USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. III > Part 37
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Mr. and Mrs. Williams are members of the Episcopal church and they occupy an enviable position in the social circles. Mr. Williams is a member of the Waverly Club, the Rotary Club, the Royal Rosarian, the Press Club and the Old Colony Club and is also identified with the Chamber of Commerce, which is indicative of his interests in Portland's welfare and the organized effort to advance the interests of the city along lines of steady and substantial growth and of civic virtue and civic pride. In 1910 Mr. Williams was chosen the head of the Ancient and Honorable Order of the Blue Goose, the membership of which is composed of officers and general agents of fire insurance companies throughout the world. His position as an insurance man is a most enviable one and he has an extremely wide acquaintance among those engaged in the same line of business. He was made the world's commissioner for the insur- ance congress held in San Francisco during the Panama-Pacific Exposition. In 1914 he filled the high office of president of the Fire Underwriter's Association of the Pacific, which draws its membership from eleven western states, the Hawaiian Islands, British Columbia and Alaska. His political endorsement has always been given to the republican party since age conferred upon him the right of franchise. During the period of the World war he was the Oregon state representative for insurance cor- porations and was manager for Oregon of the activities of insurance men. He also took part on all bond drives and did everything possible to support the government in its connection with the allied interests and the prosecution of the war. The marked patriotism which he early displayed stamped him as one hundred per cent American and in times of peace he has been equally efficient in his labors to promote public progress, his activities being an element along many lines in advancing the welfare of commun- ity, commonwealth and country.
EMIL I. KURATLI.
America has produced more financial geniuses, perhaps, than any other one coun- try in the world. Some have been native, some she has adopted from foreign shores and made her own. Emil I. Kuratli was born in New York city in 1866, but his parents, John J. and Theresa Kuratli, were natives of Switzerland who had come to America the preceding year. The son, while a native American, thus inherited the progressive thrift and industry which characterizes the Alpine race. His father was a linguist and a teacher of languages, and even after he had settled upon a farm at Phillips, Washington county, Oregon, he continued to pursue his educational work. Emil was taught at the Phillips public schools, by his father and later by private tutors, all the while assisting in the operation of the farm which was a model of its sort, extending over forty acres. His own farm adjoined the home place, and not until he was thirty-five years of age did he abandon the active operation of it to establish in Hillsboro the loan and insurance business which marked the beginning of his career as one of the foremost financiers of the northwest. During the years he has devoted to this business he has enjoyed a larger volume of business than any man engaged in a similar enterprise in Washington county and he has the satisfaction of knowing that not one of the thousands of loans he has made has turned out dis- astrously. Formerly a director of the Hillsboro National Bank of Hillsboro and now its president, he is generally conceded to be the best-informed man in the county as to the financial and moral standing of the citizens of Washington county.
Mr. Kuratli has served for four years as county recorder and seven years as deputy assessor, and for two terms as a member of the city council. He was also clerk of the Phillips school board for ten years. During the World war he was chairman Vol. III-19
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of the Limit Club in war drives and active in Liberty and Victory Bond campaigns. His constructive interest in every project making for the advancement of Hillsboro, Washington county, Oregon, or the northwest may always be counted upon as a certainty.
Mr. Kuratli married Tillie Grossen, daughter of John Grossen, a prominent farmer of Washington county. They have no children. Mrs. Kuratli is a leader in philan- thropic work and no scheme for the alleviation of poverty and suffering ever appeals to her in vain. She gives her time and her resources unsparingly to those in need,
A past grandmaster of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Mr. Kuratli is popular in a fraternal way. He is also an elder of the Bethany Presbyterian church. His father is still living and he has four brothers, one of whom, H. A., is county clerk of Washington county, while David is the vice president of the Tillamook County Bank; another, J. C., is in the loan and real estate business and is also an auctioneer of Hills- boro; Samuel A. is a farmer of Phillips, Washington county; and he has one sister, Anna B. Dysle, of Bethany, Washington county. Mr. and Mrs. Kuratli made during the year 1909 a tour of America first, and then went abroad visiting the principal places in England, France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany.
