USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. II > Part 47
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along lines of permanent good. For twenty years he has served on the board of directors of the Young Men's Christian Association, for a considerable period he was a director and the president of the Board of Trade and is now a director of the State Chamber of Commerce. During the period of the World war he was chairman of some of the drives and was active in support of all war measures promulgated by the government for the aid and support of the nation's soldiers in camp and in field. His religious belief is indicated by his membership in the Christian church and fraternally he is identified with the Woodmen of the World, the Benevolent Pro- tective Order of Elks and the Masons, having become a member of the Mystic Shrine in the last named organization. For many years he has been a director of Willamette University and in everything pertaining to the welfare and upbuilding of his town, county and commonwealth he is actively and helpfully interested. Upon all vital ques- tions he is well informed and he keeps abreast with the best thinking men of the age concerning the political, sociological and economic questions of the day. In public office he has always stood for development and for constructive measures and his life record has been a credit and honor to the state which has honored him.
W. R. COUCHMAN.
W. R. Couchman is conducting a profitable business enterprise in Portland as proprietor of the Couchman Garage. A native of Illinois he was born in Havana in 1883, a son of Charles and Fannie (Tigar) Couchman. The father is now residing in Garden City, Kansas, having removed to that locality in 1887 and for many years he engaged in work as a blacksmith.
After completing his common school education W. R. Couchman assisted his father in the latter's blacksmith shop and also rode the range. When eighteen years of age he made his way to Oregon, taking up his residence in the eastern part of the state, where for five years he engaged in blacksmithing. He then removed to Port- land, where he engaged in running a stage line to Mount Hood. Subsequently, he opened the old Fashion Garage, which was continued in association with a partner until April, 1919. Mr. Couchman then purchased the business and has since been alone in conducting it and is now operating the Couchman Garage, a modern two- story fireproof building one hundred by one hundred feet in dimensions, with a storage capacity for one hundred and twenty-five cars, which was erected for his use. He also maintains a repair shop and has for rent many high grade cars which may be ob- tained with or without drivers. He conducts a first-class establishment and owing to the excellent service here afforded has succeeded in building up a good patronage, making his investment a most profitable one.
In 1903 Mr. Couchman was united in marriage to Miss Grace Smith, a native of Iowa, and they have become the parents of one son, Chester. Mr. Couchman is a member of the Garage Men's Association and fraternally is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Masons, belonging to the Scottish Rite Con- sistory and to Al Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is alert, wide-awake and energetic and has won success because of his strict attention to business and progres- sive methods. He is a public-spirited citizen and enjoys the esteem and respect of a large circle of friends.
HARVEY E. GUTHRIE.
The attractiveness of Oregon as a place of residence is demonstrated in the fact that so many of her native sons have been content to pass their lives within her borders, finding here excellent business opportunities, a mild and equable climate and scenic beauties unsurpassed by any state in the Union. To this class belongs Har- vey E. Guthrie, who has devoted his entire active life to agricultural pursuits, in which he has won a gratifying measure of prosperity. He is a worthy representative of one of the old and honored pioneer families of the state and was born four miles south of Dallas, in Polk county, July 29, 1853, his parents being David M. and Mary Ellen (Davisson) Guthrie, natives of Missouri, the former born in 1824. The father crossed the plains to Oregon in 1846, traveling by means of ox teams and wagons, and settled
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in Polk county, where he took up a donation claim four miles south of the present site of Dallas. He cleared and improved his claim and also purchased additional land, at length becoming the owner of seventeen hundred acres. He engaged exten- sively in stock raising, handling pure bred Merino sheep, which he imported from Australia, and he also was engaged in the growing of hops, ably managing the various branches of his business, so that he at length became the possessor of a sub- stantial competence. He was a prominent and influential resident of his community and for many years served as a member of the state fair board. He at length retired from active business pursuits and resided with his children until his demise on the 29th of April, 1914, when he had reached the venerable age of ninety years. The mother passed away in October, 1860. He had been twice married and of the first union three children were born, 'all of whom survive. By his second marriage he became the father of ten children, of whom five are living.
