for Texas - a young man of twenty-two years - and secured employment in connection with the engineering department of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Bending every energy toward the successful completion of the tasks assigned him, he carefully worked his way upward, his ability winning him recognition in successive promotions. He made his reputation as a constructing engineer by building various lines fof his company through the Lone Star state. It was while he was engaged on this work that the first tidal wave practically wiped out the city of Galveston, save those portions which were situated on higher land. Recovering from the first shock of the fatality, Galveston's energetic and determined people took up the task of rebuilding, and realizing that they must have protection from the sea, they offered Mr. Boschke twelve thousand dollars a year to build for them a wall which could withstand the shock of tidal wave. He was at that time in the service of E. H. Harriman in his railroad building in the southwest. Discussing the Galveston situation with Mr. Harriman. the latter advised him to continue in his railroad work. Galveston then considered other engineers, but returned to Mr. Boschke with a proposition that he should continue with his railroad work and at the same time build their sea wall. Again the question was discussed with Mr. Harriman, who agreed that Mr. Boschke should undertake the dual task. Neglecting neither the one nor the other, Mr. Boschke planned and superintended the work of railroad building and also undertook the construction of the sea wall, utilizing all his scientific and practical knowledge in building that which would constitute a safe barrier against the inroads of the ocean.

This was at length accomplished, and from the southv/est he made his way into the northwest country to plan and supervise difificult engineering feats in railroad building in Oregon. While thus engaged, telegraphic communications were flashed throughout the country that Galveston on its island had been a second time leveled by the great tidal wave and that the sea wall had been ground into bits of gravel by the force of the waters. Mr. Boschke was at that time in his tent on the south bank of the Columbia river, the headquarters of a great railroad construction camp. He read the message and exclaimed : "It's a lie ! Galveston may be blown flat, the tidal wave may have swept high over the sea wall, but the wall itself still stands. I built it, and I built it to stand." The newspapers on reaching the construction camp confirmed the early reports, saying that the sea wall was an utter wreck, but that the man who built it was not to be blamed, as the tropical rage of the convulsion was beyond human power to control. Mr. Boschke's assistants and subordinates working in the northwest felt the deepest sympathy for their chief, but he never for a moment felt doubt, and early on the second day there began to come to him many telegraphic messages from prominent people and officials of Galveston. Their purport was, "The crest of the tidal wave was higher than the wall, but the wall itself still stands. It broke the force of the water and saved the city from destruction. No engineering work ever stood a greater test. Galveston is uninjured and you are its savior. We congratulate and thank you."

Mr. Boschke received this message apparently as calmly as he did the first and continued his labors of railroad building through the Des Chutes canyon. He had been sent to this section of the country as the representative of the Harrim^an interests, and confronted here a situation presenting difficulties of a twofold nature. Not only must he undertake the task of building a railroad in a district where nature was most unpropitious, but must meet competition brought about by the efforts of James J. Hill to check progress on the undertaking by building another road through the canyon. It is a well known fact that railroad operations have been promoted in Washington to the detriment of Oregon, this state lacking transportation facilities which must ever constitute the foundation for the development of a country. The Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company, with its line along the southern bank of the Columbia, together with a few small lines along the Pacific west of the Cascade range, practically constitute the railway system of this great state. When the late E. H. Harriman made his last trip to the coast, he was met by a large delegation of earnest citizens who stated to him the situation, to whom he gave the promise of building! a railroad line from the Columbia river southward into the interior of the state,; beginning at the point where the Des Chutes river runs into the Columbia. Some! years before a local corporation had secured a charter for the building of a roadj down the Des Chutes canyon, which is practically the only feasible way of reaching the great tablelands of the interior. The corporation had bought some] right of way and had laid a small portion of the track, but lack of funds hac blocked the work. The Harriman interests attempted to buy their charter, but the promoters held out for a large sum of money, and the Harriman lawyersl found flaws in its legal standing. Nothing daunted, Mr. Harriman began work,! realizing that the great timber regions and the high plateaus offering excellent! pasture lands for sheep would in time mean heavy transportation of lumber,! mutton and v/ool. It was at that time that he called Mr. Boschke, who had been! made chief engineer of the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company, with head-j quarters in Portland, to build the line. In the meantime the original company,!