In recording the names of the leaders of thought and action in Washington county, and indeed in all the northwest, that of Emil I. Kuratli comes very near the top of the list.
THOMAS MANNIX.
Thomas Mannix, who for eight years has been an active representative of the Portland bar, was born in County Kerry, Ireland, June 7, 1879, his parents being Michael and Deborah (Moriarity) Mannix. The father, also a native of County Kerry, was born in 1847, and was there married, after which he came with his family to the United States in 1883, settling in Boston, Massachusetts, where his death occurred in 1894. His widow afterward came to the Pacific coast and spent her last days in Portland, passing away in 1916.
Thomas Mannix was a little lad of but four years when brought to the United States and in the schools of Boston he pursued his education and his professional training was received in the Boston University Law School, from which he was grad- uated in 1903, after which he practiced his profession in Boston until 1912. Believing that still better opportunities might be secured on the Pacific coast he then came to Portland, where he opened his law office and has since followed his profession. The thoroughness with which he prepares his cases, the earnestness with which he defends his cause, his sound logic and his clear reasoning are all potent elements in the success which he has achieved.
On the 19th of April, 1906, in Boston, Massachusetts, Mr. Mannix was united in marriage to Miss Marie Mullaly and they have become parents of two children: Marie E. and Francis. The religious faith of the family is that of the Catholic church and Mr. Mannix is identified with community interests as a member of the Chamber of Commerce. His political allegiance is given to the republican party and his coopera- tion can be counted upon to further all plans and movements for the public good.
HON. JOSEPH SIMON.
Hon. Joseph Simon, lawyer and lawmaker, whose contribution to professional and legislative activity has been of a most valuable character, became an active prac- titioner at the Portland bar on the 1st of February, 1873. His ability has long been recognized, placing him at a point of leadership among the ablest of Portland's attor- neys. Mr. Simon has practically been a lifelong resident of this city, for he was a lad of but six years when brought hither by his father, his birth having occurred on February 7, 1851. At the usual age he became a public school pupil and after mastering the branches of learning that constituted the public school curriculum he entered upon the study of law in the office of John H. Mitchell and Joseph N. Dolph. After two years he passed the required examination for admission to the bar and that his former preceptors had recognized his capability and the sterling worth of his char-
THOMAS MANNIX
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acter is indicated in the fact that he was offered a partnership by Hon. J. N. Dolph, who was subsequently elected United States senator and who had directed his read- ing. For a long time the firm of Dolph, Bronaugh, Dolph & Simon existed without change, having been organized February 1, 1873. Later the name of the firm became Dolph, Mallory, Simon & Gearin. C. A. Dolph who had become a member of the firm at the same time Mr. Simon was taken into the partnership became the senior mem- ber. From the beginning the firm has occupied a position of distinction in connection with the Portland bar. In the preparation of his cases Mr. Simon has ever heen most thorough and careful, and there are few who have so closely conformed their prac- tice to a high standard of professional ethics. His mind is naturally analytical, logical and inductive, his reasoning is always clear, his presentation of a cause cogent, and the strength of his argument is manifest in the many favorable verdicts which he has won and to which the court records bear witness. As the years have passed Mr. Simon's cooperation has been sought in other fields and while he has always made the practice of law his real life work, he has become a director of the First National Bank of Portland, also of the Security Savings & Trust Company and of the Oregon City Manufacturing Company.