Harvey E. Guthrie was reared in Polk county, attending the public schools of Dallas and later becoming a student at La Creole Academy. He remained at home until he reached the age of twenty-three, when he cultivated rented land for a period of two years, during which time wheat sold for a dollar and nine cents per bushel. In 1879 he was able to purchase land and became the owner of three hundred and six acres situated four miles south of Dallas. This he cultivated and improved for a period of sixteen years, converting it into a most valuable property, and then sold, purchasing a tract of ninety acres three and a half miles from Monmouth. On this land he erected fine buildings, set out large orchards of cherries and prunes, and for nine years was active in its further cultivation and development. He then disposed of the property and purchased a six-acre tract at Monmouth, of which two acres lie within the corporation limits, and this he has made very attractive by the erection of a fine residence and substantial outbuildings, everything about the place being indicative of the progressive methods and careful supervision of the owner. He has worked diligently and persistently as the years have passed and his industry has been the basic element in his success.
On the 28th of May, 1876, Mr. Guthrie was united in marriage to Miss Fannie Belle Davis, a daughter of John W. and Mary Jane (Henderson) Davis, the former born in North Carolina in 1824 and the latter in southern Missouri in 1830. In 1854, in company with J. H. Johns and his wife, the father left his home in Kentucky with the intention of going to Oregon, but on reaching Missouri decided to settle in that state and there took up a homestead claim, subsequently purchasing additional land. He continued to engage in farming in Missouri until 1864, when he again set out for Oregon, traveling with four yoke of oxen and one yoke of cows. He was accom- panied by his wife and their family of seven children and on reaching this state settled in Yamhill county, where for four years he continued to reside. He then removed to Washington county and filed on a homestead, but he failed to prove up, and he then made his way to Polk county, where for several years he operated rented land. Later he purchased land near Independence and cultivated it for a period of five years, or until 1877, when he sold and went to southern Oregon, for a time engag- ing in stock raising, but not finding that occupation a congenial one, he returned to Polk county and resumed his farming operations, purchasing land and also cultivat- ing rented land. He continued to improve and develop his holdings in Polk county for many years, or until the death of his wife, when he returned to Kentucky and for six years resided in the Blue Grass state, but he could not resist the lure of the west and once more started for Oregon. However, death called him ere he reached his destination and he passed away while en route, on the 20th of March, 1890. He had long survived his wife, whose demise occurred on the 22d of April, 1878. Their daughter, Mrs. Guthrie, was born in Putnam county, Missouri, January 30, 1859, and by her marriage she became the mother of four children, namely: Dora Adele, who married P. E. Chase, a resident of Oakland, California; Hugh M., who makes his home in Corvallis, Oregon; Mary V., who became the wife of F. H. Mulkey and passed away on the 21st of November, 1916; and Edna M., who married Mark Rickard, an automobile dealer of Corvallis, and died March 9, 1920.
In his political views Mr. Guthrie is a democrat and has served as a member of the town council of Monmouth. Fraternally he is identified with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Woodmen of the World, having served as consul com- mander of the latter organization, while his wife is connected with the Rebekahs. She was reared in the Methodist faith but she and Mr. Guthrie are now affiliated with the Baptist church. Energy, progressiveness and thrift are recognized the world over as
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the foundation of material prosperity and these three qualities are possessed by Mr. Guthrie. He enjoys the esteem of many friends and fully deserves the honor that is accorded the fortunate individual who has fought and won in the great battle of life.
JOHN W. SIEMENS.
Affectionately known to every man, woman and child in southern Oregon as "Cap" Siemens, John W. Siemens is readily conceded to be the most prominent and popular man in his section of the state. To say that he is one of the vital forces in the progress of southern Oregon is no exaggeration, for he is the kind of public-spirited citizen who is ever planning for the community welfare, placing no check on the amount of personal time and energy devoted to getting the plans carried out. Some thirty- five years ago Mr. Siemens located in Klamath Falls, having just received his discharge from the United States army, in which he served as cavalryman, and opening a barber shop there made his initial step into the business world. He proved to be an astute business man, his keen discrimination and executive ability insuring his continued advancement, and step by step he ascended the ladder of success until he reached his present position of prominence and prosperity.
