USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. II > Part 8
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While Mr. Wilcox became a recognized leader in business circles in the northwest and in support of many plans and projects for the public welfare he never sought nor
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desired political office, yet he was frequently solicited to become a candidate for gov- ernor and United States senator. While he declined to accept public office his aid and cooperation could at all times be counted upon to further any legitimate public interest having to do with the welfare and advancement of community, commonwealth or country. In 1909, when a thoroughly reliable and influential man was needed in the Portland water board-a man upon whom would largely devolve the responsibility of investing the three million dollar funds appropriated for doubling the water supply, he was urged to accept that trust and did so. He was one of the executive committee of the Lewis & Clark Exposition and his keen business discernment constituted an important factor in its success. The nature and magnitude of his work in public and private connections constituted a factor of Portland's promotion, power and prominence and he was justly classed with the foremost citizens of the northwest. He passed away on the 31st of March, 1918, at the age of sixty-two years, but ere the close of his career he had rendered signal service to his country in connection with the conditions arising out of the World war. He was chosen milling commissioner immediately after the passage of the food bill by congress in the fall of 1917 and the organization of the federal grain corporation. One who knew him well in writing of him said with reference to this appointment: "The appointment was in direct recognition of his unquestioned ability and sound knowledge of grain and milling conditions through- out the northwest. With a genius for organization, his milling industry became a smoothly coordinated business of vast proportions, sending its output to the ports of all the world. Oregon flour became known wherever bread is baked and the natural stimulus to grain growing in this state and others of the Pacific coast region created a new and undreamed of prosperity. Mr. Wilcox was always active in the affairs of the Portland Chamber of Commerce, serving a term as president and retaining a place on the board of directors until his death. He was a life member of the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club and also belonged to the Arlington Club and the Waverly Club. He had no fraternal affiliations. In spiritual affairs he was a communicant of the First Presbyterian church. Theodore Burney Wilcox was a master builder-a man of magnificent vision-never a dreamer. He was a practical man but one who keenly understood the power of the ideal. He had a rare grasp of the perspective and in the furthering of an accepted plan, which was always thoroughly thought out, he was like the driving wheel of an engine in his execution. He had the courage of his convictions and though in his keen business sense he was as strong as steel, there was an essential softness in his soul that but few were privileged to know. He was an inspiration and counselor to many young men starting out in life and was always ready with his energy and other means to assist in any worthy cause. At a time of life when he wished to conserve his energies and enjoy the fruits of his many years of labor and success in partial retirement on a newly developed farm, the call to duty in the great war threw him more closely than ever into the harness of affairs and as chairman of the federal milling division of the Pacific northwest he closed his career. In the pursuit of this work it was necessary to make frequent trips across the continent and on the 6th of March, though ill at the time, in response to a sense of duty, he insisted upon taking what proved to be his final trip, as he was stricken on the train. During his last days at home the beauties of his soul were laid bare to those near him to an extent that they had never recognized before." The story of his life is cherished by all who knew him and his memory enshrined in the hearts of those who came within the close circle of his friendship.
LEWIS W. KINZER.
Lewis W. Kinzer was for over four decades one of the progressive and enterprising agriculturists of Linn county but since 1916 has lived retired, leaving the active operation of the farm to the capable management of his son, John W. Kinzer. Although he has passed the seventy-first milestone on life's journey, he is remarkably well preserved and appears to be a man of fifty. Mr. Kinzer was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, in June, 1849, his parents heing Lewis and Louisa M. (Wolf) Kinzer, the former a native of Ohio, while the latter was also born in Des Moines county, Iowa. The father removed to Iowa at an early period in the development of that state and for a short time resided in Des Moines county. He had previously been a resident of California, whither he had gone in quest of gold, but not meeting with success in his venture he returned to the interior
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of the country and for a time made his home in Iowa. Once more he started for the west and with ox teams crossed the plains to Oregon, settling in Linn county, where he purchased land near the present site of the town of Crabtree, becoming the owner of three hundred and twenty acres. This he improved and developed and was active in its management throughout the remainder of his life. He died about 1870 at the comparatively early age of forty-nine years, while the mother, surviving him for a quarter of a century passed away about 1895, when sixty-seven years of age.
