Portland, Oregon - Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders : in Connection with the An (part 15 of 25)

Mr. Riley has been a member of the American Bankers Association, a charter member of the Oregon Association of Title Men and a member of the American Association of Title Men. He was one of the incorporators of the Bankers Life Insurance Company. He is likewise identified with the Oregon Historical Society and with the Portland Commercial Club and is a cooperant factor in the movements of the latter for the upbuilding of the city and the extension of its business connections.

William D. Sappington

William D. Sappington is now serving for the second term as sheriff of Clarke county, Washington, and, moreover, has been honored by a second election to the presidency of the state sheriff's association - an honor accorded to no other man in the history of the state. He is a native son of the northwest, his birth having occurred in Yamhill county, Oregon, September 10, 1864. He was reared and educated in Washington county, Oregon, and in 1883, when a young man of nineteen years, went to Hood River, Oregon, where he spent one year. The following year was passed in Washington and through the succeeding two years he resided at Cascade Locks, Oregon. In 1889 he took up his abode in the city of Portland. During all this period he was engaged in mechanical engineering but in Portland he turned his attention to the live-stock and meat business, in which he continued for twelve years with success.

At the end of that time Mr. Sappington removed to Yacolt, Clarke county, Washington, where he continued to engage in the live-stock business until 1906, when he was elected sheriff of the county on the republican ticket. He entered upon the duties of the office on the 14th of January, 1907, and toward the close of his term he was reelected, so that his incumbency will continue until January, 191 1. He was the first man in the history of the county that has ever been elected to the position of sheriff without opposition, this happening at his second election. When first chosen to the position he removed to Vancouver. He has been most prompt and faithful in the execution of the duties that devolve upon him, neither fear nor favor swerving him from the course that he believes to be right. He has also held other local offices. He was made a director of schools in Yacolt and was serving on the board that built the high school there, acting as its chairman at the time. He is now a prominent member of the Washington State Sheriffs Association, was elected its vice president at Colfax, Washington, in 1907, was elected president at Olympia in 1908 and was reelected in 1900, being the only man that has been honored with the presidency for two terms.

Mr. Sappington has served as a delegate to state conventions for many years. He was thus acting at Spokane in June, 1907, when delegates were elected to the national convention held at Chicago, which nominated President Taft. He was also a delegate to the state convention which nominated Judge W. W. McCreadle and was a delegate to the state convention held in Tacoma in August, 1910, that nominated the state supreme judges. He was appointed by Governor Hay as delegate to attend the American Interstate Prison Congress held at Seattle in July, 1909, and also appointed him a delegate to the American State Prison convention held at Washington, D. C, in August, 19 10. During the fire of 19 10 that destroyed much property in Clarke county he served as chairman of the relief committee that distributed funds and provisions to the sufferers.

On the 13th of August, 1889, Mr. Sappington was married to Miss Eunice Blackwood, of Washougal, Washington, a daughter of H. C. and Eliza Blackwood, pioneer residents of Washington. They have two children : Lucille, born June 30, 1895 ; and Chester, born August 17, 1897.

Mr. Sappington is identified with several fraternal organizations. He belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Woodmen of the World, the Modern Woodmen of America, the Red Men and the Knights and Ladies of Security at Vancouver and is also a member of Rose City Lodge, K. P., of Portland. He takes an active interest in all outdoor sports and is renowned as a hunter and fisher. He trains bear dogs for his own use and has had as high as seventeen at one time for hunting bears. In two years he and his partner killed twenty-two bears of the black and brown varieties in Clarke county and he has had some of his game mounted. He has also trained and owned some of the best cattle and shepherd dogs on the coast, and his opinions concerning the value of such animals are largely accepted.. as authority .

The name of George H. Andrews figures in connection with that of Ben Holladay and Henry Villard - a trio that indicates effectiveness and power in business circles. The name of each is inseparably interwoven with Portland's history. Mr. Andrews was numbered among the pioneers of Mount Tabor and was recognized as a leading and distinguished resident of Portland for more than thirty-five years. He was born in Birmingham, England, on the 13th of April, 1843, and passed his boyhood and youth in that country, but in 1859 accpmpanied his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Andrews, on their removal to New Zealand, where he was employed in a post office. In i860, however, he came to the United States, for the reports reaching him concerning the new world and its opportunities, proving an irresistible attraction. He decided to benefit by the broader chances here to be found, nor did he ever have occasion to regret his determination to come to America. He found its people hospitable, its advantages good, and in Portland he so labored that success crowned his efforts while at the same time his activities were a source of benefit to the city.

Mr. Andrews landed at San Francisco but remained there for only a few months, for he could find no satisfactory employment. He then came to Portland, where he resided until his death. His first work was in the surveyor general's office, in which he continued for but a few months. He then engaged with Ben Holladay in the steamboat business as chief accountant until the business was discontinued. Mr. Holladay then turned his attention toward the development of the Oregon & California Railway Company, and Mr. Andrews continued with him. He was afterward associated with Henry Villard and C. P. Huntington in the same business, acting as auditor of the Oregon Steamboat Company, but retired from that position about three years prior to his death. He was afterward connected with the business interests of the Arlington Club and served as land agent for the Southern Pacific Railroad. He was also vice president for the

On the 3d of September, 1876, Mr. Andrews was united in marriage to Miss Elspeth Patterson, a daughter of William and Elspeth Patterson, early residents of Portland, who, coming by the water route to the Pacific coast, landed at San Francisco about 1852. They remained there for a brief period, after which they came with her daughter, Mrs. Andrews, directly to Portland. Unto the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews there were born four children: Alice C, at home; Louise, the wife of W. L. Patterson, of Portland, by whom she had two children, William and Helen, the former passing away at the age of three years ; Elizabeth, who became the wife of Ben HoUaday and resides in the east with her son, Ben ; and Henry Villard, a farmer of eastern Oregon.

The death of Mr. Andrews occurred on the 20th of January, 1909, and his remains were interred in Riverview cemetery. He was a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and of Willamette Lodge, A. F. & A. M., while his religious faith was indicated by his membership in the Episcopal church. Throughout the period of his residence in Portland his position was one of prominence, a man of forceful character who left the impress of his individuality in considerable measure upon the history of progress in transportation lines in this section. Those who knew him - and his friends were many - found him ever a reliable gentleman, of genial and kindly disposition and unfailing courtesy. Those who came in contact with him entertained for him kindly regard, which had its root in his own admirable characteristics.

Chester Griffin Murphy

Chester Griffin Murphy, a Harvard man, who since the ist of January, 1903, has been engaged in the practice of law in Portland, in which connection he has won a reputation that many an older practitioner might well enyy, was born in Salem, Marion county, Oregon, on the 3d of February, 1876. His parents were John Joseph and Elizabeth (Lister) Murphy, well known pioneer people of Salem. His father. Judge J. J. Murphy, a member of the bar, was for sixteen years before his death clerk of the supreme court. He passed away June 17, 1907, and the mother is now living with her son, Chester Griffin Murphy, in Portland.

In the public schools of Salem Mr. Murphy of this review began his education, which was continued as a student in the Willamette University, in which he was matriculated in 1893, completing there a three years' academic course. From 1896 until 1901 he was a student in the Leland Stanford University of California, where he won the A. B. degree in 1900, on the completion of the classical course. He also began his law studies there, was a law student at Harvard in 1901-02 and in 1903 received the LL.B. degree. He was active in athletics in his college days, serving as captain on the Stanford football team in 1899 and through the four years of his college course was a member of the Stanford baseball, football and track teams.

Admitted to the bar in 1902, Mr. Murphy entered upon the active practice of law on the ist of January, 1903, in connection with Judge William D. Fenton, of Portland, and since October, 1906, has been alone in practice. Already he has made substantial progress and now has a large and distinctively representative clientage, being connected with much of the important litigation tried in the courts. Moreover, he is interested in considerable realty in Portland and in Salem, and is the owner of a stock farm of one hundred and eighty acres at Woodburn and a hop yard of one hundred acres in West Salem, displaying in the management of these interests keen discernment and excellent business ability. He has made extensive improvements during the past few years in his holdings in Salem and is now building, for leasing purposes, a modern theater building there, which will be known as the Salem Theater, and with two associates, is building in Portland the Trinity Place apartments on Trinity Place, which when completed will be the finest and most pretentious apartments yet erected on the Pacific Coast.

In his political views Mr. Murphy has always been a republican, but has never taken an active part in politics, and the only public office that he has ever held was that of referee in bankruptcy in the United States district court for the district of Oregon since becoming a resident of Multnomah county, and still holds this office. He belongs to the Zeta Psi, a college fraternity, and is well known in the leading social clubs, being vice president of the University Club of Portland, a director of the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club, a director of the Waverly Golf Club, and president of the Rock Island Club - associations which indicate much of the nature of his interests and recreation. He is also a member of the Congregational church, and is a typical young man of the western world, alert, energetic and determined, eagerly seeking the opportunities for advancement. Each forward step has brought him a broader outlook and wider vision, and his advancement has been won at the cost of earnest, diligent effort that is manifest in the preparation of his cases and in their presentation before the courts.

