USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. III > Part 46
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Mr. Bell was the delegate from the state of Oregon to the National Convention of Funeral Directors which was held at Springfield, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1920. A paper which he read at this gathering won the admiration of delegates from all parts of the country.
A Mason, a Knights Templar, an Elk, a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, a Woodman of the World, and Knight of Pythias, Mr. Bell has also many civic and religious affilia- tions. During his residence in McMinnville he was a member of the city council. He is a trustee of the Central Church of Christ of Hillsboro and a teacher in the Sunday School. As an active member of the Hillsboro Commercial Club he stands high in business circles.
Mr. Bell was married at McMinnville in 1914 to Dorothy A. Miller, a daughter of John and Martha Miller, natives of Iowa who crossed the plains with an ox team and settled in Polk county, Oregon. Mrs. Bell is devoted to her husband and the care which she bestows upon her two sturdy boys, Glenn Ford and Dale Eugene, necessarily
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interferes somewhat with her social duties. She is naturally a social leader, however, and is very active in church work.
As a man and as a citizen Mr. Bell is beyond reproach. Professionally his scien- tific attainments are widely acknowledged.
HON. WILLIAM MILTON KILLINGSWORTH.
Hon. William Milton Killingsworth, whose name is inseparably interwoven with the history of Portland and its development, is now a well known capitalist of the city and his present enviable financial position is attributable entirely to his own efforts and keen business sagacity. Moreover, his activities have been directed along many lines in which the city has been the immediate beneficiary. He was associated with and assisted in the building of the first electric car line in Oregon, has been identified with the promotion of legislation of great value to the state, has contributed to the improvement of harbors and the promotion of navigation and along various other lines has given tangible evidence of his great interest in the city and the com- monwealth. Mr. Killingsworth comes to the northwest from Springfield, Missouri, in which city his birth occurred September 16, 1850, his parents being John and Eliza (Shields) Killingsworth. The father, a native of Tennessee, resided for some years in Missouri and then started across the plains with his family in 1852, but on account of cholera they did not proceed that year. In the following year Mr. and Mrs. Kill- ingsworth started again, arriving in Oregon in 1853, with their three children. William Milton Killingsworth of this review has two sisters. Sophronia is the widow of D. C. Felch, a pioneer settler near Colfax, Washington, and the first settler on the Ribble flat to engage in the sheep business. He also conducted a nursery business there for a number of years but has now departed this life. His widow is a resident of Seattle and by her marriage became the mother of two sons and five daughters. The other daughter of John Killingsworth who came with the parents to Oregon was Cornelia, now the widow of R. M. Robertson and a resident of Los Angeles, California. She has one daughter, Vivia. When the family reached Oregon, John Killingsworth de- cided to locate at Eugene, which at that time contained but one house. He took a homestead and engaged in the business of sheep raising but afterward returned to Eugene, where he and his son took active part in the improvement of the city by setting out nearly all of the shade trees there. They also established the Star bakery, which was the first in the county. This was before the era of railroad travel and transportation and Mr. Killingsworth had to haul goods from Portland. He would take a load of bacon, wool and other products and return with flour and similar lines of goods.
William Milton Killingsworth was but three years of age when brought to Oregon, so that he has practically spent his entire life in the northwest and has been a witness of the entire growth and development of the state. He became the active assistant of his father in the conduct of a bakery, and in 1880 he left Eugene and removed to Portland, where he established a real estate business. In this he has since engaged, making a specialty of developing real estate for homes between the two rivers. He believed that Portland would in time become a great city and that Greater Portland would be located between the two rivers. He accordingly secured property in this district covered by a dense forest and staked his all upon the future growth. Many of his friends argued against the course, protesting that he would never live to see the timber cleared from the section now known as Walnut Park district. Their predic- tions, however, were soon proven false, as with Portland's rapid growth the land has been reclaimed and Mr. Killingsworth has lived to see many men win prosperity through handling property which he sold to them. He operated extensively in this district and there is no man who has been more largely responsible for the develop- ment and improvement of Portland than has Mr. Killingsworth. He was identified in building the first car line operated by electricity in Oregon, the line extending from Stanton street to the Albina ferry and a little steam road from Stanton to St. John. He still owns a ten-acre tract of land in the midst of which stands a palatial modern residence. When this property came into his possession it was covered with a dense growth of forest trees, which he cut away and then began the development of the place, which stands on high ground that slopes to both rivers. He has one of the
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largest and most beautiful homes of the city, containing sixteen rooms and recognized as one of Portland's landmarks.