disappointed in their expected sale, presented the question to James J. Hill, the railway magnate of Minnesota. Hill made the purchase and sent his men to the scene of action. The Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company was already in possession of the Des Chutes canyon and Mr. Hill was familiar with the work of Mr. Boschke and the character of the men. Accordingly he sent for his strongest representative, John F. Stevens, who had been connected with the building of the Panama canal, and gave him almost unlimited powers. Since that time it has been a continual contest between the two great engineering chieftains and their forces as to who should first complete the road. The Hill people got out an injunction to stop the work of the others and secured a decision which gives to the corporation the rights which they had purchased, the first choice of a right of way through the canyon. Mr. Boschke w^as not deterred by this, for with almost limitless power accorded him by the Harriman. interests, he resolved that when he could not get the best natural right of way, he would blast one equally as good out of the solid rock. This has been his policy from the first, and he began railroad construction near The Dalles on the Columbia, a little west of the mouth of the Des Chutes, and soon afterward turned into the canyon. The Hill people are working on their side of the canyon which at times narrows until there is scarcely room for the river in the two rival roadbeds between perpendicular walls a half mile in height. Not only does the engineer face the situation of laying railroad tracks along the bank of an irregular river, but must figure on the tremendous floods that sweep down through the canyon in the springtime. Added to other questions, there is the efifort to avoid hostilities between the workmen of the two forces and the necessity that each feels of completing the road before the other and thus, as one of the local papers has expressed it, "The scene is set for a Homeric struggle." Doubtless the work will be completed by each force in 191 1, but Mr. Boschke has the greater task in that he must dispute with nature for a right of way, blasting out his roadbed from the solid rock for many miles and meet continually most difficult questions of engineering. His ability and his worth, however, have been proven and the picturesque history of the past presents no more attractive nor fascinating story - a story of greater courage, resolution and determination than is shown by George W. Boschke, forceful and resourceful, 'possessing the perseverance when he knows that he is in the right to continue a work at all odds. The tasks that he has accomplished has made his name known throughout the length and breadth of the land, and in engineering circles, where knowledge gives true appreciation of the character of his worth, his course has awakened the highest and most unqualified admiration.

Mr, Boschke was married August 3, 1890, to Carrie M. Smith, a daughter of John and Theresa Smith, of Santa Rosa, California, and they are the parents of three children: Marguerite Ella, Elizabeth Hood and George Harriman.

Wilson Benefiel

Wilson Benefiel, a well known cement contractor of Portland, and also prominently identified with other lines of business, was born May 31. 1859, in Yamhill county, Oregon, a son of John Wesley and Lacy Ann Benefiel. The father was a native of Indiana, and was one of the pioneers of this state, arriving in Oregon in 1852. The mother came from Maryland and was a descendant of the Carrolls, a noted Revolutionary family. Mr. and Mrs. Benefiel moved to Washington county, Oregon, in 1865 and located on a farm.

Wilson Benefiel attended school first at a log school house four miles north of Forest Grove at a place called Greenville. At the age of sixteen years, he laid aside his books, and from that time has been largely self-supporting, although he continued at home for four years, the father's health being such that the responsibility of managing the farm devolved upon the son. At twentyyears of age he started out to 'meet the world, and for a year lived in the Walla Walla district. He then returned to the farm where he continued until 1881, when he removed to Portland, where he was employed for six months by the Lone Fir cemetery. He next resided for a few months at Centralia and there built a boat and went to the Grays Harbor country, where he engaged in the lumber business. In 1886 he returned to Washington county and spent six months upon a preemption claim. From that point he came to Portland, where he has since made his home. He has acted as superintendent of the Lone Fir cemetery since March 12, 1888, a position which he has filled with great acceptance to the board of directors and to those whose friends repose in this beautiful cemetery. About 1901 Mr. Benefiel began as a cement contractor which business he has carried forward in addition to his duties as superintendent of the cemetery. He erected the first concrete building on Union avenue, and also a large three-story concrete building at the corner of Mississippi and Killingsworth avenues. He also built the public swimming pool for the city at Sellwood Park. In his business career he has been highly successful, and has prospered from year to year.

On November 5, 1881, Mr. Benefiel was united in marriage to Miss Addie Sell, a daughter of Stephen Sell, who was a pioneer of Washington county, having arrived in this state from Ohio in 1852. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Benefiel : Francis Wilson, now aged twenty years ; and John Wilson, aged fifteen. The older is a graduate of the Portland Academy, and one of the promising young men of the city.

Mr. Benefiel is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World. He is recognized as a man of fine business ability and a citizen whose example is well worthy of imitation. His career illustrates in a striking degree the advantages which may result to the individual from responsibility in early life, while much of his success is due to habits of industry and economy. His experience indicates that if boys were thrown more upon their own resources there would be fewer failures in after life and the sum of human happiness would be vastly increased.

Charles Edward Rumelin

Without special advantages at the outset of his career, Charles Edward Rumelin has steadily advanced in his business career until, as president of Ash- |J ley & Rumelin, bankers, he now occupies a prominent position in banking circles in Portland. The width of the continent separates him from his birthplace, which was Argyle, Washington county, New York, his natal day being September 17, 1858. His parents were Frederick and Eliza Blossom (Scott) Rume-J lin, in whose home his youthful days were passed, while he acquired his education in the district schools of New York. His early experiences were those of the farm, and for a considerable period he was identified with general agricultural pursuits. He has been a resident of the northwest since 1885, ^"d has firmly established himself in the front rank of Portland's business men as president of Ashley & Rumelin, bankers, conducting a private banking business in this city. He is thoroughly informed concerning the value of investments and securities, of commercial paper and its possible rise in value, and in the field of private banking, where he has made for himself a notable and enviable position.