Thomas H. Bechill

Thomas H. Bechill is engaged in the general contracting business in Portland, making a specialty of street grading, sewer and bridge work. He is numbered among those business men who advancement has had its root in industry, perseverance and unfaltering determination. He received no financial assistance when he started out in life on his own account, but has gradually worked his way upward as he has proved his worth and capability.

He was born in London, Canada, June 30, 1865, and his parents, John and Elizabeth (James) Bechill, were also natives of that country. He is indebted to the public-school system of Canada for the educational privileges which he enjoyed. He remained under the parental roof until fifteen years of age, when he started out in life on his own account, being employed for some years in the lumber business in the states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Later he turned his attention to railroading and became familiar with the work in various branches of the operative department. He was first employed as engine wiper in the roundhouse of the Flint Pere Marquette Railway Company, but his close application and diligence soon won him promotion, and he was made successively fireman and engineer. He followed railroading until he came to Oregon the first time, in 1889. In fact, he was for a short period connected with railroad interests in this state but soon went to Fargo, North Dakota. He returned to Oregon, however, in 1891 and has since Hved in Portland with the exception of a brief period of four years spent in Washington. About 1901 he began contracting in street grading, sewer and bridge work, and has continued in this line through the intervening period of nine years. Gradually he has advanced until his business has reached extensive and profitable proportions.

Mr. Bechill was married October 31, 1892, to Miss Minnie Gwynne, a daughter of Harold and Sarah (Coffman) Gwynne. Mrs. Bechill is a native of Oregon, her grandparents having come across the plains with ox teams in 1847. This was prior to the period when gold was discovered in California, and it was not a mad rush for wealth that brought the emigrants of the early days to the Pacific coast, but the hope of establishing homes and finding opportunity for business progress in legitimate lines of trade and activity. Five children have been born unto Mr. and Mrs. Bechill: George, Frederick. Andrew J., Sarah Isabel and William A.

Mr. Bechill belongs to the Elks and Odd Fellows lodges and is also a Royal Arch Mason. He finds pleasant associations with his brethren of those fraternities and they recognize in him qualities that are in consistent harmony with the teachings and purposes of those orders. His political indorsement is given to the republican party. His chief recreations are hunting and fishing, and he is a patron of all out of door sports. Besides his city property, he has a ranch in Clackamas county.

Charles Hilton

A vessel which steamed into the harbor of San Francisco in the fall of 1858 carried among its passengers Charles Hilton, then a young man of twenty years, full of hope, determination and energy. The Pacific coast was to be the scene of his labors from thenceforth and much of the period has been passed in Oregon, where his efforts have constituted an effective force in the substantial development of the state.

He was born at Cornville, Somerset county, Maine, on the ist of February, 1838, a son of Joseph and Comfort Hilton, the former a farmer by occupation. His education was acquired in the public schools of his native town and the spirit of adventure and a laudable ambition to attain success brought him to California in 1858. He made the journey westward by way of the isthmus route and settled in Placer county. He was quite successful during the period of his residence in California, which continued until May, 1864, when he went to Silver City, Idaho. There he met with reverses, losing all that he had formerly gained. He, therefore, sought a position in the internal revenue service, acting as deputy assessor in Idaho from 1866 until he came to Portland in January, 1870.

It was his purpose to go to California, but on reaching this city he was induced by friends to remain in Oregon and became a factor in furnishing supplies for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company during its construction from Kalama to Tenino. He left Portland in October, 1873, and established his home in Wasco county in eastern Oregon, where he turned his attention to stock-raising, in which business he has continued to the present time. He was one of the pioneer sheepraisers of the state, devoting his attention largely to that undertaking on a ranch eighteen miles from Fossil, the county seat of what is now Wheeler county. When he went there The Dalles was his nearest market and to obtain supplies there he had to travel a distance of eighty miles. As the years have passed he has extended his efforts as a stock-raiser and has conducted a large and profitable business, having now a well equipped ranch of eight thousand acres on which are from ten thousand to twelve thousand sheep and other stock. For the past ten years, however, he has made his home in Portland but also maintains a residence in Wheeler county.

On the nth of May, 1880, Mr. Hilton was united in marriage to Miss Mary Elizabeth Hale, who was born in Anson, Somerset county, Maine, and unto them has been born a daughter, Florence Des Chutes Hilton.

Mr. Hilton is a stalwart republican in his political views and has exerted considerable influence in the ranks of the party, to which he is ever most loyal. In 1888 he was elected joint senator from Wasco and Gilliam counties, serving durmg the sessions of 1889 and 1891. In 1896 he was elected a delegate at large from Oregon to the national republican convention held in St. Louis in June of that year. Governor Lord appointed him a member of the board of regents for the University of Oregon and Governor Bowerman appointed him a delegate to the national irrigation congress held at Pueblo, Colorado, September 26-30. 1910. These appointments give indication of his prominence as a citizen and his recognized public spirit and ability. While at the republican national convention in St. Louis he was made a member of the notification committee and went to Can-

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Mr. Hilton belongs to the Masonic fraternity, which he joined in 1866, becoming a member of Owyhee Lodge, No. 5, A. F. & A. M., at Silver City, Idaho. In 1882 he was made a Knight Templar in Oregon Commandery, No. i, of Portland, and in 1888 crossed the sands of the desert with the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in Al Kader Temple of this city. In 1902 he attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite in the Portland Consistory. In 1869 he was elected deputy grant master of Masons for the jurisdiction of Idaho and his close conformity to the teachings and principles of the fraternity has made him one of its exemplary representatives. He is a believer in the Christian religion and his influence is always on the side of right and progress. About ten years ago he became a life member of the Oregon Historical Society and is interested in the preservation of the accounts of early days in this state when history was in its formative period. Throughout the years of his residence in Oregon he has taken active and helpful part in the work of general progress and improvement and the worth of his service has been widely recognized by his fellow citizens and also by government appointment. He is an advocate of all of those steps of progressive development which are reclaiming the arid lands and converting Oregon into one of the most productive and populous states of the Union.

Charles Herbert Chick

Charles Herbert Chick, who three years ago took up his permanent abode in Portland, where he is now engaged in business as a dealer in timber lands, was bom in Cornish, Maine, November 9, 185 1, a son of Samuel C. and Jane (Hardin) Chick. The district schools of the Pine Tree state afforded him his early educational advantages, but he attended school only until eleven years of age and then started out in life on his own account, so that he is a self-educated as well as a self-made man.

He has always been connected with one phase or another of the lumber business. While in his teens he became a log driver on the Saco river in Maine and worked for different companies for a period of six years in logging and other work of that kind ere leaving New England. He was a young man of seventeen years when he removed westward to Michigan, where he remained until three years ago, when he took up his permanent abode in Portland. While in Michigan he was also connected with lumber and timber interests and his operations brought him success so that he worked his way steadily upward, becoming a prominent factor in financial as well as industrial circles. For some time he was one of the directors and the vice president of the Fifth National Bank of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Arriving in Portland in 1907, he has since made this city his home. Realizing that no more advantageous field could be secured than Oregon, which has the largest forest areas of the country, he came to the northwest and has since been engaged in dealing in timber lands. He is thoroughly conversant with the lumber business in every phase from the work in the lumber camps and driving the logs until the finished product is placed upon the market and finds a sale.

On the I St of May, 1873, i" Baldwin, Michigan, Mr. Chick was married to Miss Dora E. Taylor, a daughter of James B. and Emeline (Priest) Taylor, and unto them have been born three children : Dr. Claud C. Chick, of lone, Oregon ; Vinton L., who is engaged in clerking in Portland; and Glen, also of this city. Mr. Chick votes with the republican party, but is not interested in politics to the extent of seeking office or giving much time to party work. He is prominent in Masonry, having attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite, from home when but fourteen years of age, promoted by a spirit of adventure, Mr. Chick has since been dependent upon his own resources, and his labors have brought him to the present enviable and creditable position which he now occupies as a successful business man, who is so thoroughly acquainted with his chosen line of labor that he never makes mistakes in handling his business interests or fails to win the financial return which is his due. He has devoted a very large part of his life to "timber cruising," having covered practically every part of the North American continent in his inspection of timber tracts. He has camped near and canoed practically every stream of importance in the country, and it is doubtful if there is a man on the continent who has had more varied experiences than he. His business methods have at all times been reliable, and although in his youthful days he bore the hardships and privations incident to life in the lumber camps, he is today one of the prosperous citizens of Portland.

Amos Cook

It was springtime in the year 1840 when there arrived in Oregon City a young man who for a year had been traveling westward from Peoria, Illinois, following the old but ofttimes obscure trail that led to the northwest. Making his way to the home of Dr. McLoughlin, then as for many years thereafter the most prominent resident of Oregon City as well as this section of the state, he introduced himself as Amos Cook and stated that he desired to find some open land upon which to raise crops and thus make a living, for his funds were almost exhausted and he must at once undertake a task that would soon bring returns. For fifty-five years thereafter this man remained a resident of Portland and vincinity and today his name is enrolled on the list of Portland's honored dead, among the valued and worthy pioneer settlers of Oregon.