In 1875 Mr. Killingsworth was married to Miss Dora Simpson, a daughter of Gen- eral Ben Simpson, surveyor general of Oregon. They became the parents of five daughters, and one son: Nina; Fay; William, a leading physician of the city of Portland; Alice, who is the wife of C. L. Shorno; Lou, the wife of Harry Swart; and Flawnice, the wife of Dell O'Holon.
In 1905 Mr. Killingsworth was elected to the state legislature and was the first man appointed to the port of Portland commission to take up the project of digging a channel to the sea, which is perhaps the greatest piece of constructive legislation ever passed in the legislative halls of Oregon. This bill gave the State Board of Railroad Control the power, when a contributary railroad was built, to compel the main lines to haul the contributary line cars to their destination at a fair rate. This was fought "tooth and nail" by all railroads, was not supported by one of the other members from Multnomah county, and did not become a law until 3:30 in the after- noon of the last day of the session. He was also a member of the emigration com- mittee for several years and while in the legislature he introduced a bill which became known as the Killingsworth bill. He stood stanchly for all measures which he deemed of value to the commonwealth and his position upon any vital question was never an equivocal one. He was the organizer of the Portland Board of Trade and it was due to this board that the Lewis and Clark Exposition was held in Portland. At all times Mr. Killingsworth has manifested a most progressive spirit, seeking in every way to promote the welfare of his city and state, and the great commonwealth that stands today is the result of the united efforts of such men as he whose name introduces this review.
HON. JAMES CORWIN FULLERTON.
Judge James Corwin Fullerton, for sixty-eight years a resident of Oregon, belongs to the type of men who conquered the wilderness of the far west and helped to build the state of Oregon. He is a real "old-timer," having located in Oregon when the state which is now one of the most prominent and progressive in the union was a vast prairie land, sparsely settled. Like many other prominent men of Oregon he is a native of another state, his birth having occurred in Butler county, Ohio, in 1848. He is a son of John and Jane (Rolf) Fullerton, of old Ohio pioneer stock. In 1849 John Ful- lerton migrated to California, assisting in building the first railroad on the Isthmus while waiting for a vessel to take him to that state. For several years he mined in California but in 1852 made a journey north and took up a donation claim on the South Umpqua river near Canyonville in Douglas county. In 1853 he was joined by his wife and small son, James Corwin, and since that time James C. Fullerton has become a prominent factor in the upbuilding of his adopted state.
James Corwin Fullerton received his education in the common schools of the county and assisted his father on the farm. Upon the outbreak of the Civil war he became fired with patriotism and volunteered his services in the Oregon Volunteers, with which he served until 1865. In 1873 he was appointed to the office of United States land receiver, being located at Roseburg until 1885, when his service in that connection expired. While in the land office Judge Fullerton took up the study of law and in 1879 was admitted to the bar. In 1889 he was elected to the state senate and served during 1890 and 1891. In 1892 he was elected circuit judge and served on the bench until 1898. By the justness of his decisions Judge Fullerton won the confidence of the lawyers and laymen of the circuit and the approval of his fellow citizens. Upon retiring from the bench he began the practice of law at Roseburg, in which connection he was active until his retirement, in 1921. He built up an extensive and lucrative clientage and has long been judged a successful and brilliant attorney.
In 1874 occurred the marriage of Judge Fullerton and Miss Clara Bunnell, daughter of Dr. N. P. Bunnell, and their living children are: Nathan, who is proprietor of the Rexall Drug Store of Roseburg; and Kate, the wife of Professor Thomas W. Graham, of Oberlin College.