Mr. Siemens is numbered among the adopted sons of Oregon, for his birth occurred in Columbia, Illinois, March 26, 1862, his parents being Henry and Louise (Witte) Siemens. Henry Siemens won prominence in the mercantile circles of Columbia and became financially independent. John W. was afforded the best of educational advantages and after putting his textbooks aside followed the trade of a machinist at Belleville, Illinois, for three years. At the termination of that period he enlisted in the United States army and was assigned to the Second United States Cavalry, serving with that command for five years, three years of the time being spent at various posts in Mon- tana. In 1886, receiving his honorable discharge from the army, he came to Oregon, and locating in Klamath Falls, then Linkville, he opened a barber shop, with which trade he had become familiar during his years of army service. The shop was located near the Link river and became not only one of the leading business enterprises in that vicinity but was the first stepping stone in Mr. Siemens' continued advancement toward success. As a result of his own determined effort he has become prominent in the financial circles of Klamath Falls and as a banker, as well as on his own account, has loaned scores of citizens funds with which to operate their farms or their business and manufacturing interests. It is said that he has never foreclosed a mortgage nor forced an industry to the wall and it may be well to mention here that he has done as much as, if not more than, any other individual to maintain and promote the solid prosperity of Klamath Falls and Southern Oregon. An incident illustrating the confi- dence and trust imposed in him by the general public occurred in 1921. On the 14th of January, that year, the First State & Savings Bank, of which he was president, closed its doors as the result of a run caused by some rumor which brought about the pres- ence of the bank examiners. Under the state banking laws of Oregon when a bank's reserve reaches a certain point it must be increased or the doors closed. At that time Mr. Siemens was in Portland but upon learning of the affair he hurried home. The citizens of Klamath Falls turned out en masse, meeting him at the train with a brass band, and such relief was felt at his coming that the occasion took on the appearance of a holiday. He immediately took up the rehabilitation of the bank and on the 14th of March, not quite two months after the run, the doors were reopened and with the voluntary assistance of citizens of all classes the capital stock was increased from one hundred thousand to two hundred and fifty thousand, not one depositor suffering the loss of a cent.
The life of Mr. Siemens since coming to Oregon has indeed been an active one and to tell it in detail would fill a volume. Briefly, for thirteen years he served as school clerk and for a quarter of a century filled the office of city treasurer; for two terms he was active as county treasurer and for four terms as coroner; in his associa- tion with the American Bank and Trust Company he was its first cashier and he was president of the First National Bank, the oldest institution in the county; in addition to being president of the First State & Savings Bank he is president of the Klamath Live Stock Mortgage Loan Company, president of the Saddle Mountain Lumber Com- pany, president of the Klamath Falls Mint Company, which company owns and has under cultivation four thousand acres of mint, and president of the Poe Valley Mining
CAPTAIN JOHN W. SIEMENS
Vol. 11-24
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Company; he is a director of the Bankers Discount Company, the Western Wool Ware- house Company, and director and secretary of the Klamath Heating Company, which furnishes heat and hot water to the business blocks of the city; he is likewise secretary of the Klamath General Hospital and secretary-treasurer of the Klamath Oil Company, a corporation that he organized and which he controls. This company has been success- ful in proving that Klamath county is an oil production center; Mr. Siemens also main- tains an active interest in agriculture, owning a three thousand acre grain ranch and having about four thousand sheep. For seven years Mr. Siemens was captain of Troop B, Oregon National Guard and he is now on the retired list.