He was born in Maine, about thirty miles from Augusta, on the Kennebec river, January 8, 1817. His parents, Thomas and Lucy (Pease) Cook, were of English lineage. They were farming people and Amos Cook remained upon the homestead farm throughout the period of his minority, early becoming familiar with the duties and labors that fall to the lot of the agriculturist, so that he brought with him to the west thorough experience and training to serve as the foundation for his later success. He left home when about twenty-one years of age and never saw his parents again. Traveling in a southwesterly direction from New England, he at length arrived at Peoria, Illinois, where he worked at any employment that he could secure. He spent one winter there and then, with a number of young men, concluded to come to the Pacific coast. While in Peoria he became acquainted with Francis Fletcher, and the two young men started westward together, utilizing the best methods they could secure for travel and making their way as fast as possible. But the road was difficult and arduous and ofttimes fraught with danger, and the trail was frequently obscured, so that they could proceed but slowly toward their destination. They spent the winter on Green river, living on buffalo meat, and in the spring of 1840 they traveled on to Oregon City.

As stated, Mr. Cook acquainted Dr. McLoughlin of his desire to find open land, and the Doctor, true to the kindly generous nature which characterized him, after learning of the condition of the young men, agreed to let them have grain and other necessary supplies with which to make a start. They then went up the Yamhill and settled on the south shore of the Yamhill river. The two young men remained together until about 1841, when Mr. Fletcher married and then each made a home for himself. Mr. Fletcher obtained a claim on a section of land on account of being married, while Mr. Cook secured a half section. They held their land together for some time when Mr. Cook, desiring to have a certain portion of the land because of its resemblance to his old home in Maine, paid Mr. Fletcher fifteen hundred dollars for his choice of the tract. From the beginning the young men progressed and also prospered in their work and succeeded in transforming their land into highly cultivated fields. Mr. Cook also conducted a general store in partnership with G. O. Burnett at Lafayette, which was then the county seat of Yamhill county. But after a time he sold his interest, for he was in danger of losing his land unless he lived upon it all uie time. He accordingly built on his place one of the best homes in the <=tate at that time, much of the lumber being shipped around the Horn, and this substantial structure is still standing. He took up his abode there, making it his home throughout the remainder of his days.

It was on the i6th of August, 1853, that Mr. Cook was united in marriage to Miss Mary F, Scott, a daughter of John T. Scott, of whom mention is made elsewhere in this volume. They became the parents of six children : Edith, who died when three years of age; Lillian, now Mrs. W. P. Olds of Portland, who is represented on another page of this volume; Agnes, the wife of Judge W. L. Bradshaw, of The Dalles; Maud, the wife of Frank P. Young, of Portland; Louis, who died at the age of two years ; and Pearl, at home.

Notwithstanding the division of their farming interests, Mr. Cook and Mr. Fletcher continued to be firm friends throughout their entire life and were splendid types of the pioneer settlers who, coming to the west at an early day, took advantage of the natural resources here afiforded to promote their own interests, but also advanced the welfare of the district in which they lived. Both were signers of the articles of provincial government in 1843. The death of Mr. Cook occurred February 3, 1895, his remains being interred in the family lot in Forest Grove cemetery. He had for fifty-five years been a resident of this state and had witnessed the remarkable changes which transformed it from a wild western frontier district into one of the populous states of the Union, with extensive agricultural, industrial and commercial interests.

Mrs. Cook, who still survives her husband, was born in Tazewell county, Illinois, near Peoria, May 19. 1833, and came to Oregon with her parents in 1852, the journey westward being made with ox teams. She was nineteen years of age and during much of the trip engaged in driving one of the teams of oxen. She now belongs to the Oregon Pioneer Society, in the work of which she is deeply and actively interested.

John D. Tresham

During a residence of twenty years, in which time with the exception of the first year he has continuously engaged in contracting, John D. Tresham has become well known as a representative of industrial activity here. The spirit of enterprise and progress characteristic of the middle west are his. He is a native of Warren county, Iowa, his birth having occurred not far from the city of Des Aloines. He lived at home with his parents, James and Mary Jane (Wright) Tresham, until eighteen years of age, and his youth was largely devoted to the acquiring of an education in the public schools.

After putting aside his text-books Mr. Tresham began to learn the builder's trade in his native county and at the age of eighteen years went to Des Moines, where he spent four years working at his trade as apprentice and journeyman. He next removed to Kansas City, Missouri, where he resided about a year, and in 1890 he came to Portland, where he has now made his home through two decades. He has resided in this city for about a year, after which he began contracting and he has taken and executed contracts on the custom-house, the Wells Fargo building, the Corbett building, the Commercial Club, the Young Men's Christian Association building, the Oregon Hotel Annex, the Meyer &

Frank building, and Fort Columbia and the Barracks at Vancouver. He also completed the plastering contract on the Old National Bank at Spokane, Washington. This is one of the largest buildings on the Pacific coast. Mr. Tresham with one hundred men executed his contract on record. He takes all kinds of building contracts.

In 1897 Mr. Tresham was united in marriage to Miss EUenore Warnock, a daughter of Alexander B. and Catherine Warnock. Mrs. Tresham was born in Canada, while her ancestors came from England and Scotland, settling in the British domain in America at an early day.

Mr. Tresham belongs to the Knights of Pythias fraternity and votes with the republican party. He has little time for outside interests, however, his business claiming his undivided attention. He is thoroughly trustworthy, executing contracts promptly and living up to the letter as well as the spirit of an agreement.

John Manning

John Manning, a member of the Portland bar since 1897, in which connection he has done notable work that marks him as one of the strongest and most resourceful lawyers of the city, was born in Boscobell, Grant county, Wisconsin, in 1866, and in his early youth accompanied his parents, Thomas and Bridget Manning, to Orleans, Nebraska, where his youthful days were passed. As the educational opportunities of that district were somewhat meager, he was sent to Lincoln, Nebraska, to pursue his studies, and at the close of his school days he began preparation for the bar, for he had determined to make the practice of law his life work. He read under private instruction until 1887, when he was admitted to practice in the courts of Nebraska and, returning to Orleans, there opened an office. For about three years he continued in active practice at that place, after which he followed his profession in Woodburn, Oregon, for four years, or until 1897, when he joined the ranks of the legal profession in Portland.

There were already many lawyers here of well established reputation whose ability enabled them to command an extensive clientele. Mr. Manning arrived comparatively unknown, a young man of thirty years, who must prove fiis worth and ability in contests with lawyers of much greater age and broader experience. He prepared his cases with provident care, closely investigated all of the principles bearing upon the cases and entered the courtroom well qualified for attack as well as for defense. His ability soon won recognition, and in IQOO he was appointed chief deputy district attorney of Multnomah county under George E. Chamberlain. After filling the office for two years, he was appointed district attorney in 1902, and in 1904 was elected to that position on the democratic ticket by a majority of nearly four thousand votes, which is the largest majority ever given any democratic candidate in Multnomah, the strongest republican county in Oregon. His devotion to the interests of the public and his capable and faithful performance of duty have become matters of history. He stood for law and order and neither fear nor favor could swerve him from a course which he believed to be right. To him is due the success of closine the saloons of Multnomah county on Sunday. Upon the failure of the Title Guarantee & Trust Company he made the officials pay their depositors one hundred cents on the dollar, and in the prosecution of its president he attained the distinction of being the only district attorney of Oregon that had successfully prosecuted and convicted a president of a bank. He sacrificed his own political preferment to a sense of right, for it was through the efiforts of the saloon element and the Title Guarantee & Trust Company that he was defeated for reelection on the close of his first term. This did not matter much to Mr. Manning, for he had established himself in public regard and had made a reputation as a careful.

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Mr. Manning was united in marriage in 1894 to Miss Mary Frances Coffey, a daughter of B. Coffey, one of Oregon's pioneer residents. Their children, Louise and Helen, are now students in St. Mary's Academy. Mr. Manning belongs to the Knights of Columbus and the Elks; is a life member of the Multnomah Athletic Club, and a member of the Commercial Club, and loyalty in municipal affairs is one of his strong characteristics, evidenced in his unequivocal support of every measure and movement which he deems for the general good. While an uncompromising foe, he always meets his opponents in the open and his methods are strictly judicial, for he is ever careful to conform his practice to the highest professional ethics.

William T. Joplin

William T. Joplin, a resident of Portland for more than a quarter of a century, his name widely known in connection with general contracting, was born in Kansas in 1872, a son of Ferdinand and Annie E. (Bridgeford) Joplin. A year after his birth the parents removed with their family to Missouri, settling in Pettis county, where they lived for ten years, and on the expiration of that period came to Oregon. A year was spent in Astoria, after which a removal was made to Portland.