On the 7th of March, 1883, Mr. Rumelin was married to Miss Flora E. Ashley, and they have become the parents of a son and daughter. Reed Ashley and Rhoda. Mr. Rumelin served as a member of the Oregon militia from 1888 until 1892, and when mustered out was holding the rank of first lieutenant of

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Company A of the First Oregon Regiment. His political allegiance is given to the republican party, and he has twice given very tangible evidence of his fidelity to the best interests of the community by his service in the city council, covering the period from 1894 until 1896, and again from 1902 until 1905. He exercises his official prerogative in support of every measure calculated for the public good and instituted several progressive movements which have been of marked value in promoting the city's welfare. He was particularly active in abolishing wooden walks and in inaugurating concrete walks.

Gustave Walter Nelson

Gustave Walter Nelson, pastor of the Congregational church of St. Johns and for seventeen years past an earnest worker in a vocation which is recognized as the noblest occupation of man, was born in Denmark, November 28, 1861. He is a son of Andrew and Susanna Nelson. At four years of age he carne with his parents to America, the family passing through New York and Chicago to Sheffield, Illinois, and four years later to Cuming county, Nebraska, where the subject of this sketch attended the common schools until he was fourteen years of age. The family removed to Seattle, Washington, in 1876 and, having shown a marked adaptability for higher studies and an interest in intellectual subjects, which indicated good thinking and reasoning qualities, he entered the State University at Seattle and continued there for two years. In the meantime he had located a homestead and during the years 1884 and 1885 he taught school in order to acquire the necessary funds to prove up this claim. After one year's attendance at Tualitin Academy he matriculated at the Pacific University, where he devoted four years to the classical course, graduating with the degree of A. B. in 1890. Having decided to enter the ministry, he took the theological course in the Pacific Theological Seminary, and in 1893 he was ordained as a minister of the Congregational church.

Mr. Nelson was now thirty-two years of age and entered upon his life work with an energy and a zeal that promised abundant success. His first charge was at Kalama, Washington, where he remained from 1893 to 1895. He then responded to a call from Port Angeles, Washington, continuing there until the fall of 1899. His next call was from the Congregational church at Ashland, Oregon, and he ministered to that church until June, 1903, then going to Albany for a period of four years. On June i, 1907, he came to St. Johns, where he has since been in charge of a thriving church, which has a membership of fortyfive and an enrollment of eighty names in its Sunday school. The trustees of the church, who have proven earnest assistants to Mr. Nelson and have at all times given him their constant support, are B. T. Leggit, A. L. Douglas, A. E. McDermid, Marion Johnston and D. S. Busby. Mr. Nelson acts as superintendent of the Sunday school, and is always found among those who are most publicspirited in advancing the welfare of the community. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias and has become prominently identified with the interests of this region by investments in real estate in the immediate vicinity of St. Johns.

On the 24th of December, 1890, Mr. Nelson was united in marriage to Miss Ella Morrison, a daughter of Rev. J. M. Morrison, a retired Presbyterian minister of East Portland. Mrs. Nelson came with her parents from the east in 1883. Oiie daughter has been born to this union, Margaret Ruth, now fourteen years of age.

The church of which Mr. Nelson is a worthy exponent has in him an ardent and sincere supporter, and his kindly manner and his interest in every man, woman and child he meets has endeared him not only to his own parishioners, but to many who have no church affiliation. When he entered the ministry he gave his whole heart to the work. His wisdom has been gained by study of the Bible and the revealed word, by observation, reading and meditation, and in these, as in all other acts, he constantly bears in mind the responsibilities of his calling, involving as it does a sincere and devoted service in behalf of a cause to which he has voluntarily given the best energies of his life.

Arthur H. Breyman

The brilliancy of a man's genius asserts its force in the mastery of his work - the completeness of his undertaking - and the history of Arthur H. Breyman is a part - a potential part - of the history of commercial and agricultural progress in Portland and this section of the state. He was recognized as strong, forceful, determined and aggressive, characteristics which are the resultant factors in attainment in this age of marked enterprise and strong competition. He passed from life on the 17th of January, 1908, when in his sixty-eighth year. He was born at Bockenem, Germany, on the 2d of May, 1840. His father was an officer in the German army and fought in the battle of Waterloo. For a conspicuous act of bravery during that engagement he was awarded by Wellington, then in command of the Hanoverian troops, a medal which is reproduced herewith. During the latter part of his life he was one of the bodyguard of the emperor.