Mr. Simon is likewise most prominently known in connection with the political activity of the state. From early manhood he has been deeply interested in all the questions vital to the welfare of community and commonwealth and his fellow towns- men, appreciative of his worth and ability and of his public spirit, elected him a member of the city council in 1877. He occupied that position until 1880, in which year he was chosen to represent his district in the state senate. This election was followed by two reelections and when the general assembly convened in January, 1889, he was chosen president of the senate and was again elected its presiding officer in 1891. He retired from legislative halls in 1892 but after two years was once more elected state senator from Multnomah county for a four years' term, and when the legislature met on the 14th of January, 1895, he was again chosen president of the senate and once more in 1897. His fifth election to the upper house of the general assembly from Multnomah county occurred in 1898. On the 26th of September of that year a special session of the state legislature was called by the governor and again Mr. Simon was chosen as presiding officer of the senate. For twenty years he was continued as a member of the upper house and five times during that period held the presidency in the senate. Of him a contemporary writer has said: "His record is that of one of the most fair and impartial presiding officers that has ever conducted the affairs of the upper house and he enjoyed in fullest measure the esteem and personal regard of his political opponents as well as his political adherents. At the legislative session of 1897 the lower house failed to organize, but the senate was duly organized and attempted to transact business during the forty days' time allotted by law. It was during the special session on the 8th of October, 1898, that he was chosen United States senator for a term of six years, beginning March 4, 1897, the legislature of 1897 having failed to elect a senator, and the state having been without one senator for nearly two years. At the joint session at which he was elected he received the unanimous support of the sixty-six republican members of his party. To few men is political leadership so long accorded as to Hon. Joseph Simon. To occupy high office for any length of time is to invite attack and criticism of those holding opposing views, and yet through the course of his senatorial service Mr. Simon has held to the policy which he has marked out-a policy dictated by his judgment, his public spirit and his patriotism. His aid is recognized as a tangible and effective force in promoting re- publican successes. He was chairman of the republican state central committee dur- ing the biennial campaigns of 1880, 1884 and 1886, and in 1892 was chosen a delegate to the republican national convention held at Minneapolis in June of that year, on which occasion he gave his support to William Mckinley instead of to Benjamin Harrison, who ultimately received the nomination. He was also a delegate to the republican national convention held at Philadelphia in 1902. During the five sessions of the Oregon legislature of which he was president of the senate he in numerous ways distinguished himself for dispatch of business and ability to preserve order and untangle difficult questions of parliamentary dispute."
Not only has Mr. Simon attained prominence and honors of a professional and po- litical character but is also a recognized leader in Masonic circles in Oregon. He is past master of his lodge and past high priest of his chapter and has attained the honorary thirty-third degree of the Scottish Rite. The honorary thirty-third degree was conferred upon him in recognition of valuable service rendered to the order.
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He is also a member of the Mystic Shrine and belongs to Concordia Club and to the Chamber of Commerce, while his religious connection is with Temple Beth Israel. Portland has honored him in various ways but perhaps that of most intimate char- acter was his election to the mayoralty and his devotion to the welfare of the city was manifest in his untiring efforts to advance its interests and to uphold the highest civic standards. No higher testimonial of Mr. Simon's worth can be found than the fact that many of his stanchest friends are those who have known him from his boy- hood to the present time. This certainly is unmistakable proof of an upright life and of sterling qualities of character. He is one of the best known of Portland's citizens and everywhere is spoken of in terms of the highest regard. His entire career has been marked by devotion to duty and by a recognition and utilization of opportunity that has been manifest not only in the advancement of his professional connections but in his public service for the city and for the commonwealth. For almost two- thirds of a century he has been a resident of Portland and no list of eminent citizens fails to have his name among the foremost.
FREDERICK WILLIAM HERMAN.
Frederick William Herman, one of the prominent lawyers and city attorney of Rainier, is a native of the state of Nebraska, where he was born in 1884, his parents being Charles W. and Veronica (Schmied) Herman. His father located in Washing- ton in 1887 as editor and publisher of a newspaper. In 1894 he came to Rainier, Oregon, and established the first newspaper published in that town. In 1909 he sold out this business and retired.