At the usual age, William T. Joplin entered the public schools of Missouri and further continued his studies in the two Oregon cities in which he has resided, gaining knowledge of those branches of learning which are regarded as an indispensable foundation to business success. After leaving school he learned the upholsterer's trade, which he followed for four years, and then in 1893 joined with his father, Ferdinand Joplin, in the contracting business. The following year he withdrew from that connection, and for four years thereafter engaged in business on his own account. In 1898 he became associated with his father and with Anton Geibisch, conducting a contracting business under the firm style of Geibisch & Joplin. William T. Joplin then took charge of the work being conducted by the firm at Port Townsend, on Fort Warner and Fort Flagler. A year later he returned to Portland and took charge of the business here, continuing as active manager at this point until November. 1902, when he withdrew from the firm and formed a partnership with Charles Meeks in the general contracting business under the firm name of Joplin & Meeks. The firm has been accorded extensive and important contracts, having done all the street work and grading in the Rossmere, Bellcrest. Hyde Park No. i, Hyde Park No. 2, Argyle Park, Wellesley and Westmoreland subdivisions.

Mr. Joplin has also been connected with many contracts on city street work. He is conversant not only with all the practical phases of the business but also with the scientific principles underlying it and long experience has made him well qualified to solve the intricate engineering problems that continually arise. He is interested in the Riverside Orchard Company of Portland with holdings at McMinnville, Oregon, and also in the Nevada Round Mountain Company, operating mines in Nevada.

On the loth of October, 1900, Mr. Joplin was united in marriage to Miss Hilma S. Carlson of Port Townsend, Washington, and thev have an interesting little son Ralph. In politics Mr. Joplin is a republican, with unfaltering belief in the principles of the party. He belong-s to the Chamber of Commerce, and is a cooperant factor in those projects which tend to advance the business conditions and adornment of the city. In his own active business career he has never regarded any position as final, for on attaining the point for which he was striv- ing he has set out to gain still other points in advance and thus gradually has worked his way upward, his efficiency and business fidelity constituting the source of his progress. His chief sources of recreation are motoring, shooting and fishing.

H. W. Smith

H. W. Smith, who for many years was identified with farming interests and for three years past has been engaged in the ferry business at St. Johns, was born there in 1865, a son of Philip T. Smith, a review of whom appears elsewhere in this work. His mother, who bore the maiden name of Mary Wendell, is now, living in Portland, and has been a resident of Oregon for forty-eight years. She was born in Missouri and crossed the plains with her parents when only five years old. She has therefore seen almost the entire development of this region.

H. W. Smith was educated in the public schools of his native town and then turned his attention to farming, in which he continued until he was forty-two years of age. On July 12, 1907, he became associated with P. J. and T. J. Peterson in the ferry business at St. Johns, and under his energetic and capable management, the ferry is proving a marked success. The boat is named James John, the name having been chosen in honor of the founder of St. Johns. It runs from St. Johns to Whitwood Cut on the opposite side of the river and carries passengers, teams and freight. It requires forty minutes to cross the river, and the boat averages twenty-one round trips each day. An important feature of the traffic is the large amount of stone which is brought from the opposite shore and is used upon improvements which are constantly in progress in the city. The traffic in stone amounts to fifty wagon loads a day and the ferry under the management of Mr. Smith has proven an important factor not only for the convenience of passengers, but in the upbuilding of the city.

In 1890, at St. Johns, Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Miss Rosetta Severance, who is a native of Missouri, and came to this city with her parents in 1887. Six children have been born of this union: Philip T., Harry, John, Harold, Mary and Clarence. Mr. Smith is an energetic and hard-working man and has never neglected the duties which he owes to his family, the community where he lives, or the state. In social affiliations he is identified with the Modem Woodmen of America and the United Workmen of America, and his life in an important degree has been in accord with the helpful principles of these fraternal orders. He is in sympathy with the platform of the republican party and believes that in many matters the general government is better able to handle afi^airs than the state. In local elections he votes for the candidate that in his opinion will best subserve the interests of the community. He is devoting his entire energies to the work in which he is now engaged and feels that it will assist very materially in the development of the region where he was born and m whose welfare he is deeply concerned.

William Russell Mackenzie

Advancement in recognition of usefulness and ability in his chosen field of labor has brought William Russell Mackenzie to a position of prominence in Portland, where since 1892 he has conducted independent interests as a certified public accountant, in which connection he has been accorded a large clientage. He is also treasurer of the Vancouver Transportation Company and of the Lewis River Transportation Company. He was born May 24, 1853, in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, and is the son of Hugh and Jessie (Russell) Mackenzie, of

The City Of Portland 481

Elgin, Scotland, which town was the home of his maternal grandparents, while his grandparents on the paternal line were from Sutherlandshire, Scotland. Coming to America, Hugh Mackenzie established his home in Woodstock, Ontario, where he engaged in merchandising.

Spending his youthful days in his native town, Wiulmi Russell Mackenzie pursued his education in the public and grammar schools until he completed the full course by graduation with the class of 1870. His start in the business world was made as messenger boy with the Great Western Railway Company of Canada, obtaining the position on the ist of December, 1870. He won promotion through industry and fidelity, serving successfully as junior clerk, ticket clerk and freight clerk ere he was appointed local cashier at St. Thomas, Ontario, for that road, thus serving until November i, 1875, when he went with the Canada Southern Railway Company. He was a young man twenty-two years of age when he entered the service of that corporation and again his trustworthiness and business activity won recognition for he was afterward made audit clerk, later treasurer's assistant and subsequently car accountant. His next promotion brought him to the position of private secretary to the treasurer, and he thus served until December 31. 1879. On the ist of May, 1880, he entered the services of the Kansas Pacific Railway Company as traveling auditor, and he also held a similar position with the Union Pacific Railway Company. Each change in his business career has marked an upward step, bringing him a broader outlook and larger opportunities. He was made stationary agent for the Union Pacific Railway Company and was appointed traveling auditor for the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company, so continuing until the 1st of August, 1892. Since that day he has engaged in business for himself as a certified public accountant and has been accorded an extensive clientage, so that his business has long since reached profitable proportions. Extending his efforts into other fields, he has become treasurer of the Vancouver Transportation Company and of the Lewis River Navigation Company, and his long connection with the railroad service makes his opinions in the treasureship of these two concerns of much importance as they are based upon broad and practical experience and observation.

While along business lines Mr. Mackenzie has made consecutive progress, he has not confined his efiforts to interests from which he alone has reaped the benefit. In fact, he has cooperated in many movements wherein the public has been a large direct beneficiary. He is now treasurer of the Portland Seamen's Friend Society, a trustee of the Young Women's Christian Association, a member and trustee of the First Presbyterian church, a member of St. Andrews Society and of the British Benevolent Society. He is also connected with the Mazamas, the Royal Arcanum, the Order of Scottish Clans and has taken the various degrees of A^tasonry, holding membership in Willamette Lodge, No. 2, A. F. & A. M.; Portland Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M.; Washington Council, No. 3, R. & S. M.; Oregon Commandery, No. i, K. T. ; Oregon Consistory, No. i, A. A. S. R. ; and Al Kader Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., and has not only attained high rank in Masonry but has also been granted many honors, including that of being chosen representative of the Supreme Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland to the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Oregon. He has also been president of the Masonic Board of Relief of Portland. He is likewise a member of the American Association of Public Accountants, and the regard in which he is held by business men in his particular line in this state is indicated by the fact that he has been elected to the presidency of the Oregon State Society of Public Accountants, in which position he is now serving. He belongs to the Rock Island Club, the Commercial Club, the Arlington Club and the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club. He was auditor of the Lewis & Clark Centennial Exposition from 1904 until 1907, and is now bursar of the Portland Academy and clerk of the Riverview Cemetery Association.

Mr. Mackenzie was first married December 13, 1876, to Anna Young Mac- Lean, the eldest daughter of John MacLean, a barrister of St. Thomas, Ontario.

She died November 14, 1878, at the age of twenty-two years. There was one child by that marriage, Bruce Gilchrist, who died September 2, 1878, at the age of eleven months. On the ist of June. 1881, Mr. Mackenzie wedded Josepha Bowman Gun, the only daughter of the late Dr. James Gun, of Durham, Ontario- She died September 7, 1900, at the age of thirty-eight years. There were seven children of that marriage, of whom five are deceased. Russell, who died in 1893 ; Harry in 1893; Jessie and James both in 1894; and Kenneth in 1905. Those living are Charles Arthur Cochrane, an accountant of New York city ; and Grace Seaforth, who is traveling in Europe. On the 12th of May, 1903, Mr. Mackenzie was married in Victoria, British Columbia, to Mrs. Jean Strong (French) Mac- Lean, the widow of his brother-in-law, the late James A. MacLean, and a daughter of the later Edwin C. French, of Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin.

Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie are well known socially and Mr. Mackenzie's executive ability, spirit of enterprise and fitness for leadership have gained for him prominence not only in business but also in the private and semi-public organizations with which he is connected. The terms, progress and patriotism, may be considered the keynote of his character, for throughout his career he has labored for the improvement of every line of business or public interest with which he has been associated, and at all times has been actuated by a fidelity to his country and her welfare.