Arthur H. Breyman spent his youthful days in the fatherland to the age of seventeen years. About that time his parents died and he started out in the world for himself. He shipped as a sailor boy upon a sailing vessel that made the voyage across the Atlantic to New York. While the ship was in port Mr, Breyman was one day walking along the streets of New York city, when he met his elder brother Eugene, who had been in America for several years and was at that time engaged in business in Oregon but was temporarily in New York city. Arthur Breyman was influenced by his brother to leave the ship and go to Oregon. They journeyed by way of the isthmus of Panama and eventually reached La Fayette, Yamhill county, where the two brothers, Eugene and Werner, were conducting a mercantile establishment. Arthur Breyman entered their employ and remained with them until he had saved sufficient capital to enable him to purchase a small stock of goods. He then went to the mining town of Canyon City, where he conducted a store and was also financially interested in the mines for a number of years. In the meantime, while in the employ of his brothers, he had returned to the middle west, going to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where his sisters, Mrs. Matilda Inbush and Mrs. Alvena Hecker, were living. He also had two unmarried sisters there, Louisa and Albertina Breyman, who returned with him to Oregon. Again he journeyed by way of the isthmus of Panama to the Pacific coast and the ship on which they sailed went aground on a desert island. It was fourteen days before the ship lifted sufficiently to start again on its way to Oregon. It was after the completion of that trip to Wisconsin and his return to the Pacific coast that Mr. Breyman established a small store in La Fayette, where he remained for a few years and then went to Canyon City, Oregon. He spent several years in the latter place and on selling out removed to Salem, Oregon, v/here he engaged in the dry-goods business. He became recognized as one of the leading merchants and influential citizens of that place and made substantial progress during his residence there.

While in Salem Mr. Breyman was married on the 25th of January. 1867, to Miss Phoebe Cranston, who was born in Champaign county, Ohio, and came to Oregon in 1851, making the journey across the plains. The party were two years on the trip for the parents had heard that the cholera was bad in the west and that the Indians were on the war path. Therefore, they proceeded by easy stages, spending the winter in Missouri.

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Mr. and Mrs. Breyman began their domestic life in Salem and five years after their marriage he disposed of his store there and settled upon a cattle ranch on Bridge creek, near Prineville in eastern Oregon. His attention was given to the management of the ranch for five years, after which he removed to Prineville, where he engaged in general merchandising for five years and also bought and sold live-stock. In 1882 he came with his family to Portland. He had large cattle interests in the Yakima valley, which he retained after he came to Portland for a time and later purchased the ranch and live-stock interests of the Baldwin Sheep Company near Prineville, after which he organized the now famous Baldwin Sheep & Land Company, of which he was president for many years and which operated extensively and successfully in both lines indicated by the title until he sold out.

Coming to Portland, Mr. Breyman supervised his business afifairs and also invested in property in the city, recognizing that its continuous growth must in time advance prices. Here he entered the leather, harness and saddlery busitiess in connection with his son, William Otto Breyman, under the style of the Breyman Leather Company, Arthur H. Breyman remaining as president of the company until his death, when he was succeeded by William Otto Breyman, who is now president, while the mother, Mrs. Phoebe Cranston Breyman, is vice president. The factory is located at the corner of Fifth and Oak streets in Portland and is devoted to the manufacture of leather goods, harness, saddlery, etc. It is one of the important productive industries of the city and is a well managed business concern.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. Breyman were born five children : William Otto, previously mentioned; Bertha Rt)xana, the wife of Ormsby M. Ash of Portland; and Floy Louise, Edna Cranstjoii and Arthur Cranston, all at home with their

Mr. Breyman was devotedi tbtne- Welfare of his family and found his greatest happiness in ministering to their comfort. He was a German Lutheran in belief and was a member of the board oLpublic works when it Vv^as first organized. He was one of those strong and forceful characters who seem to find the happiness of life in the success of their work. He was ever the same man, yesterday, today and tomorrow, never allowing the accumulation of wealth to aflfect in any way his relations toward those less fortunate. His persistence for precision and thoroughness in small afifairs as well as in complex things was pronounced and therein lay one of the factors of his business advancement.

William Otto Breyman

William Otto Breyman, president and manager of the Breyman Leather Company, controlling one of the leading saddlery houses of the Pacific coast, was born in Salem, Oregon, December 29, 1867, a son of Arthur H. Breyman, of whom mention is made above. The removal of the family to Portland in his early boyhood made it possible for him to pursue his preliminary education in the public schools of this city, and subsequently he attended the Peekskill Military Academy on the Hudson. His initial experience in business life came as an employe of the First National Bank of Portland, in which he remained for seven years. He afterward engaged in mercantile pursuits and later bought out the firm of Herbert Bradley & Company, wholesale leather and shoe findings, in 1896.

He then organized the Breyman Leather Company, of which he has since been the president and manager. The scope of the business was extended to include wholesale harness and saddlery in 1903. From a small concern this enterprise has steadily grown and developed until today the house is recognized as one of the leading saddlery houses on the Pacific coast. Mr. Breyman has made a thorough study of the trade, so that he is able to direct its interests in accordance with present day conditions, and he has forged ahead continuously in his chosen field until he now ranks with the most successful men in this Hne in this section of the country, for the house has gained a reputation for the reliability of its methods and the character of its output is unassailable.

E. H. Mansfield, for six years past a resident of St. Johns, Oregon, was born at Toledo, Ohio, in 1854. He is the son of Hiram and Alzina Mansfield, who came from Ireland some years before the Civil war and located at Moline, Illinois, in the spring of 1855. Hiram Mansfield gave his hfe to his adopted country. He enlisted in the Ninth Illinois Cavalry and was killed in battle during the first year of the Civil war. The following year his widow was called away, leaving the son to fight his battles alone.