Frederick W. Herman was ambitious to become a lawyer and to accomplish this desire he went to Portland after receiving his common school education in Washington and Oregon. He became a clerk at the Imperial Hotel in Portland and devoted his spare time to study. Later he took a course in law at the Oregon Law School, where he was graduated in 1914. Once more he took up work as a hotel clerk in order to accumulate a little money. In 1914 he was admitted to the bar by the supreme court and located in Rainier, where he has since practiced. Through the intervening years he has built up a splendid clientage. Mr. Herman is the city attorney of Rainier, clerk of the school board and represents on one side or the other almost every case that originates in this vicinity. After he had been a resident of Rainier for five months he was a candidate for the office of district attorney and came within one hundred and sixty-nine votes of securing the nomination. He was tendered the nomination on the republican ticket for the same office in 1920 but declined to accept it. Mr. Herman has done much to upbuild his community, one of his outstanding accomplishments being the organization of a drainage system which will reclaim thirteen hundred and seventeen acres in the vicinity of Rainier.
In 1912 Mr. Herman was united in marriage to Miss Lela B. Sprague of Portland, Oregon. During the World war he was a member of the legal advisory board and chairman of the Four-Minute men. He is an earnest student and gives promise of becoming one of the most prominent lawyers in Oregon.
WILLIAM ANDERSON.
William Anderson, president of the William Anderson Company of Astoria, is one of the most respected and successful merchants of that section of Oregon. When he came to this country from his native land he was a poor boy with no resources but his energy, ability, and grim determination. His rise to the position of influence which he now occupies is indeed a tribute to his integrity and general good char- acter. A native of Finland, his birth occurred in that country in 1863, a son of Antti Matinjussi, the name being derived from the farm which he operated.
Receiving his education in his native land, William Anderson emigrated to this country in 1882. He was christened John William Matinjussi but his passports were made out to William Anderson. When he arrived in the United States he had no knowledge of the English language hut started at once for the Pacific coast to engage in fishing on the Columbia river. For seven years he followed that occupation in the
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vicinity of Astoria, during which period he devoted his spare time to the study of English and to learning the history and customs of his new home. The succeeding three years he spent in a store in an endeavor to learn thoroughly every phase of the mercantile business. He had made application for his citizenship papers as soon as possible after arriving in this country and after mastering the English language and familiarizing himself with the business methods of the new world he established a mercantile establishment at Deep River, Washington, and for the next quarter of a century maintained that business, as the years passed becoming a dominant figure in that community. For twenty-three years he was postmaster of Deep River and for six years served as county commissioner, likewise being honored with various other offices. In 1913, feeling that he had earned a rest and desirous of putting his son, Einon W., on his feet in the business world, Mr. Anderson established a store in Astoria under the name of the William Anderson Company, Incorporated, becoming its president, while his son was made secretary and manager. In 1918 Mr. Anderson sold his Deep River business and removed to Astoria. His mercantile establishment in Astoria is one of the largest of its kind there and occupies two floors of a building on Franklin avenue, fifty by one hundred and twenty feet, and gives employment to twelve clerks.
In 1885 Mr. Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Lyda Ostrom, a native of Finland, and of a large family of children born to them but one son, Einon W., is living.
Mr. Anderson is a prominent member of the Finnish Brotherhood and the Luth- eran church. He is one of the most progressive merchants of the lower Columbia valley and enjoys hosts of friendships on both sides of the river. For less than forty years Mr. Anderson has resided in America and in this time has become a well-to-do man of affairs and a prominent and outstanding figure in the commercial world. As a large property owner he is always interested in civic affairs and his support may always be counted upon in forwarding any movement which he deems of value to the development of the community. The greater part of his property is located on the Washington side of the river and is among the most valuable in that vicinity. He is a man of extremely modest and unassuming manner, an exemplary citizen in every way, standing for business integrity and progressive citizenship.
ARTHUR IRA MOULTON.
Arthur Ira Moulton, a man of broad learning and liberal culture, whose strong mentality has been the basis of a substantial success won in the practice of law at Portland, was born at Buxton, Kansas, October 22, 1886. His father, Henry Moulton, was born in Lacon, Illinois, in 1859 and was married in Coffey county, Kansas, to Miss Claudia Irene Overturf. In the year 1888 they came to Oregon and are now residents of Clackamas county, where Mr. Moulton is engaged in farming.