The Bozorth Family

At a time when American colonies were seeking their independence, John Bozorth came from northern France with his youngest brother, Jonathan Bozorth, Sr., under the command of Baron De Kalb to assist the Americans. The brothers served under De Kalb throughout the war and after being mustered out made their way down the Ohio river with the others of their company to the mouth of Bear Grass creek to the present site of the city of Louisville, Kentucky. In a few years members of the company were scattered all over the Blue Grass state and John Bozorth was numbered among the victims whose tragic ending brought to Kentucky the name of the dark and bloody ground, for he was killed by the Indians in Breckenridge county.

His eldest son, Jonathan Bozorth, who was born in 1761, lived in Kentucky from the time of the removal of the family to that state until his death, which occurred in 1836. He had seven children, of whom his eldest son. Squire Bozorth, was born January 11, 1792. He was reared upon the frontier of Kentucky and on the nth of July, 1816, was married to Miss Milly Hoard Willis, a daughter of Colonel Willis, an American officer in the Revolutionary war. Squire Bozorth served in the war of 1812 under Captain Miller, and in 1818 removed to Missouri. In 1837 he became a resident of Illinois and two years later went to Iowa, where he remained from 1839 until 1845, when he sought a home in the territory of Oregon. He first located in Washington county, subsequently lived in Vancouver, and eventually went to the Lewis river country, where in 185 1 he settled on the homestead that now constitutes the site of the town of Woodland. The house which he erected that year still stands, and the family reunions are held each year near the old home place. His family numbered eleven children, of whom only two now survive: Christopher Columbus of Woodland, Washington ; and Mrs. Emma Caroline Thing, of Portland.

His eldest son, Owen Willis Bozorth, was born in Marion county, Missouri, August 16, 1820, and came to Oregon in 1845, settling on Lewis or Cathlapootle river, a short distance north of the Columbia, where he died on the 15th of February, 1875.

He was married February 5, 1853, to Judith Ann Williams, who died November 29, 1871, and unto them were born five children: John Owen, living in Bay City, Oregon ; America Jane and Nancy Ann, both deceasevi ; Scott ; and Milton B., of Portland. The family has become very numerous in Kentucky and Missouri and there are now nearly four hundred descendants of Jonathan Bozorth on the Pacific coast.

Samuel Bruce Huston

One of the strong trial lawyers at the Portland bar, able in argument, logical in his deductions and correct in his application of legal principles, Samuel Bruce Huston has been engaged in the practice of law in this state for more than a quarter of a century. He was born at New Philadelphia, Indiana, March i6, 1858, upon the home farm of his father, Oliver Wolcott Huston. The latter was born June 26, 1836, in the vicinity of New Philadelphia, and traced his ancestry back to Abnor Huston who emigrated to Jamestown, Virginia, in September, 1616, and was a partner of John Rolfe, who married Pocahontas. Among his descendants was James Huston, who was born at Wilmington, Delaware, January 29, 1721, and was baptized at the Old Swedes church on the 12th of February following. In that church appears the record of his baptism and of his marriage, the latter event occurring December 3, 1754. He served with Captain Thomas Laird's company of Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, during the Revolutionary war, and his son, Alexander Huston, was born in MifBin county, Pennsylvania, in 1778, removing to Kentucky about 1791 and afterward becoming a resident of Indiana, where he served as a member of the constitutional convention that framed the organic law of that state. His son, Samuel M. Huston, the grandfather of Samuel Bruce Huston, was born in Nelson county, Kentucky, in October, 1803, and for several terms was a member of the Indiana legislature. Oliver Wolcott Huston, the father, enlisted for active service in the Civil war as a member of Company G, Eighteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and laid down his life on the altar of his country during that struggle. In times of peace he had followed the occupation of farming. He married Lucretia Pearson Naugle, a daughter of Jacob Naugle, who was a Pennsylvania Dutchman, the family being among the earliest to engage in the iron business in the Keystone state.

Samuel Bruce Huston pursued his education in the public schools, and in a private school at Grand Glade, Illinois, afterward attending the university at Valparaiso, Indiana. His experiences varied little from those of the ordinary farm boy who has to work from Monday morning until Saturday night. He lost his father at an early age and in 1866 the mother married again, the family removing to Crawford county, Illinois, where Samuel B. Huston spent much of his youth. It was a period of earnest and unremitting toil. He was, however, a great reader and was so anxious to improve his mind that he would read by moonHght. His stepfather claimed that if there was a light burning in the house anywhere it interfered with his sleeping, and so he would not allow a light after he went to bed.

In preparation for the bar, Samuel B. Huston attended a law school at Chicago for a time and afterward studied in the law office of George M. Parker at Robinson, Illinois, and later in the office of Hefifron & Zaring at Salem, Indiana, where he was admitted to the bar in December, 1879. He practiced law for a brief time in Indiana and Illinois, after which he went to New Mexico, where he was employed by the Santa Fe Railroad Company until the sprinsr of 1883, when he came to Oregon, landing at Portland from the old steamer "Oregon" on the 7th of May of that year. He afterward worked on a farm and in a flouring mill at Forest Grove until January, 1884, when he opened a law office at Hillsboro. Oregon. There he remained until September, 1906, when he removed to Portland. While in Hillsboro he had taken an active part in public affairs aside from his law practice, serving as school director for twelve years and many times as a member of the city council and as mayor, in 1892 he was cnosen to represent Washmgton county in the state senate and remamed a member of the upper house ot the Oregon assembly until 1896.

His practice during that period was of a general character, and he tried a number of important cases. He was connected with thirteen cases where the defendant was indicted for murder in the first degree ; in twelve of these he was attorney for the defense and in one assistant district attorney in the prosecution, in which case the defendant was hanged. In the twelve other cases none of the defendants were hanged and most of them were acquitted. One of the most celebrated cases in which Mr. Huston was ever concerned was that of the state of Oregon versus X. N. Steeves, in which the defendant was acquitted on a final trial which lasted one month. He has likewise been one of the lawyers in a number of the land fraud cases, some of which lasted a month. He modestly refrains from expressing himself concerning his ability, but the records speak for themselves. The zeal with which he has devoted his energies to his profession and the careful regard evinced for the interests of his clients and assiduous and unrelaxing attention to all the details of his cases have brought him a large business and made him very successful in its conduct. His arguments have elicited warm commendation not only from his associates at the bar, but also from the bench. Moreover, he has prospered through his real-estate investments, winning substantial success in the buying of Portland property.

Mr. Huston was married at Forest Grove, Oregon, on the 28th of June, 1884, to Miss Ella Geiger, a daughter of Dr. William Geiger, of Forest Grove, who emigrated to Oregon in 1839. ^^- ^"^ Mrs. Huston have three children: Blanche, now the wife of H, H. Clifford, of Baker City, Oregon; Oliver, who is now attending Yale Law School ; and Carl, who is employed in the mechanical department of the White Motor Car Company, at Portland.

Mr. Huston has been a member of the Commercial Club since 1896 and in politics was a democrat until he left the party because of its attitude concerning the silver question, since which time he has voted the republican ticket. He is not in sympathy, however, with the doctrine of extreme high protection, nor the centralization of power, believing that the most valuable possession of any people is local self-government. He has studied deeply into many vital and significant questions and his views are therefore the result of careful consideration. His position on any subject of importance is never an equivocal one, and yet he is never aggressive in forcing his opinions. Mr. Huston is a strong advocate of anything that tends to better the condition of labor as he has not forgotten that the best part of his life was spent in the hardest kind of work. The_ public duties that have devolved upon him he has discharged with marked ability and fairness, for he is a loyal and public-spirited citizen. According to the concensus of opinion on the part of his fellowmen he stands as a splendid representative of our best type of American manhood and chivalry.

Hon. Theodore T. Geer

Hon Theodore T. Geer, whose name is written large on the pages of Oregon's history, inasmuch as he is the only native son who has ever served as governor of the state, and is the only candidate nominated without opposition, now makes his home in Portland, where his attention is given tothe developrnent of property interests. Quiet in manner and free from ostentation, there is in him, nevertheless, a compelling force that is the outcome of character and ability which commands attention and which has carried him into important public relations. Oregon has every reason to be proud to number him among her native sons.

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He was born on a farm in the Waldo hills country in Marion county, and the greater part of his life, up to the time he came to Portland and with the exception of the period of his official service, was given to agricultural pursuits. His natal day was March 12, 1851, his parents being Heman J. and Cynthia Ann (Eoff) Geer. His father was born upon a farm in Madison county, Ohio, and was a son of Joseph Cary Geer, a native of Connecticut, who in 1818 became a resident of the Buckeye state. The Geer family had its origin in England, and the ancestry can be traced back in direct line to George Geer who, leaving England in 1630, established his home in Connecticut. The line of descent is traced down through his son, Jonathan Geer, Jonathan Geer, Jr., Aaron Geer, and Isaiah Geer to Joseph Cary, and throughout that entire period the family was represented in Connecticut, Joseph C. Geer being the first of the name to remove to the west. He was born in the Charter Oak state in 1795 and was a soldier of the war of 1812. In 1818 he became a resident of Ohio, and in 1840 he removed to Knox county, Illinois. In 1847, then a man of fifty-two years, he started with his family of ten children across the plains to the northwest, settling in Marion county, Oregon, where his remaining days were passed. He was one of the few veterans of the second war of England who died and was buried in this state.