E. H. Mansfield thus early became inducted to the stern realities of life. However, he possessed a resolute heart and inherited from worthy parents a hope that has never entirely departed and he determined, even as a boy, to make the best of the conditions by which he found himself surrounded. He lived in Geneseo, Illinois, until seventeen years of age and never possessed the advantages of education except in his very early years. At the age of eleven he began to learn the barber's trade and after traveling in many parts of the country he located in St. Johns, Oregon, in 1904, where he has since been engaged at his trade. Mr. Mansfield generally casts his vote with the democratic party. He is a member of the Yeomen lodge and since his earliest recollection has been identified with the Catholic church.

Marius Hansen

Marius Hansen, a progressive and enterprising contractor of Portland, is a native of Denmark, born in the town of Wamdrup, on the i8th of August, 1863, and a son of Christian and Christine (Neilsen) Hansen. The father died in 1882 at the age of sixty-six years, while the mother survived until 1903, passing away at the age of seventy-six years. In their family were eight children, five sons and three daughters, all still living. Marius Hansen lived with his parents until he was twenty years of age. He received his education in the common schools and later learned the blacksmith's trade and also gained some experience in farming in the mother country.

At twenty years of age, in 1883, Mr. Hansen came to America and first located at the town of Dedham, Iowa, where he remained about ten months. He then traveled westward to Nebraska and was employed upon a farm for three years. Not entirely satisfied with the outlook in the prairie region and believing that the Pacific coast presented favorable conditions for a young man who was willing to work, he came to Portland and since 1888 has made this city his home. For more than twenty years past he has been identified with cement construction and few men in the country are better informed concerning the properties and qualities of cement and the many uses to which it may be applied. As a general contractor he has attained an established reputation and during the years past has put in the foundations of some of the largest buildings of the city and in all classes of cement work has shown an ability that places him in the front line among those who are engaged in the industry.

On the 19th of December, 1884, Mr. Hansen was united in marriage to Miss Anna Shultz, a daughter of Christian and Johanna Shultz. She was also a na- tive of Denmark and was called from earthly ties October 28, 1905. She was a good wife and the mother of four children, three of whom are now living, Tina, Anna and Edith. Mr. Hansen is a member of the Lutheran church and lives in a beautiful residence on East Grant street. He has never had cause to regret that he selected Portland as his home. His chief source of recreation is automobiling. He is an active member of the Brooklyn Push Club and politically is identified with the democratic party.

James Boyce Montgomery

James Boyce Montgomery, a railroad builder whose efforts contributed to the development of both the east and the west and who for many years was one of the best known and most highly honored citizens of Portland, was born at Montgomery's Ferry on the Susquehanna river in Pennsylvania, twenty-five miles north of Harrisburg, December 6, 1832. Between the ages of six and sixteen years he was a pupil in the public schools near his home and then sought the city that he might find broader opportunity for the exercise of his industry and ambition - his dominant qualities. In Philadelphia he obtained a position on the Evening Bulletin, with which he was connected for several years, until qualified to do expert work in that line. His ability won recognition among those f)ro'minent in the printing business, and he was offered a position on the Sandusky (Ohio) Daily Register by Governor H. D. Cook in 1853. It is notable that each forward step in his career brought him broader opportunities. His position with the Register led to his appointment as editor of the Pittsburg Morning Post, and in time he became one of the proprietors of that paper, which he successfully managed, making it one of the leading journals of that section of the country. Other fields of labor, however, seemed to promise more rapid and substantial returns and, disposing of his interests in the paper to Colonel James P. Barr, his partner, he took up the work of railroad development in Pennsylvania as a contractor. With two associates in 1858 he secured a contract to build a bridge across the Susquehanna river at Linden, Pennsylvania, for the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad Company. The work was successfully completed and furnished the opening for larger operations in the field of railroad building. In 1859 ^^'- Montgomery was awarded the contract for building the Bedford & Hopewell Railroad in Pennsylvania, and in 1861 became associated with Captain William Lowthes in the building of the Nesquehoning Valley Railroad. The outbreak of the Civil war, resulting in the difficulty of obtaining labor, caused a suspension of this work, however, but it was afterward completed by Mr. Montgomery in 1868-9. ^^ the meantime he had done work under contract for the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad, and in 1866 became one of its directors, in which position he remained until 1869. He also built the wire bridge across the Susquehanna river at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. His operations in the field of railroad building became all the time of more importance, bringing him prominently before the public in this connection. He became one of the owners of the charter of the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad in connection with Thomas A. Scott, George W. Cass, J. D. Potts and J. D. Cameron, who were active in securing the construction and completion of the line between Baltimore and Washington, D. C. He was also interested in the completion of four hundred miles of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, extending into Denver. He met with substantial and growing success as a railroad builder and contractor, and his services in that connection were in continuous demand. He found ready solution for intricate business problems, readily co-ordinated forces and brought seemingly dissimilar interests into a unified whole. Difficulties vanished before him as mists before the morning sun, for his energy seemed indomitable, and when one avenue of opportunity was closed he sought the fulfillment of his purpose in another direction.