Lewis W. Kinzer has passed practically his entire life within the borders of this state, for he was hut a year and a half old when brought by his parents to Oregon. He pursued his education in the district schools and remained at home until he at- tained his majority, when he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of the old home farm, devoting his energies to its further development and improvement for many years. His well directed labors and progressive methods were rewarded by a sub- stantial measure of success and he hecame the owner of a most valuable property, continuing active in its conduct until 1916, when he suffered a paralytic stroke, since which time his son, John W. Kinzer, has capably directed the work of the farm.
On the 6th of June, 1875, Mr. Kinzer was united in marriage to Miss M. Ellen Arnold, who was born near Brownsville, Oregon, April 2, 1857, and is a daughter of Isaac and Priscilla (Hannah) Arnold, the former a native of Ohio and the latter of Iowa. The father followed farming in the Hawkeye state until 1852, when he started for Oregon, becoming one of its early pioneers. Settling in Linn county, he took up land two miles from the present site of the town of Brownsville and this he cleared and developed for five years, when he sold that ranch and purchased land four miles east of Scio. This he continued to cultivate throughout the remainder of his life, passing away May 3, 1883, when seventy-three years of age. The mother survived him for seven years, her death occurring May 12, 1890, when she had at- tained the age of sixty-seven years. To Mr. and Mrs. Kinzer were born three chil- dren: John Wesley, the eldest, is now operating the home farm, upon which he resides. He married Rose Belyeu and they have two children, Lyle K. and Reta D .; Letha E. married Benjamin Franklin Carman and they reside at Eugene, Oregon; Lizzie E. became the wife of W. O. Wimmer and passed away in November, 1918, a victim of the influenza epidemic.
In his political views Mr. Kinzer is a republican and his wife is a member of the Baptist church. He is not affiliated with any fraternal organizations but through his membership in the Grange he has ever kept in touch with the most advanced and scientific methods of farming. His present success is the result of his former years of indefatigable effort, enterprise and thrift and in the section where his life has been passed he is widely known and universally honored.
PRINCE LUCIAN CAMPBELL.
Prince Lucian Campbell, president of the University of Oregon since 1902, was born in Newmarket, Missouri, October 6, 1861, his parents being Thomas Franklin and Jane Eliza Campbell. The father, too, was a well known educator who was president of the Christian College at Monmouth, Oregon, from 1869 until 1882.
Dr. Campbell of this review won his Bachelor of Arts degree upon graduation from Christian College in 1879. He afterward became a Harvard student and the university at Cambridge conferred upon him the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1886. From Pacific University he received the LL.D. degree, as he did also from the Uni- versity of Colorado. He entered the teaching profession in 1879 in connection with Christian College, where he remained for three years or until 1882. In 1890 he was called to the presidency of the Oregon State Normal School and there remained for twelve years or until 1902, when he was elected to the presidency of the University of Oregon and has continued at the head of the institution, covering a period of nine- teen years. It would be tautological in this connection to enter into any series of statements showing him to be a man of broad scholarly attainment and one of the eminent educators of the northwest, for this has been shadowed forth between the lines of this review. Those who know aught of his professional career recognize the high standards that he has always maintained and the advanced ideals which he has ever followed.
Aside from his professional activities Dr. Campbell was president of the Polk
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County Bank from 1892 until 1905, since which time he has concentrated his attention upon the profession which he chose as a life work. He is a representative of the National Association of State Universities on the American Council on Education. His religious faith is that of the Christian church.
WILLIAM WICK COTTON.