Judge Fullerton has always taken an active interest in politics and is a stanch supporter of the republican party. He was one of the presidential electors who polled the vote of the state for William Mckinley. In the civic affairs of the community Judge
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Fullerton has always taken a prominent and active part and he has served both as a member of the school board and the city council. In fraternal circles he is also well known, being an exemplary member of the Masons and various other fraternal organizations. He is a past grand master of the Grand Lodge of Oregon, A. F. & A. M. Judge Fuller- ton has made steady progress in his profession, wherein he has always adhered to the highest professional ethics, and colleagues and contemporaries of the bar speak of him in terms of high respect.
GEORGE FORREST ALEXANDER.
George Forrest Alexander, lawyer and present United States marshal for the State and District of Oregon, was horn at Gallatin, Daviess county, Missouri, April 20, 1882. His father, Judge Joshua W. Alexander, was a distinguished lawyer, jurist and states- man of that state and was Secretary of Commerce in the cabinet of President Woodrow Wilson. His mother was a daughter of the late Judge Samuel A. Richardson, noted pioneer lawyer and jurist of Missouri.
The subject of this sketch received his early education in the public and high schools of Gallatin, Missouri, later entering the academic department of the University of Missouri, where he studied for two years, then entered the law department of the same school and graduated therefrom three years later or in 1905, with the degree of LL. B. The following fall he opened a law office at his old home in Gallatin, Missouri, and prac- ticed his profession there successfully until the spring of 1912, during which time he served his home city about five years as city attorney and completely revised the city's laws and ordinances. In the spring of 1912 considerations of health forced him to seek a more congenial climate and his removal to Portland, Oregon, resulted. Here he immediately resumed the practice of law and quickly gained the confidence and goodwill of the people of Oregon, among whom he came as a total stranger, and built up through his ability, energy and integrity, a substantial practice. In September, 1917, shortly after the outbreak of the great World war, Mr. Alexander was tendered and ac- cepted the appointment as United States Marshal for Oregon and served his country throughout that stirring period with conspicuous ability, making for himself an envi- ablè record as an energetic, patriotic and public spirited citizen and public official.
On April 27, 1907, Mr. Alexander was married to Miss Lola Mae' Surface, only daughter of the late L. L. Surface. They have three children: Joshua W., Jr., Lillian Frances and Julia Jane.
Mr. Alexander is a member of the First Christian church; the Portland Chamber of Commerce; Oregon Bar Association; Portland Golf Club; and Missouri Society of Oregon, of which he was for several years president. He is also an enthusiastic lodge man, being a thirty-second degree Mason and Shriner; he is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, the Woodmen of the World and is an Artisan. During the World war he took an active part in all patriotic movements and was an enthusiastic worker in all the Liberty loan, Red Cross and similar drives. He is one of the best known of the so-called younger set of lawyers in the state and a forceful, progressive, forward-looking citizen of the highest type.
JAMES H. RALEY.
One of the most prominent men of Umatilla county is Colonel James H. Raley, who is now practicing law in Pendleton, where he has built up an extensive and lucra- tive clientage. He has been a leader in the political circles of his state and county for an extended period, having been a member of the state senate for eight years, besides holding other public offices of importance and trust.
Colonel James H. Raley was born in Nebraska City when Nebraska was a ter- ritory, January 20, 1855, a son of Jonathan and Rachael Raley. He resided with his parents in Nebraska until the spring of 1862, when the family removed west to Oregon, crossing the plains with ox teams and arriving at The Dalles in October of the same year. The following winter was spent in Portland and in the spring of 1864 the family again removed, this time to Umatilla county, locating just one mile south of the present site of Pendleton. Here Colonel James H. Raley received his edu-
JAMES H. RALEY
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cation in the common schools of the county and in due time entered the State Uni- versity of Oregon. His boyhood pursuits had been chiefly stock raising and assisting his father with the farm work, in addition to his school work. In early manhood he was elected county surveyor of Umatilla county, which position he filled so suc- cessfully that he was reelected for a second term. His success in the political world seemed to be assured from the start, and he has since that time held many offices of importance and trust. Colonel Raley was one of the first councilmen of Pendleton and he was later elected to the mayoralty. For eight years he was a member of the state senate and during that time was the author of the irrigation law of the state, which bears his name, and also author of the bill creating the eastern Oregon State Normal school. He has been one of the regents of this institution since its founding. During his service in the legislature Colonel Raley was conceded to be one of the most able members of the senate and the legislature between the years 1888 and 1896. He had the complete support of the counties which he represented and their appreciation of his services was made manifest in his continued election to public offices. In 1895 he was admitted to the bar, and is now one of the foremost lawyers in the state of Oregon. Few lawyers have made a more lasting impression upon the bar of the state, both for legal ability of a high order and for the individuality of a personal character which impresses itself upon a community.