Mr. Montgomery's residence on the Pacific coast dated from 1870, and the following year he became a resident of Oregon. Soon afterward he offered to build the first portion of the Pacific division of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and the contract was awarded him against fifteen other builders. He constructed over one hundred miles of the road and also built the draw-bridge across the Willamette at Harrisburg for the Oregon & California Railroad. He was most systematic in all that he did, so that results were accomplished at a minimum loss of labor, time and material. In this is the secret of all success, and in time led Mr. Montgomery to a position among the prosperous residents of the northwest. In 1870 he went to Scotland for the purpose of organizing a company which subsequently built or acquired one hundred and sixty-three miles of railroad in the Willamette valley, of which Mr. Montgomery himself constructed seventy-eight miles. The American spirit of energy and determination soon accomplished his purpose. The company was organized and a contract for rails was let at Stockton-on-the-Tees. Proceeding to London, he chartered the two vessels St. Louis and Childers to bring the rails to this country. While crossing to Great Britain he had become acquainted with Captain Gilmore, who said that he was on his way to Cardiff, Wales, to take command of the ship Edwin Reed, which was to sail with a cargo of rails for the Willamette valley to be used by a company organized in Great Britain for constructing a railway line. With celerity and dispatch Mr. Montgomery carried out his plans and not only organized the company, but also had his rails in Portland six weeks before the arrival of the Edwin Reed under command of Captain Gilmore.

While railroad construction and organization largely claimed the energies and ability of Mr. Montgomery, he did not confine his efiforts entirely to that line, his labors proving equally effective in other departments of business. He took large contracts for government work in the channels of the Columbia and Snake rivers, requiring the removal of great masses of rock, particularly at the John Day rapids. He built and operated steam sawmills at Skamokawa on the Columbia, the enterprise being conducted under the name of the Columbia River Lumber & Manufacturing Company. He likewise built large docks and warehouses on the water front at Albina, and of these was sole proprietor. The word fail had no part in his vocabulary. A plan undertaken was carried forward to successful completion, and the methods employed were ever of the most honorable and straightforward character. Indeed Mr. Montgomery sustained an unassailable reputation for business integrity and reliability from the outset of his business career, and that he early gave indication of his marked business ability as well as integrity is perhaps best indicated by an incident which occurred in 1861 when he was but twenty-nine years of age. At that time he had accumulated but very little property and was in need of ten thousand dollars with which to carry on a business project. He made his way to the home of a relative, General J. K. Moorhead, a distance of three hundred miles, and asked the general to indorse his note for ten thousand dollars. This was done, and the money was forthcoming from the Bank of Pittsburg, payable in four months. At the end of that time Mr. Montgomery again had need for ten thousand dollars and again asked the general to indorse his note for that amount. The latter replied : "James, it is a good deal of trouble for me to indorse your note every three or four months and inconvenient for you to come out this distance. I can do something better." Thereupon he sat down and wrote out the following : "To J. Cook & Company, Washington, D. C. ; Gentlemen : I will be responsible to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars for money advanced to J. B. Montgomery. Respectfully, J. K. Moorhead." In commenting upon this, Mr. Montgomery afterward said that at the time he thought of it only as an act of conspicuous generosity on the part of his relative, but subsequent years of experience convinced him that it was an act of great confidence in his integrity. General Moorhead never inquired into the matter or spoke of it for nearly two years, and then asked if Mr. Montgomery had straightened matters

The City Of Portland 331

Ahhough an active man of business, Mr. Montgomery did not follow the course of many successful business men of the present day, who feel that politics are something with which they have no concern. He recognized the obligations as well as the privileges of citizenship, and stanchly and loyally supported the principles in which he believed. He voted with the democracy until, differing with the party policy on the question of slavery, he joined the republican party in i860 and supported Abraham Lincoln. He was thereafter to the time of his death an earnest advocate of republican principles, and in 1866, 1867 and 1868 represented Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, as a delegate in the state convention. In the first year he was associated with Thaddeus Stevens, Wayne Mac- Veagh and others on the resolutions committee, reporting a resolution commending the nomination of General Grant for the presidency, which was the first state convention to present the name of the hero of Appomattox as a presidential candidate. Mr. Montgomery would never consent to become a candidate for office until 1890, in which year he was nominated and elected to represent Multnomah county in the state legislature. He was nevertheless throughout all the years a potent factor in political circles by reason of his influence, his clearly expressed opinions, and his effort to further the cause in which he believed.

In 1861 Mr. Montgomery was married to Miss Rachel Anthony, a daughter of the Hon. Joseph B. Anthony, of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania. She died in 1863, leaving an only son, and in 1866 Mr. Montgomery wedded Miss Mary S. Phelps, the only daughter of Governor John S. Phelps, of Missouri.