The great part which William Wick Cotton took in the industrial and commercial development of the northwest is reflected to a considerable extent and is available in permanent and tangible form in the record and in the history of the great transporta- tion company-the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company of which he was so import- ant a factor for nearly thirty years. Throughout this period he was the secretary and attorney for the company, the success of which is attributable in large measure to his sound judgment and progressive methods. Withall he was a man of kindly deeds who recognized and met the duties and obligations of life not merely from a sense of duty, however, but because of his deep interest in his fellowmen, based upon broad humani- tarian principles.
While Mr. Cotton was born in the great empire of the west this side of the Mississippi, much of his early life was spent on the Atlantic seaboard. He first opened his eyes to the light of day at Lyons, Iowa, December 13, 1859, his parents being Aylett R. and Laura (Wick) Cotton, the former a descendant of John Cotton who came from Barnston, England, to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1633. Aylett R. Cotton was a lawyer and judge in Iowa. William Wick Cotton's early educational training was received from his mother and he was then sent to the east, where he entered the Pennsylvania State Normal School at Millersville, from which he was in due time graduated and then taught for a time in the same institution. He afterward became a law student of Columbia University of New York and there completed his course in 1882, during which he read law in the offices of John F. Dillon, chief counsel of the Union Pacific Railroad. He was admitted to the bar of New York state and there began his practice. He displayed special aptitude in his studies and after several years of practical applica- tion of the lessons which he had learned under some of the greatest instructors of the country, he became in 1887 assistant to the general solicitor of the Union Pacific Rail- way Company at Omaha, Nebraska.
The year 1889 witnessed the arrival of Mr. Cotton in Portland, at which time he was made general attorney for the Pacific division of the Union Pacific Railway Com- pany and when the line passed into the control of the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company he became connected with the latter organization. He was widely recognized on the Pacific coast as a brilliant lawyer and in 1901 was appointed as an associate of Judge C. B. Bellinger of the United States district court, to prepare a new edition of the laws and codes of Oregon and with marked ability discharged the duties of that appointment. His chief life work, however, was in connection with the Oregon Rail- road & Navigation Company of which he was made attorney and secretary. In 1915 he was named to direct valuation of the Union Pacific and its affiliated lines. In these connections he bent his powers to constructive effort and administrative direction, while his comprehensive knowledge of the law enabled him to pass upon every in- volved and intricate legal point. In 1905 he was appointed by President Roosevelt United States district judge for the district of Oregon which he accepted but later resigned.
On the 29th of August, 1888, Mr. Cotton was married to Miss Fannie R. Colling- wood, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and for nearly thirty years they traveled life's journey most happily together, being separated by the hand of death on the 13th of March, 1918.
Mr. Cotton was a well known clubman of Portland, belonging to the Arlington, Commercial, University and Waverly Golf Clubs. His political endorsement was given to the republican party, yet he was never active in politics as an office seeker. He pre- ferred that his service to mankind should be of a different character and it is said of him that he was instrumental in aiding many young men now prominent members of the Oregon bar in making their first step across the legal threshold. His assistance was most quietly and unostentatiously given but proved him the friend indeed. His own boyhood had largely been a period of strife against obstacles and difficulties and he realized just what timely assistance would mean to others. Through his own inherent
WILLIAM W. COTTON
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force of character and developing powers he had risen to a place preeminent among the attorneys of the northwest and was one of the most widely quoted and consulted legal figures of the railway world.
Mr. Cotton largely turned to agricultural interests for recreation and relaxation. He became the owner and operator of three farms in the vicinity of Portland, one of these being at Gresham, where he maintained his country home, one at Newberg and one on Bachelder's island, in the Columbia river. He was especially interested in dairying and took a leading part in organizing the Oregon Dairymen's League, acting as directing adviser. He indeed made valuable contribution to the advancement and progress of the northwest and the record which he left is both tangible and prominent. His life was fraught with good deeds, with considerate actions toward others and by charity quietly bestowed. During the European war he was made the head of the railway valuation committee in Portland and he stood for all those forces which con- tributed to the successful prosecution of the war. Wherever William Wick Cotton was known he is spoken of in terms of the highest regard. His life in every respect measured up to advanced standards and the world is better for his having lived. At the time of his demise he was the president of the Boy Scouts of Portland.