In 1886 Mr. Siemens was united in marriage to Miss Lucinda Hicks, a daughter of William Hicks, a successful lumber and stock pioneer and a veteran of the Indian wars. That life partnership has continued in harmony for thirty-five years, during which time they have reared three children: Jesse J., who is a prominent stockman and makes his home at Ft. Klamath; Holly H., who Is engaged in business at Seattle, Washington; and John H., Jr., who is cashier of the First State & Savings Bank, a position he has held since he was eighteen years of age.
This recital of the many interests with which Mr. Siemens is identified stamps him indelibly on the pages of southern Oregon history as an outstanding and forceful figure. Almost penniless when he came to Oregon he has amassed a fortune, helped others to build up their fortunes and has given generously of his money to many pri- vate charities. He has seen the work of progress and development carried steadily forward and at all times has borne his part and he is justly entitled to the proud American title of a self-made man.
OREN H. KENT, D. O.
Dr. Oren H. Kent, a well known and highly successful practitioner of osteopathy at Brownsville, was born in Nemaha county, Nebraska, June 1, 1871, his parents being William M. and Louisa S. (Ranslow) Kent, the former a native of New Jersey and the latter of Vermont. The father was a builder and contractor who also fol- lowed the occupation of farming. His boyhood days were spent in Ohio and in young manhood he became a resident of Illinois, in which state his marriage occurred. During the progress of the Civil war he enlisted in the Fifty-second Illinois Infan- try, with which command he served for two years, and after receiving his discharge he returned to Illinois and with his wife started across the country for Nebraska in a covered wagon. He located in Nemaha county in 1868 and theme resided until 1871, when he went to Richardson county, Nebraska, where he purchased land, which he developed and improved, continuing its cultivation for many years. At length he retired and removed to Auburn, Nebraska, and here continued to reside until his death in December, 1898. The mother survived him for several years, passing away in June, 1906.
Oren H. Kent pursued his education in the schools of Nemaha and Richardson counties, Nebraska, and after his graduation from the Auburn high school he became a student in the Nebraska State Normal School, from which he was later graduated, while subsequently he attended the Nebraska State University at Lincoln. When a boy he had learned the printer's trade and after finishing his college course he en- gaged in the newspaper business at Auburn in partnership with his instructor in the trade. They published the leading republican paper in that section of the state, with which they were identified for a period of four years, when Mr. Kent took up the study of medicine at Des Moines, Iowa, later becoming a student at the American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Missouri, from which he was graduated with the class of 1905. He practiced his profession in Nebraska until 1916, when he came to Oregon, opening an office in Brownsville, where he has remained, now being accorded a liberal and gratifying patronage. He has been very successful in checking the ravages of disease and is constantly promoting his efficiency and skill by wide read- ing and study.
In May, 1898, Dr. Kent was united in marriage to Miss Fordyce E. Daniels and they have become the parents of seven children, namely: Rollo, Merrill, Paul, Mar- garet, Dorothy, Kenneth and Theron.
Dr. Kent is an independent republican in his political views and in religious faith he is a Presbyterian, while his fraternal connections are with the Masons and the
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Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is most conscientious in the discharge of his professional duties and is guided by high and honorable principles in all relations of life, the sterling worth of his character being attested by all who know him.
LEONARD L. RAY.
Leonard L. Ray, former district attorney of Eugene, was born in Peoria, Illinois, July 13, 1888, his parents being George Thomas and Sarah E. (Harker) Ray, the for- mer a native of Missouri and the latter of Illinois. Removing to Nebraska, the father followed the occupation of farming in that state and later went to Illinois, where he engaged in the drayage and transfer business until 1892. In that year he came to Oregon and purchased a fruit ranch at Eugene, which he has since successfully operated. The mother also survives.
Leonard L. Ray was reared and educated in Eugene and Lane county, being but four years of age at the time of the removal of his parents to this state. In 1907 he was graduated from the Eugene high school and subsequently entered the State Uni- versity, being graduated therefrom with the class of 1912. It was his desire to become a member of the bar and with this end in view he entered the Indiana Law School, graduating in 1914. Returning to Eugene, he was admitted to practice at the bar of this city in 1914 and the following year formed a partnership with Donald Young, in which relationship the firm is very successful. Recognition of Mr. Ray's merit and ability on the part of his fellow citizens found expression in his election in Novem- ber, 1916, to the office of district attorney, in which capacity he served until 1920. He is a strong and able lawyer, whose knowledge of the law is comprehensive and exact. He prepares his cases with great thoroughness and care, presents his cause clearly and cogently, and by reason of the unmistakable logic of his deductions he wins many cases.