Heman J. Geer was a young man of nineteen years when, in 1847, the long journey was made over the prairies of the middle west, the hot stretches of desert sand and across the trails of the Rocky mountains to the Pacific coast. Indians were far more numerous than the white settlers of that day and only here and there had the seeds of civilization been planted, showing that the white race was penetrating into the interior of the state to reap the benefits of its rich natural resources. In 1848 Heman J. Geer was married to Miss Cynthia Ann Eoft", a daughter of John Leonard Eofif. She was born in Illinois, but reared in Iowa, and also crossed the plains with her parents in 1847. Following his marriage Mr. Geer devoted his attention to the raising of fruit and was one of the pioneer horticulturists of the state. He removed from Marion to Union county, Oregon, in the early '70s, and continued there to make his home until his death, which occurred in 1903. His widow, surviving him for several years, passed away in Portland in 1909.

Theodore T. Geer was reared in the Waldo hills country of Marion county, and after mastering the early branches of learning in the country schools, attended the Willamette University at Salem, Oregon. He left school, however, at the age of fourteen, and for a year thereafter was employed by an uncle, Ralph C. Geer, in the Waldo hills country. About that time his father established a nursery in Union county, Oregon, and Theodore T. Geer removed to that county, where he took up the business of fruit raising. In 1877, however, he returned to his native district and began farming upon a half section of land. Diligent and persevering in business, his labors brought to him substantial success in that connection, but his fellow citizens, recognizing his worth and ability and his public-spirited devotion to the general good, called him to office, and since 1880 he has figured more or less prominently in public life. In that year he was elected to the state legislature, where he diligently sought the best interests of his constituents and the commonwealth, and at the close of the session returned to the farm. Again in 1889, however, he was chosen to the same office and was reelected in 1891 and in 1893, being made speaker of the house in 1891. With comprehensive knowledge of parliamentary law, his rulings were just and impartial, and his course as a presiding officer was warmly indorsed by fairminded members of the opposition as well as those of his own party. In 1896 he was especially active in politics, was one of the presidential electors of that year and was chosen to carry the Oregon vote to W^ashington, being a member of the electoral college which officially elected William McKinley president of the United States in January, 1897. Mr. Geer took a very active and prominent part in that famous campaign, making addresses in support of McKinley and the republican platform all over the state, doing much to hold Oregon in the ranks of those commonwealths which upheld the gold standard. Although he did not realize it, it seemed he was speaking for himself at the same time, for in 1898, when the republican state convention assembled at Astoria to choose a candidate for governor, he was nominated by acclamation. He has the distinction of being the only republican ever nominated by acclamation and without opposition in Oregon, and moreover, is the only native governor the state has had. His service as chief executive is a matter of history and the public records show various helpful measures successfully instituted. His service won him high encomiums and gained for him in larger measure the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens of Oregon.

While occupying the chair of chief executive, Mr. Geer was, in 1901, invited by the republican committee of Ohio to canvass that state in the interests of Governor Nash, and he made fifteen speeches in that campaign. After his retirement from office he was for two years editor of the Salem (Ore.) Daily Statesman, and then purchased the Daily Tribune of Pendleton, Oregon, which he published for two and a half years. On selling that paper in 1908 he removed to Portland, where he is now interested in real estate, having platted some of his property, which he sold in five-acre tracts.

Governor Geer has been married twice. On the i6th of June, 1870, he wedded Miss Nancy Duncan, who died very suddenly in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1898, while on a trip east. They had three children: Maud, who became the wife of Marion Bowles and died in 1907; Theodosia, who is the wife of E. C. Little of San Jose, California; and Fred, who is employed by the Wells Fargo Express Company, with headquarters in San Francisco, California. Mr. Geer's present wife is Isabelle Trullinger, a daughter of John C. Trullinger. She was born in Oregon, her father and grandfather being pioneers of this state. The latter, the Rev. Daniel Trullinger, was the minister who performed the marriage ceremony of Mr. Geer's parents.

Mr. Geer is a member of the Unitarian church and of the Oregon Pioneer Society. He also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, is president of the Rose City Park Improvement League, and is one of the enthusiastic advocates of Portland and its future. He has firm belief in the city and its possibilities, and no one gives more loyal support to the projects instituted for its upbuilding and growth. His personal popularity is accounted for by the genial and kindly manner that arises from a genuine interest in his fellowmen and from his sterling worth of character, which is evident to all with whom he comes in contact. It has been said that true greatness lies in the adaptability of the individual to his conditions and his environment. With that quality Mr. Geer is richly endowed. On leaving office he quietly took his place once more in the ranks of Oregon's citizens, claiming nothing for himself because of the honors which had been conferred upon him, content to do his duty, yet never for a moment losing sight of the great privileges and obligations of the American citizen.

Victor Trevitt

The history of the west has many dark pages caused by the hostility of the red men and the injustice of the white race. This broad land, with its splendid opportunities, was ample for both. Its natural resources would have met the demands of advancing civilization and at the same time have furnished hunting ground for the red race. But the desire for conquest caused treatment that produced everlasting enmity. There are many instances, however, in which it is shown that kindness and forebearance on the part of the white man was reciprocated by his vvild brother of the forest, and no greater instances of fidelity adorns the pages of history than are found among the Indians in befriending those who have been good to them. In this connection the name of Victor Trevitt is well

Victor Tkevitt The City Of Portland 489

A native of New Hampshire, he removed in early childhood to Ohio. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Trevitt, v/ere neighbors and friends of Horace Greeley. The mother died during the childhood of her son Victor, and following his second marriage David Trevitt removed to Ohio, where the boy attended the public schools and afterward learned the printer's trade. He was practically reared by an uncle in Ohio, who became a surgeon of the Mexican war and took Victor, then a youth of but eighteen years, with him to the front. The latter was appointed a sergeant and on one occasion was ordered to arrest a soldier who, resisting arrest, ran his bayonet into Victor Trevitt's eye, destroying the sight. Interested in military life, he did not leave the service with the close of the Mexican war but came to Oregon with the Riffer Regiment about 1850.

Here his military life ended, and, settling in Oregon City, he there followed the printer's trade in connection with Ashel Bush, who now lives in Salem, Oregon. From Oregon City Mr. Trevitt afterward went to The Dalles, being one of the first white setlers there. Subsequently he opened Trevitt's addition to The Dalles and did much toward the development of the city at the head of navigation of the Columbia and in the center of one of the richest fruit producing regions of the country. His labors toward the upbuilding of this part of the state were effective and far-reaching, and proved an important element in the work of general progress.

Late in life Mr. Trevitt wedded Mrs. Mary Wortley (Hunt) Miller, the wedding being celebrated in Vancouver, Washington, September 22, 1882. Her parents were Benjamin Terry and Katherine Ann (Davies) Hunt, the latter a descendant of the family of Martha Washington, the great-grandmother of Mrs. Trevitt having been a cousin of Mrs. Washington. Mr. Hunt, the father of Mrs. Trevitt, was born in Fredericksburg, Culpeper county, Virginia, while his wife was born in Bedford county, that state. The Hunts were of old Virginia stock who were wealthy slaveowners, an uncle of Mrs. Trevitt owning five hundred slaves. Mrs. Trevitt was born at Lynchburg, Virginia. Impoverished through the exigencies of war, her parents determined to leave the old home in Virginia and make a new one for their family. Mr. Hunt decided to go to the state of Mississippi but went first to Iowa to visit relatives. There he heard such interesting and enticing accounts of Oregon and its rich resources that he turned his face to the west instead of the south and with ox teams crossed the plains. Early in May, 1853, they left Iowa and after a four months' journey reached Oregon. Settling in Salem, Mr. Hunt there made his home for eight years, after which he removed to The Dalles, where his death occurred in June, 1862. His widow afterward went to Boise City, Idaho, with her family, and it was there that Mary Wortley Hunt met and married Judge Richard Thomas Miller, a prominent lawyer who for some years sat upon the bench. He was born in St. Louis but was of an old Kentucky family and always called himself a Kentuckian. This marriage was celebrated on the i8th of May, 1869, and was blessed with two children: Francis Wenlock Miller, now deceased; and R. B. Miller, who is traffic manager for the Harriman lines and lives with his mother.

Judge Miller crossed the plains when a youth, being sent by an uncle to Salt Lake City with a train of provisions, the train consisting of six wagons with negro drivers. He was anxious to join the Masons but was not quite old enough, lacking only a few days, however. On reaching Jefferson City, Missouri, he decided to remain there and await the anniversary of his birth that would enable him to become a Mason before crossing the plains. He sent the train in advance and after being initiated into the order caught up with those who had preceded him on the westward journey. All of his life he remained an ardent follower of the craft and attained to a high degree in Masonry, exemplifying in hislife its beneficent spirit. During his youthful days, while the family were residents of Illinois, they were neighbors of Abraham Lincoln and close friends.