GEORGE E. MARTIN.
George E. Martin, manager of the Telephone Register, a weekly paper issued at McMinnville, was born in New Boston, Wayne county, Michigan, December 19, 1877, a son of Amos and Jane (Rosencrans) Martin, natives of Massachusetts, In an early day the father went to Michigan and there followed farming until 1891, when he came to the west, settling in Clackamas county, Oregon, where he purchased a small tract of land, and this he continued to cultivate until his death, which occurred in October, 1911, while the mother passed away in June, 1914.
George E. Martin was reared in Wayne county, Michigan, where he attended the public schools, and his high school course was pursued at Oswego, Oregon. After completing his education he learned the printer's trade, which he followed in Hillsboro, Oregon, for three years. He arrived in McMinnville in 1900 and here found employ- ment with the Telephone Register, of which he became proprietor at the end of two years, continuing to operate the plant for a period of seven years, when he sold the enterprise. He still continued with the paper, however, in the capacity of manager and in February, 1921, repurchased the plant, which he has since operated. He has added many improvements in the way of machinery and presses and now has one of the most modern and hest equipped newspaper plants in the state. The Telephone Register is a weekly of high standing, filled with good reading matter and enjoying a large circulation. Mr. Martin is conducting his publication as an independent re- publican paper and has made it the champion of every measure and movement calculated to uphuild the town and promote the growth of the surrounding district.
On the 31st of December, 1900, Mr. Martin was united in marriage to Miss Nena Nicklin, and they have become the parents of two children, G. Alphadine and E. Dale, hoth of whom are attending school.
In his political views Mr. Martin is an independent republican, and fraternally he is identified with the Knights of Pythias. He takes an intelligent interest in public affairs, and his work as a progressive newspaper man contributes to the development of the district in which he is located. He is one of the enterprising and public-spirited citizens of Yamhill county, widely known and highly respected.
ALLEN E. FROST.
Allen E. Frost, owner and publisher of the Benton County Courier, issued at Corvallis, was horn in Athens county, Ohio, October 27, 1872, a son of David G. and Ruth A. (Stout) Frost, also natives of Ohio. The father followed farming and car- pentering in the Buckeye state. In 1891 he came west to Oregon, taking up his ahode in Oregon City, where he continued to follow his trade throughout his remaining years. He was an honored veteran of the Civil war, enlisting as a member of Com- pany B, One Hundred and Sixteenth Ohio Infantry, with which he served for three
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years, participating in many hard-fought battles and enduring hardships and priva- tions in order that the Union might be preserved. He passed away in 1902 at the age of seventy-two years, and the mother's demise occurred in 1905, when she had also attained the age of seventy-two.
Allen E. Frost attended school in Ohio and Kansas, his parents having resided for two years in the Sunflower state. On completing his studies he began learning the printer's trade, finishing his apprenticeship at Oregon City, Oregon, whither he had removed with his parents in 1891. He followed his trade in the employ of others until 1911, when he started in business on his own account, purchasing an interest in a paper at Oregon City, with which he was connected until the 15th of March, 1915, when he disposed of his interest in that publication and removed to Cor- vallis, purchasing the Benton County Republican. This he is now conducting under the name of the Benton County Courier and has greatly improved the plant, installing two linotype machines and all the latest presses, his equipment being modern in every particular. He has made the Courier a readable and attractive journal, devoted to the welfare of the district. Its news is always accurate and reliable and it has there- fore become popular with the general public, having an extensive circulation.
On the 5th of June, 1901, Mr. Frost was united in marriage to Miss Alice G. Andrews, and they have become the parents of two children, namely: Melville Eugene, who was born February 24, 1903; and Dorothy Loretta, born September 9, 1908.