The life history of James Boyce Montgomery most readily illustrates what may be attained by faithful and continued effort in carrying out an honest purpose. Integrity, industry and energy were the crowning points of his success, and his connection with various enterprises and industries was of decided advantage to the sections of the country in which he labored. He stood as the highest type of American citizenship; capable and discriminating in business, patriotic and loyal in citizenship, and with conscientious regard for the rights and privileges of his fellowmen.

David Cole

David Cole, who for the last forty-five years has been a resident of Oregon, was bom near Lewiston, Niagara county, New York, August 2, 1837. His father, William Cole, a native of Jefferson county. New York, was born in 1804 and died in 1868, while his mother, who bore the maiden name of Ruth Taylor, was born in Connecticut in 181 5 and died in 1876. His grandfather, William Cole, served in the Revolutionary war, while his great-grandfather, who also bore the name of William Cole, was killed in one of the Indian massacres of New England colonists.

David Cole received his preliminary education in the common schools of Jefferson county. New York, and, as his parents removed to Michigan when he was fifteen years of age, he continued his education in a private school at Coldwater, Michigan, and also had the advantage of attendance for a tim.e at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. At eighteen years of age he laid his school books aside and entered upon his business career as apprentice in the tinsmith's trade. At the age of twenty-three, after learning the trade, he removed to St. Joseph, Missouri, and was in business there at the breaking out of the Civil war. When St. Joseph was occupied by the federal troops, business having become very dull, he returned to Michigan, where he remained until 1864.

Mr. Cole was now twenty-seven years of age and he decided to locate permanently on the Pacific coast. He went first to San Francisco, where he found conditions not entirely satisfactory, and on February 14, 1865, he landed at Portland, then a thriving town which was just beginning to give evidences of the great development that has made it one of the principal centers of business on the coast of the Pacific. After working at his trade in Portland for a year or two, he went to Salem, Oregon, and embarked in business for himself. In 1873 he sold out and returned to Portland, and was just starting upon what promised to be a prosperous career when the city was visited by the great fire of August 2, 1873, when twenty-seven blocks of building were practically wiped out of existence. Fortunately for Mr. Cole, he had established himself outside of the fire limits and did not suffer any severe personal loss. He conducted a hardware and stove store at First and Taylor streets until 1893 and by diligence and good management acquired an independent fortune.

On March 3, 1868, Mr. Cole was married to Amanda L. Boone, a native of Salem, Oregon, and a daughter of Rev. John D. and Martha (Hawkins) Boone. Her father, who was a minister of the Methodist church, was a Kentuckian by birth and a direct descendant of Daniel Boone. He was for many years actively interested in the Boys and Girls Aid Society. Mr. and Mrs. Cole have one child, Winnie L., the wife of John McCarty, of Los Angeles, California.

Mr. Cole since arriving at maturity has been identified with the democratic party and has given zealous support to its principles. He was a member of the city council for four years before East Portland was incorporated as a part of the city of Portland. Since 1866 he has been connected with the Masonic order, having attained the Royal Arch degree and holding membership in Washington Lodge, No. 46. His life in a large measure has been controlled by the principles of this order and, while he has been unpretentious and modest, never claiming preferment over others, he years ago gained recognition as one of the useful and substantial citizens of a growing and enlightened community.

George E. Watkins

With industry and determination as dominant qualities, George E. Watkins has made steady progress in the business world, advancing from a humble financial position until he ranks among Portland's men of affluence. Moreover, his business record is such as any man might be proud to possess, it being a source of inspiration and of admiration to his colleagues and his contemporaries. He has made his home in Portland from pioneer times, arriving here when a little lad of ten years.

His birth occurred in Keokuk, Iowa, on the 4th of March, 1845. He was a son of George Watkins, a native of Watkinsville, New York, which town was named in honor of his ancestors. In his youth the father learned the wagonmaker's trade, and with the family removed from Watkinsville to St. Louis, Missouri. He was residing in the latter city when, in 1838, he was united in marriage to Miss Helen Caldwell, of St. Louis, and later they removed to Keokuk, Iowa, where they resided until 1852. In the meantime seven children had been born to them, and with their family they started across the plains to Oregon. It was a long, hard trip, the roads were in poor condition, streams had to be forded and supplies had to be carried nearly the entire distance, as after passing Omaha and some of the other western outposts of civilization, there was no hope of obtaining anything until the towns of the Pacific coast should be reached. Then, too, there was always the danger and fear of Indian attack, but the Watkins family at length reached the northwest in safety and settled first at Shoal Water bay on North river. There Mr. Watkins built a sawmill in 1854. He became not only one of the representative business men of that locality, but was also recognized as a leader of public thought and opinion and his fellow townsmen, appreciating his worth and ability, elected him to serve in the state legislature at Olympia, Washington, in the winter of 1855. While attending that session the high water washed his sawmill away. He returned home, and with undaunted spirit, set to work to retrieve his lost possessions. Removing to the Cascades, they engaged in building a warehouse on the island when the Yakima Indians planned and executed an attack upon the Cascades and he and his second son, James, then a boy of fourteen or fifteen years, were killed by the savages. It was one of the never to be forgotten tragedies which marked the pioneer history of the northwest. His wife had died in the spring of 1853.