On the 23d of August, 1916, Mr. Ray was united in marriage at Indianapolis, Indiana, to Miss Florence Dugan and they have become the parents of two daughters: Margaret Lucille, who was born in May, 1917; and Sarah Emily, born in June, 1920.
In his political views Mr. Ray is a democrat and stanchly supports the party because of his firm belief in its principles. His religious faith is that of the Chris- tlan church and his fraternal connections are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Grange. He has many friends in Eugene, in professional circles and in private life, and all respect and esteem him as a young man of the highest quali- ties of character whose future career they will follow with much interest.
J. C. DELANEY.
As general manager of Delaney's Employment Service J. C. Delaney is at the head of an extensive business which is conducted along strictly legitimate lines, rank- ing with the best in the Pacific northwest. He maintains branch offices in Astoria, Oregon, and Centralia, Washington, and caters exclusively to lumber interests. Mr. Delaney is a native of the west and in his life exemplifies the spirit of progress and enterprise that has been a dominant factor in the rapid upbuilding of this section of the country. He was born in Chehalis, Washington, a son of George C. and Louisa (Bingham) Delaney, the former a native of Tennessee and the latter of Missouri. The family is an old and prominent one in the south, many of its members having occupied high judicial positions and previous to the Civil war they were large planta- tion owners. The father is now residing at Chehalis, Washington, where he is en- gaged in business as a rancher and horse dealer.
J. C. Delaney had the advantage of a common school education and having a desire for knowledge he has through wide reading and study become a well informed and cultured man. In 1911 he arrived in Portland, where he was first employed by the Pacific Fruit Company, later becoming salesman for Bell & Company. In 1917 he secured a position with E. B. Evans, proprietor of an employment agency and in the following year he purchased the business which he has since continued to conduct, operating along strictly legitimate lines. He caters exclusively to lumber interests and has built up a large trade, maintaining branch offices at Astoria, Oregon, and at
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Centralia, Washington, which he established in 1920. From the Portland office he sent out nine thousand men last year and in 1921 expects to send out ahout twenty thousand. Under the name of Delaney's Monthly Chat he is editing a trade journal which is sent free to all of his customers, thus giving them a better understanding of the methods which he employs in conducting his agency. His business methods are characterized hy integrity and progressiveness and he is now at the head of one of the leading employment agencies in the Pacific northwest.
In 1911 Mr. Delaney was united in marriage to Miss Myrtle Scott of Portland and they have become the parents of one child, Maurine. Mr. Delaney is an inter- ested and active member of the Chamber of Commerce and fraternally is identified with the Loyal Order of Moose and the Knights of Pythias. He is a man of honor- able purposes and high principles as well as of undaunted enterprise and laudable ambition in business and wherever known he commands the respect and confidence of all with whom he is associated.
D. PERRY EVANS.
D. Perry Evans, a leading photographer of Portland, conducting the Rose Studio in the Washington building and recognized as an artist of unquestioned skill, was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1880, a son of William D. and Jane (Perry) Evans, the former of whom followed farming as a life occupation. The son was reared on his father's farm and following his graduation from the high school at Oshkosh he took up the study of photography and there continued active along that line until 1907 when he came to the west, taking up his residence in Portland where he has since remained. He is here engaged in business as a photographer, conducting the Rose Studio which is tastefully furnished and fully equipped with everything necessary to the successful operation of a first-class studio. He possesses excellent taste in posing and is thoroughly appreciative of the value of light and shade, turning out most satisfactory work and as a result is meeting with well deserved success from hoth a commercial and artistic point of view.
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