In 1879 occurred the marriage of Colonel Raley to Miss Minnie A. Pruett. To their union four children have been born, three girls and a boy. The son, Roy Raley, is one of Pendleton's leading attorneys, is president of the Commercial Club and is a member of other clubs and associations of importance.
The political allegiance of Colonel Raley has always been given to the demo- cratic party and his fraternal affiliations are with the Masons. Colonel Raley has a beautiful home in Pendleton and also a hunting lodge in the Blue mountains. Here game is plentiful and he enjoys the pursuit of both large and small game. The fishing in this vicinity is also very good, mountain trout being caught in large numbers. There is no better sportsman than Colonel Raley. He is familiar with every phase of woodcraft and is a true lover of nature and the great out-of-doors.
Colonel Raley has been particularly interested in the subject of irrigation and he is just as big a booster for other improvements which he deems necessary to the development of his county and state. He is now actively connected with a profes- sion which has important bearing upon the progress and stable prosperity of any section or community and one which has long been considered as conserving public welfare by furthering the ends of justice and maintaining individual rights.
WILLIAM ARTHUR HALL.
Born in Pennsylvania in 1874, Mr. Hall's life since attaining his majority has been one of great activity and no man in the county has held more public positions and performed his duties more carefully than he. William Arthur Hall is the son of Wil- liam H. and Elizabeth (Shields) Hall. His father was a farmer and a lumberman, and was a descendant of an old English family who helped to build the state of Massachusetts and to establish the American Republic.
He was educated in his native state and came to Oregon when he was about twenty- two years of age. He here took up teaching to earn money with which to secure a higher education and in 1905 was graduated from the Pacific University with the degree B. S. He resided in Forest Grove during his school days and there he has a host of friends. At that time Mr. Hall had a cousin living at Clatskanie, who was a practic- ing physician. He was persuaded to move to that town, where the Doctor had a sort of drug store for the accommodation of his patients. Mr. Hall there established a full- fledged drug store, which was the first in the town, and in 1916 he purchased the build- ing he now occupies on Bridge street. This store has been enlarged and otherwise improved.
For ten years Mr. Hall served as mayor and a member of the city council and in 1913 represented his county in the state legislature, where his measures and votes always met with the approval of his people. For thirteen years he served as a mem- ber of the school board and is now its president. He is also the president of the Clatskanie Cheese Company, whose creamery has a capacity of one thousand five hun- dred pounds per day, and whose product is sold to a nationally known company, which
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advertises this product as its best commodity. Mr. Hall was the main organizer of this industry. He was also one of the organizers of the Clatskanie Telephone Com- pany and the Nehalem Valley Telephone Company, of which he is president and man- ager. The Clatskanie Telephone Company has in active service five hundred phones, and serves the Meyger Telephone with long distance connection. Mr. Hall has served as president of the Clatskanie Chamber of Commerce, is on its board of directors, and is a member of the Oregon State Chamber of Commerce of which his brother, Charles Hall of Marshfield, is the president. Fraternally Mr. Hall is a member of the Masonic order, and of the Woodmen of the World.
He was married in 1905 to Miss Gertrude M. Marsh, a daughter of one of Oregon's most distinguished educators, Professor Joseph W. Marsh, who for forty years was one of the faculty of the Pacific University. Mrs. Hall was one of the most popular society girls in Forest Grove at the time of her marriage. The union has been hlessed with five children: Elizabeth Shields; Walter Knowlton; Mary; Laura and William Henry. Mrs. Hall is a model mother, a charming hostess and one of the social leaders of Clatskanie. She is a member of the Eastern Star and holds the office of worthy matron. Mr. Hall is a valuable man and his work and influence have been potent ele- ments in advancing social, intellectual and moral progress in Clatskanie.