In his political views Mr. Frost is a democrat, and fraternally he is identified with the Woodmen of the World, while Mrs. Frost belongs to the Women of Woodcraft. In religious faith he is a Presbyterian and he is much interested in the work of the church, serving as one of its elders. He is publishing the Courier in accordance with the most progressive ideas of modern journalism, and in his editorial capacity he is contributing in substantial measure to the development of the district in which he is located, standing at all times for improvement in everything relating to the upbuilding and advancement of the county along intellectual, political, material and moral lines. He is accounted one of the progressive men of his community and is highly esteemed by all who know him.
WILLARD L. MARKS.
Willard L. Marks, attorney at law and member of the well known law firm of Hill & Marks, with offices in the Cusick Bank building at Albany, was born near Lebanon, in Linn county, Oregon, June 25, 1883, a son of James M. and Mary P. (Blain) Marks, natives of Indiana. The father crossed the plains to Oregon in com- pany with his parents in 1852 and took up a donation land claim near Lebanon. The mother came to this state with her parents in 1848, being at that time but four years of age. Her father was a minister of the Presbyterian church and later became one of the founders of the United Presbyterian church. Upon coming to this state he first located in Oregon City, where he became editor of the Oregon Spectator, which was the first newspaper published west of the Rocky Mountains. Not long afterward he removed to Linn county and established a church and school at Union Point, in the vicinity of Brownsville. He died at Albany many years ago. James M. Marks, the father of Mr. Marks of this review, traded the donation land claim near Lebanon, which he had acquired on first coming to this state, for other land in that vicinity and this farm he operated for many years. He was one of the leaders in religious and educational affairs in his community and became one of the founders of the First Presbyterian church at Lebanon. He at length removed to Albany, where he resided for some time, and subsequently went to California, where he passed away in 1914, when nearly eighty years of age. The mother, however, survives and is now residing in Napa, California.
Willard L. Marks was reared and educated in Linn county, Oregon. He attended the public schools at Lebanon and at Albany and later entered Albany College, from which he was graduated with the class of 1904. While a student there he not only won scholastic honors and was a member of the college debating team but was prominent as an athlete and was a member of the track team which won the state championship in 1903. He also served as president of the old Collegiate Athletic League of Oregon. He met most of the expenses of his academic education by doing newspaper work and in addition to doing his school work served as city editor of the
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Albany Daily Herald during most of his senior year in college. After completing his college course he engaged in newspaper work and was for a year a reporter on the Portland Telegram. In 1906 he became chief deputy county clerk of Linn county and four years later was elected county clerk, being the first candidate for public office in Linn county ever nominated on both the republican and democratic tickets. He rendered such good service in that office that he was reelected without opposition in 1912.
Shortly after his graduation from college Mr. Marks began the study of law in connection with his other work and while serving as county clerk was admitted to the bar. On the 1st day of January, 1915, he retired from the clerk's office to take up the practice of law, and on that date formed a partnership with Gale S. Hill and since then has been associated with the law firm of Hill & Marks at Albany. Upon tak- ing up the practice of law he was appointed deputy district attorney for Linn county and filled that position for six years.
On the 16th of April, 1907, occurred the marriage of Willard L. Marks and Miss Beryl Turner, a daughter of John and Fluella M. (Fisher) Turner, the former a native of Illinois and the latter of Missouri. The father was a railroad agent in this state for several years and followed that line of work throughout his entire life. He passed away in 1903 but the mother is still living. Mr. and Mrs. Marks have two children, a son, Robert Leighton Marks, who was born August 4, 1914, and a daughter, Marian Elizabeth Marks, born February 17, 1921.
In politics Mr. Marks is a republican and he has been an active worker for the party. He served some time as secretary of the republican central committee of Linn county and has represented the county as a member of the state central committee sev- eral years. He was a member of the executive committee of the party in Oregon dur- ing the presidential campaigns of 1916 and 1920. He has had different opportunities to fill public office but prefers to devote his attention to the conduct of his extensive law business. Mr. Marks is prominent in fraternal circles. He has filled various offices in the Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias and served as grand chancellor of Oregon in 1915 and 1916. He is also a member of different bodies of the Masonic order and other organizations. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Presbyterian church.
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