Mr. Lincoln kept track of Mr. Miller, who later in life became a prominent democratic leader in the state of California, and when Lincoln was president he wrote to Judge Miller that if he would join the republican forces he would appoint him to the best position in the Golden state. Judge Miller, however, replied that he was afraid he would live and die a democrat.

Some time following the death of Judge Miller his widow gave her hand in marriage to Victor Trevitt, who died four months later, on the 23d of January, 1883. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity and was loyal to the teachings of the craft, which are based upon brotherly kindness and mutual helpfulness. The death of Mr. Trevitt occured when he was on a trip to San Francisco. His remains were brought back and interred on Memalose island, which is situated between The Dalles and Hood river and is an Indian burying ground. Mr. Trevitt is the only white person interred there and an imposing monument has been erected to his memory. His burial seemed a fitting recognition of one of his strongly pronounced traits of character - his friendship for the Indians to whom he had ever stood in the position of a protector of their interests. His life was indeed broad in its sympathies, generous in its actions and honorable in its purposes, and his life work left its impress upon the history of the Sunset state.

Alva H. Averill

Alva H. Averill, president and treasurer of The A. H. Averill Machinery Company, has remained its chief executive since the incorporation of the business in 1902, and, bending his energies to administrative direction and executive control, has succeeded in building up one of the most extensive enterprises of this character in the northwest. Previous to the time of the incorporation of The A. H. Averill Machinery Company, he had been connected with Russell & Company in the same line of business, dating from his arrival in Portland in June, 1889, acting as its bookkeeper and cashier, while later he became manager. The enterprise is today largely a monument to his business ability, his keen foresight and unfaltering determination.

A native of Michigan, Mr. Averill was born at Mendon, St. Joseph county, June 8, 1867, his parents being Henry S. and Martha (Hart) Averill. He was a young lad when his father, who was a carpenter and contractor, removed to Angola, Steuben county, Indiana, and in that town the boyhood days of Alva H. Averill were passed. He attended the local schools and the Tri-State College of Angola, Indiana, from which he was graduated. Turning his attention to the profession of school teaching, he was for two years connected with the country schools of northeastern Indiana, and for three years was a teacher in the Tri-State College at Angola, on the expiration of which period he determined to make his home in the northwest. Accordingly he came to Portland, Oregon, and has since been identified with the interests of this city.

Mr. Averill was married in 1891 to Miss Delia A. Light, of Angola, Indiana, and they have one child, Harold L. A few years following the arrival of Alva H. Averill in Portland, his parents decided to join him in the Rose City and make it their future home. But shortly after reaching here the father was killed in a street car accident, meeting death in 1901. His widow, however, still survives and resides in Portland.

On coming to the northwest A. H. Averill entered into active connection \yith the business of which he is now the executive head. He served for some time as bookkeeper, then as cashier, and later was promoted to the position of manager. The business was established on a small scale in 1884 under the firm style of Russell & Company. They began dealing in farm implements and heavy machinery near the corner of Front and Morrison streets, occupying a small frame building that formerly stood back of the Esmond Hotel. Later they occupied the four-story brick building on Front and Morrison and now occupied by The Fisher-Thorston Company. It was erected for the use of Russell & Co'mpany and the business was there maintained until removed to its present location. This occurred in 1897. They now have a well equipped plant extending from 320 to 338 Belmont street. They were one of the first to build in that section of the city. In fact, the Studebaker Brothers were the only firm occupying a building in that vicinity at the time the Russell Company erected their plant. In 1902 the business was reorganized under its present corporate title with A. H. Averill as president and treasurer ; E. C. Merwin vice president ; and B. F. Ellis secretary; with Mr. Averill and Mr. Ellis managing the business. They own their large warehouse, offices and machine shop, and have about fifty employes. They are the Pacific coast agents for the Russell thresher, engines and sawmills. The Russell machinery is all manufactured at Massillon, Ohio, where is maintained one of the largest machinery houses in that state. The Portland company has branch houses in Spokane, Washington, Great Falls, Montana, and in San Jose, California, the business at each point, however, being supervised by the Portland office.

Aside from his executive interest in this connection, Mr. Averill is the vice president and one of the directors of the J. J. Ross Mill Furnishing Company, doing business at No. 65 Front street, and is the vice president and one of the executive board of the Pacific States Fire Insurance Company. The Averill Company is one of the largest machinery houses in the west selling threshers, engines, etc., and maintains a well equipped machine shop for repair work.

In his fraternal relations, Mr. Averill is a high Mason and a Woodman of the World. He is also a member of the Commercial Club and of the Oregon Automobile Club. Appreciative of the social amenities of life, he enjoys the comradeship of those organizations, and his strongly marked characteristics have gained for him the friendship of many of his associates. His life history is written in the terms of success, for diligence and determination have done for him what inheritance has at times failed to accomplish for others.

William J. Clemens

William J. Clemens, who is known in business circles as a representative of insurance interests and surety bonds and also as a director in various corporations, was born in Stark county, Ohio, Janaury 17, 1864. A prospecting tour over the coast led him to select Portland as the most favorable place of residence in the year 1889. He had acquired his early education in the common schools at Massillon, Ohio, and had also attended an academy there to prepare for college. In his early manhood he also read law for a time, and while he has never engaged in practice, his knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence has proven a tangible element in his later success. He was still a young man when he began learning the trade of manufacturing carriages and harness, and subsequently he conducted a successful enterprise as a wholesale and retail dealer in notions and willow-ware.

Then the west called Mr. Clemens. He had been an interested reader of the accounts which told of the opportunities and privileges, the advantages and the natural resources of the Pacific coast country, and after visiting many points in this section, he decided upon Portland as the most favorable place of location. Here he entered into business connections with a wholesale grocery house as a traveling salesman, and when he became convinced that he would make Portland his permanent place of residence, he established an insurance and surety bond business in 1890. In this field he has since continued, and has secured a large clientage. He is also a stockholder and director of the Oregon Auto Dispatch Company, conducting a delivery and automobile business ; is a director of the Coin Manufacturing Machine Company, and is a member of the underwriting committee of the Pacific States Fire Insurance Company of Portland.

On the 24th of October, 1884, Mr. Clemens was married to Miss May M. Miller, a daughter of Zephaniah Miller of Ohio, and a brother of Lewis Miller of Akron, Ohio, whose daughter is the wife of Thomas A. Edison, the world renowned electrical inventor. Mr. and Mrs. Clemens have become the parents of one child, Jennie Miller.

While the importance of the business interests which he has developed and promoted would alone entitle Mr. Clemens to mention among Portland's worthy and prominent citizens, there are other factors in his life record of equal interest. He is recognized as an influential member of the republican party in Portland, and upon that ticket was elected to the state legislature in 1908. He is now serving as chairman of the insurance committee and as a member of the committees on ways and means and resolutions. He is the author of the present insurance code that is in effect in Oregon, and the insurance bill introduced by him in the last session is a model of its kind and the only revenueproducing measure of that session. He was reelected in November, 1910, by a handsome majority.

Mr. Clemens is an exemplary member of the Masonic fraternity, and has various club and social relations, being one of Portland's most popular men. He now belongs to the Commercial Club; the Portland Motor Boat Club; the Oregon Yacht Club, of which he is past commodore; the Portland Automobile Club, of which he is vice president; the Portland and Troutdale Automobile Club; the Portland Heights Club; and the Multnomah Club. As a representative of the progressive element among the young men of the city he has gained for himself gratifying and notable recognition as one of the leading and popular residents of Portland.

Jacob Mayer

The admonition, "Turn your defeats into victory, make your hopes a reality, never let your personal interests constitute the bounds of your horizon, but reach out for the large uplifting things of life," finds expression in the life record of Jacob Mayer, of whom it was said that his name in Portland "stood for all that is commercially substantial, personally upright and practically helpful." It was on a May morning in 1826 - the 7th of the month - that he first opened his eyes to the light of day, his birthplace being the town of Bechtheim, near Wurms and Mainz, in the Province of Rhein-Hessen. His father, Aaron Mayer, was a merchant who in the year 1847 l^^t Germany and with his family sailed for New Orleans. He remained for a time in the Crescent City but afterward became a resident of St. Louis, Missouri, which continued as his place of permanent abode until he was called from this life.

Five years before the father crossed the Atlantic, Jacob Mayer, then a youth of sixteen, had made the voyage and in that year, 1842, entered the employ of his brother as clerk. Carefully saving his earnings, his industry and economy at length permitted him to engage in the dry-goods business on his own account. He chose New Orleans as his place of operation and in the year that followed he met with gratifying success, but the discovery of gold in California led to a change of plan, for he believed that there would be a good opening for a similar business on the Pacific coast. In 1850 he therefore started for California, shipping a cargo of merchandise. In the meantime he had married, his wife and two children, Josephine and Clementine, accompanying him on the trip. After crossing Panama they boarded the Sarah and Eliza, one of the slow-going craft which in that day plied the Pacific waters. Hardships and privations awaited them such as would have made the stoutest heart quail had they known what was in store. They had been out of Panama for one hundred days when the supply of water and provisions became practically exhausted and to each passenger but a half-pint of water was allowed per day. Starvation stared them in the face and sharks and pelicans were used as food. When it seemed that death must be the end they came upon a Boston ship which shared its food supplies with them, Mr. Mayer gave eight hundred dollars - his entire capital - for a barrel of sea biscuit. Twenty days later the Sarah and Eliza slowly made its way into the harbor of San Francisco, but the memory of that voyage with all of its torturing hunger and thirst and its dread of imminent death will never be effaced from the minds of those who were passengers on that trip.