FRANKLIN T. GRIFFITH.
Franklin T. Griffith, president of the Portland Railway, Light and Power Com- pany, was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 6, 1870. His grandfather, John Griffith, was a native of Canada and of Welsh descent. The father, William Alexander Griffith, was born in Quebec, Canada, in 1841. He was a lieutenant in the Ninth New Hampshire Infantry during the Civil war and was several times severely wounded while serving as a sharpshooter. He afterward became a building contractor of Minnesota and California and he and his wife are now residents of Oakland, California.
Franklin T. Griffith attended the Oakland public schools and the Oakland Academy and in February, 1891, became cashier of the Willamette Pulp and Paper Company of Oregon City. In 1894 he was admitted to the bar and began practice in Oregon City, being associated with Joseph E. Hedges under the firm name of Hedges & Griffith. He moved to Portland in 1909 and with R. A. Leiter and Harrison Allen formed the law firm of Griffith, Leiter & Allen. For a number of years he was general attorney of the Portland Railway, Light and Power Company and became its president in 1913.
Mr. Griffith was married July 15, 1896, in Oregon City to Miss Etta Pope and they have two children: Harriet and Janet. He is a member of the Waverly Club and past president of the Arlington Club, is a thirty-second degree Mason and a republican in politics. During the World war he was the federal director of labor for Oregon.
HENRY LEWIS HOWE.
Henry Lewis Howe, who since 1912 has filled the office of city recorder of Hood River, being reelected each time without opposition, was born in Fayette county, Iowa, in 1856, his parents being Isaac and Esther (King) Howe, hoth of whom were repre- sentatives of pioneer families of that state. The Howes were of Revolutionary stock, having settled in Massachusetts when this country was numbered among the colonial possessions of Great Britain. They were full of the pioneer spirit as well and were among the early residents of Minnesota. In 1871 Isaac Howe and his wife removed from Minnesota to Nebraska with their family and their son, Henry Lewis, was edu- cated in the county schools of the latter state and in the Lincoln high school. He then took up the profession of teaching, which he followed in connection with farming for several years and in 1880 sought the opportunities of the new and growing north- west, making his way to Oregon. He took up his abode at Hood River, where he became a clerk in the store of E. L. Smith, a pioneer merchant of the city. At a later period Mr. Howe went to Minnesota, where he taught school.
It was during his residence in that state that he was married in 1881 to Miss Belle Bishop, who was then residing in Minnesota. Her father was one of the soldiers of the Civil war who laid down his life on the altar of freedom, as he died of sickness during
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the siege. To Mr. and Mrs. Howe have been born three children: George Isaac, who was the first mail carrier in Hood River; Helen Irene; and Marian Dorothy. The daughter Helen is the wife of P. S. Warber, who is with the freight auditing depart- ment of the O. W. R. & N. Company in Portland, Oregon, and the younger daughter is a teacher in Hood River, Oregon.
At the time of his marriage Mr. Howe remained a resident of Minnesota for but a year and then returned to Hood River, where he has since made his home. He was elected to the city council in 1911 and in 1912 became city recorder and for the past eight years has continuously filled the office, being reelected without opposition, a fact which proves not only his personal popularity but the marked capability with which he has discharged the duties of this position. Prior to becoming city recorder he was connected with the United States land office, serving in Oregon and later at Walla Walla, Washington, as chief clerk.
Mr. Howe is a member of the Ancient Order of United Workmen and has filled all of the chairs in the local organization, while for three years he was deputy grand mas- ter of the state. For the past four years he has been financier of the Hood River lodge and still holds that place. He was one of the charter members of the Hood River Pio- neers Society and has been its secretary since 1910. He and his family occupy an envi- able social position in Hood River and are accounted among the most highly esteemed residents of this section of the state.
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