Arthur I. Moulton was but two years old when brought by his parents to this state and he acquired his early education in the country schools near his father's home, . while for three years he was a student in the Oregon State Normal at Weston. In 1904 he entered a law office in Walla Walla, Washington, as a student and after thor- ough preliminary preparation was admitted to the Oregon bar in June, 1908. He now practices in Portland and he enjoys an excellent reputation as a lawyer of wide knowledge of the principles of jurisprudence and ability accurately to apply these principles to the points in litigation. He also possesses excellent oratorical ability and presents his cause in a fluent manner, his deductions being sound, his reasoning clear and his argument at all times logical. He has also become interested as a director or officer in several corporations.
On the 11th of October, 1908, in Walla Walla, Mr. Moulton was united in marriage to Miss Emma C. Kershaw, a daughter of the late William Kershaw, a native of England. The children of this marriage are: Allison Kershaw, born November 16, 1909; Dorothy Irene; and Lois Mae.
Politically Mr. Moulton is an earnest republican and was with that wing of the party which organized the progressive party in 1912. In 1914 he was nominated for congress by the progressive and prohibition parties in the third Oregon district. Dur- ing the World war he served on the legal advisory board and actively assisted in the promotion of every bond drive. Fraternally he is connected with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, is a past grand of his local lodge and past chief patriarch of
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Golden Rule Encampment No. 28 of Portland. He is likewise well known in club circles, having membership with the Laurelhurst, Portland Gun, Multnomah Anglers and Salmon Clubs of Oregon. He largely turns to fishing for recreation and diversion and has enjoyed many a trip into the open with rod and gun. His social qualities make for popularity among his many friends, for he is always approachable and genial, widely recognized as a man of ability, high character and attractive qualities. Every project instituted for the benefit of the community or the uplift of the individual is sure to receive his endorsement.
PAUL CHRISTIAN FISCHER.
Paul C. Fischer of Oregon City is fast becoming recognized as one of Clackamas county's rising young lawyers. He is, like many more of the state's prominent men, a native of another state, born in Racine, Wisconsin, in 1881. His parents, F. J. and Christina (Henecke) Fischer, were natives of Germany, but realizing the great oppor- tunities to be found in the new country they emigrated to the United States and settled in Wisconsin in 1847. His father was an expert cabinet-maker and built up an exten- sive trade by his industry and ability and thus set an excellent example for his son, Paul. He died, however, when Paul was a lad of seven years.
Left a widow, his mother gathered up her little flock in 1893 and removed to Oregon, settling at Mt. Angel in Clackamas county. She purchased a farm of forty acres there and with the help of Paul, who was then but twelve years of age, started to build up the family fortune. Few women would have had the courage to undertake such great responsibilities and Mrs. Fischer set Paul the example of undaunted courage. But the family fortune was not obtained at once, for scarcely had the foundation been laid when, just one year after their removal to Oregon, a fire destroyed all their per- sonal property, including their furniture and farm implements. In spite of these handicaps, however, Mr. Fischer studied at home, also assisting with the farm work and at the age of twenty years he pursued a course at the Mt. Angel College. Choosing law as his profession he later attended the law department at the University of Oregon and was graduated therefrom in 1912. In the same year he was admitted to practice by the supreme court, at once opened his office in Oregon City, and has since practiced there. Mr. Fischer makes his home with his mother at Gladstone, Clackamas county, where he owns a sixteen-acre farm. Being a public-spirited man and anxious to serve his community, he holds the office of recorder of the city of Gladstone, an office which he accepted as a matter of public duty.
Fraternally Mr. Fischer is a member of the Woodmen of the World but has joined no other fraternal organization. As a member of the democratic party Mr. Fischer takes an active interest in its affairs but has never been an office seeker, preferring rather to devote his time to the upbuilding of his law practice, which is steadily grow- ing and as a result he is becoming recognized among the prominent men of his pro- fession in Clackamas county. His zeal in his profession and his public-spiritedness may be depended upon to assist materially in the future growth of Oregon.
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