Arrived in San Francisco, Mr. Mayer established the second store in that city in March, 1850, a Frenchman having been the pioneer in the dry-goods business there, conducting his enterprise under the name of Sac & Kenney. Mr. Mayer continued in business there until 1857, which year witnessed his arrival in Portland. A retail dry-goods store claimed his time and energies until 1865, when he broadened his field of activity by entering wholesale trade circles. He was alone in business until 1875, when he was joined by Louis Fleischner, A. Schlussel and Solomon Hirsch in a partnership relation under the firm name of Fleischner, Mayer & Company. The title of the house still remains unchanged, but not so the personnel of the firm, for the four original partners have all passed away. The business, however, is a monument to their memory. It has become the largest wholesale dry-goods establishment on the Pacific coast with a trade that in volume and importance indicates the safe and substantial basis upon which the business was built, Mr. Mayer continuing active in the management until a few years prior to his demise, when he retired to spend his remaining days in the enjoyment of a well earned rest.

Home ties were ever most sacredly cherished by Mr. Mayer, who in New Orleans wedded Miss Mary Auerbach, who was bom in Klingen, near Ingenheim, Germany. They became the parents of six children : Josephine, the wife of Solomon Hirsch, of Portland, who at one time was minister to Turkey; Clementine, the wife of Oscar R. Meyer, of New York city ; Bertha, the wife of H. Zadig, of San Francisco; Rosa, now Mrs. Moses Blum of San Francisco; Mark A., who became the New York representative of the firm of Fleischner, Mayer & Company; and Benjamin, who died in San Francisco when twentythree years of age.

Mr. Mayer figured prominently in Masonic circles from the time when he was initiated into the order in Perfect Union Lodge, No. 17, A. F. & A. M., at San Francisco in 1852. He afterward became a member of Lebanon Lodge, No. 49, of that city, and served as its master for two years. Following his removal to Portland he transfered his membership to Willamette Lodge, No. 2, A. F. & A. M., and became a member of Portland Chapter, No. 3, R, A. M. ; Washington Council, No. 3, R. &. S. M. ; Oregon Lodge of Perfection ; Ainsworth Chapter, Rose Croix ; Multnomah Council of Kadosh ; Oregon Consistory ; and Al Kader Temple, N. M. S. Upon him was also conferred the Thirty-third degree. For many years he was grand treasurer of the Grand Lodge of Oregon and during 1888-1889 was grand master. For many years he was grand representative of the Grand Lodge of England and Spain, near the Grand Lodge of Oregon, having been appointed in 1895 by Edward, Prince of Wales, later king of England. Mr. Mayer was also treasurer and chairman of the education fund of the Grand Lodge of Oregon. During his service as grand master, largely through his personal efforts, the Masonic lodge of Dayton, Oregon, was organized and was named the Jacob Mayer Lodge in recognition of his untiring labors in behalf of Masonry.

should be done as a private citizen. His cooperation could always be depended upon to advance every movement of Portland for the public good. For ten years or more he was president of the Masonic Building Association and also held membership in the Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Trade and the Oregon Historical Society, joining the latter on its organization. He was the founder of the First Hebrew Benevolent Society of San Francisco and also of a similar organization in this city. His efforts for the uplift of maniknd and for the benefit of the poor and needy have not been limited, however, by creed or denominational influence. As a member of the Young Men's Christian Association he exerted an influence for high living and large accomplishment. He was instrumental in organizing tlie first B'nai B'rith Society of the coast, this being district No. 4 of California, and in 1855 he obtained a charter for Ophir No. 21. He organized Oregon Lodge, No. 65, of which he was the first president and remained a member until his death. He became one of the organizers and charter members of the congregation Beth Israel, contributing generously to its support, and he did all in his power to advance its interests. He passed away on the 31st of December, 1908. He had borne his part in the epoch-making events of Portland and was particularly active in the development of the commercial interests, which constitutes an important chapter in the history of any community in this age. His efforts were well rewarded in the substantial things of life, while his manly qualities and high purposes gained for him the unfailing regard of his fellowmen, which follov/s him even since he has passed from life.

General Stephen Coffin

The following sketch of the life of General Coffin was written by the author of this history at the time of the General's death, March 18, 1882.

Rapidly the old settlers who laid the foundations of this pioneer state of the northwest are passing away. Many have already passed the boundaries of life allotted by the sacred writer, and soon few will remain to remember and relate the trials and experiences in reaching this once isolated region to plant the germs of American institutions and civilization.

Stephen Coffin, who died at Dayton on Thursday last, was a man of mark and character among his fellows - a born leader of men - and as such so contributed to the founding of this city of Portland and to the rearing of this state of Oregon, as to be entitled to a conspicuous and honorable place in the records of our history. Mr. Coffin, we believe, was a native of the state of Ohio, and came to Oregon across the plains with his family in the year 1847. Settling at Oregon City in the then vigor of his manhood, he went to work with all the energy of his restless nature at whatever honorable employment his hands could find to do - contracting, building, and all the rough and rugged labor of a new country. Success rewarded his industrious labor, so that in two years he had accumulated means sufficient to purchase a half interest in the townsite of the city of Portland, being the Lownsdale Land Claim, and now covered by that portion of the city embraced within the boundaries of A street on the north, Caruthers street on the south, and about Sixteenth street on the west. During the year, 1849, ^r. Coffin removed from Oregon City to Portland, and soon after Colonel Chapman purchased of Coffin and Lownsdale a third interest in the townsite. The increasing immigration to the country and the stirring events on the Pacific caused by the gold discoveries in California, began to indicate the importance of a future city in this quarter of the world, and the consequent value of townsite property. The supremacy of Portland as the emporium was disputed them with much more vigor than now ; Milwaukie, St. Helens and Astoria, being rivals for the fortunes of the metropolis. The Pacific Mail Steamship Company had made large investments at St. Helens, and all the influence of that great company was directed toward crippling the rising fortunes of Portland. It was then that the townsite proprietors resolved to decide the issue for their town by starting an opposition steamship line, and they accordingly purchased, as they believed, a controlling interest in the steamship Gold Hunter, paying down twenty-one thousand dollars in coin, a much larger sum comparatively to Portland in 1850 than half a million is today. At that early example of Coffin, Chapman, Lownsdale and others, in contending for the business interests of Portland, should be a significant hint to the millionaires who are now wrestling with the tug and dredger business, many of whom are singly better able to take the whole job than Portland was to raise that twenty-one thousand dollars in 1850.

The Gold Hunter proved a very unfortunate investment to General Coffin, for, by no fault or mismanagement of the Oregon stockholders, but by the treachery of trusted agents, the ship was sent away to Central America, was - bottomried for debt, sold out and a large balance charged up to the stockholders. In this misfortune. General Coffin was the heaviest loser, having to pay first and last nearly $60,000, to meet which losses he was compelled tO' sell for whatever prices he could get, great numbers of city blocks, which if he could have retained would have realized for him a million dollars. And there are not a few capitalists in Portland made wealthy by real estate, who can date their fortunes to Coffin's forced sales to pay Gold Hunter debts. But that which was the ruin of Coffin and Chapman made sure the future of Portland ; for the opposition steamship company seeing that Portland was even then a power, thereafter made this place the terminus of their route.

General Coffin was ever active in devising means to establish the business of the city. To bring hither the trade of Washington county and prevent the opening of a road from the "plains" to St. Helens in 185 1. He organized a company to build a plank road through the canyon from Portland to Hillsboro ; and while much grading was done and some plank actually laid the road was never completed. But it aided in establishing the present finely graded road on this route and effectually killed off the project of sending the Washington county trade to St. Helens.

The next enterprise in which General Coffin took an active part was the organization of the People's Transportation Company in i860; he was one of the original promoters, and at one time vice president of this company, which for many years controlled the transportation on the Willamette river, and for some time carried on a fierce battle with the O. S. N. Company for the control of the Columbia river also.

In or about 1867 he took a large interest in the Oregon Iron Works, then the principal establishment of the kind north of San Francisco. The works were originally located on the block west of the Central school ; and here the company suffered a loss by fire, which took forty thousand dollars out of Mr. Coffin's pocket in a few minutes.

In 1868 he took an active part in promoting the success of the Oregon Central Railroad (west side). He built by contract, the bridges on the Mountain section of the road adjacent to Portland, investing over sixty thousand dollars in the undertaking. And it can be truly said that had it not been for the timely and energetic assistance thus given the struggling enterprise by General Coffin, it would have failed utterly, and the west side counties would not have had a railroad for ten years or probably much longer waiting than that.