George E. Watkins was but a baby when his parents crossed the plains, and was only ten years of age when his father was killed, and he was left an orphan. Soon afterward he came to Portland. He found the necessity of providing for his own support, and from that time made his own way in the world. He secured a position as a paper carrier with the Oregonian when but thirteen years of age, and as he came in contact with men and saw their progress toward success, he was fired with a laudable ambition to work his way upward. He realized, too, that education is a strong factor in success and in order to counteract the lack of school privileges of his own early youth, he worked his way through the Portland Academy and Female Seminary, which was then located on Seventh and Jefiferson streets. This school was afterward consolidated with the Willamette University and removed to Salem. When he had completed his course he secured a position in the store of John Wilson and that he was faithful and capable is indicated in the fact that he remained there for five years.

Having saved five thousand dollars from his earnings, Mr. Watkins started in business on his own account, investing his capital in a sheep ranch on Rock creek in eastern Oregon in connection with C. B. Comstock, now deceased. This partnership continued for two years, at the -end -of which time their success had been sufficient to enable Mr. Watkins to purchase the interest of his partner. For eight years he conducted the ranch alone and was closely connected with the sheep industry for a decade, which gave him a substantial start in life. He then returned to Portland in 1883 and repurchased an interest in the real-estate, insurance and loan business of Parrish & Cornell. The business is now conducted under the name of Parrish, Watkins & Company. The real-estate business was organized in 1867 by L. M. Parrish, now deceased, and since that time has had a continuous existence, although different changes in partnership have occurred. George E. Watkins and his son, Frank E.. are now owners, although the business is conducted under the style of Parrish, Watkins & Company. In addition to an extensive real-estate business, they make investments and loans, attend to rentals and also write a considerable amount of insurance each year. Their clientage is large and their business has reached very profitable proportions.

Mr. Watkins was married in Portland in 1874 to Miss Olive Clay, a daughter of Oliver and Jane A. Clay, who came to Portland about 1858 from Massillon, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Watkins became the parents of three children, of whom two are living: Frank E., who is married and is associated with his father in business; and Grace E., the wife of Dr. George B. Story and the mother of one son, George Watkins Stor}'. Mrs. Watkins died in Portland in 1887, and the attractive social qualities which she had displayed and her kindly spirit caused her death to be deeply deplored by many friends.

Mr. Watkins while engaged in the sheep industry served as justice of the peace in Wasco county, and for two years was a member of the state board of equalization. Otherwise he has held no public office, for his business interests have made increasing demand upon his time and energies. His political allegiance is given to the republican party. His son, Frank E. Watkins, is a thirty-second degree and K'night Templar Mason and member of Al Kader Temple of Shriners. He is also a member of the city council. Every man who establishes and conducts a legitimate and successful business enterprise becomes a factor in the upbuilding of the state, and in this connection, Mr. Watkins has done an important work. The obstacles and difficulties which confronted him in his youth were overcome by determined purpose and honorable effort and learning by experience how to make each hour count as a factor in the success of life, he has so directed his labors and placed his investments that splendid success has crowned his endeavors.

Thomas Clarke Devlin

Thomas Clarke Devlin, ex-city auditor and public accountant, was born at Little Falls, New York, on the 31st of December, 1859. His father, John C. Devlin, who was born in County Wicklow, Ireland, came to America in 1846. He first located in Massachusetts, but soon afterward removed to Little Falls, New York, where he married Miss Mary McGinnis, a native of County Meath, Ireland, who had come to this country in childhood. In 1870 they came westward, locating in Knox county, Missouri, where they engaged in farming until 1904, when, retiring from active life, they came to Portland to spend their remaining years with their son and daughter, Thomas C. Devlin and Mrs. James Gill of this city. John C. Devlin here passed away on the 28th of November, 1909, aged eighty-six years, five months and ten days. He was soon followed by his wife, whose death occurred August 25, 1910, when she had attained the age of seventy-six years and eight months.

Thomas C. Devlin was educated in various private schools of New York state and also at Edina Seminary, of Edina, Missouri. In 1881 he began teaching - first in the seminary, and then in the public schools. In the spring of 1884, on account of ill health, he removed to Colorado and taught history, mathematics and commercial branches in the college at Pueblo for two years. On the 31st of January, 1887, he was married to Miss Ida Phoebe Carpenter, of Stanfordville, New York, a member of one of the oldest Quaker families of that state. After spending a month in Denver. Mr. and Mrs. Devlin started for the Pacific coast, but Mrs. Devlin was taken ill en route and they turned back, going to her home in Dutchess county. New York, where she died on the i6th of August, 1887. In the spring of 1888 Mr. Devlin came west, remaining a few months. He spent the following winter, however, in Washington, D. C, and again came to the coast in the winter of 1889, locating in Portland in September, 1890. In February, 1891, he entered the employ of the city of Portland as an expert accountant. The following spring he took a very active part in the movement for the consolidation of Portland, East Portland and Albina, then three separate municipalities.