USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. III > Part 60
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As the result of his devotion to his newspaper work, his business and political activity, he is numbered among the prominent men of the state. For years he has been closely identified with the history of the city in which he resides, as a represen- tative of one of its most important business interests. Being a man of keen discrimina- tion and sound judgment his executive ability and excellent management has brought to his newspaper a large degree of success, and through his paper he has done much good for the community, county and state. It may be truly said of him that he believes that "Not the good that comes to us, but the good that comes to the world through us, is the measure of our success."
JULIUS FREDERICK BROETJE.
One of the finest nurseries in the country is owned by Julius Frederick Broetje, who is known all over the country as the producer of the finest line of ornamental shrubbery and bulbs in the west, the nursery being located at Courtney Station, Clack- amas county. Mr. Broetje is a native of Illinois and was born in that state in 1869, a son of John F. and Augusta (Schugert) Broetje. His father was an early settler in Illinois and was for thirteen years a teacher in one school of that state. His mother was also a native of Illinois.
In 1882 the family removed to Oregon and the father started a small nursery in the vicinity of Mount Tabor. Julius F. received his educational training from his father and also worked in the greenhouse, thereby gaining a thorough knowledge of the business in which he has made such a success. Later the family removed to Clackamas county and established a small greenhouse at Courtney Station. Here Mr. Broetje worked until he was twenty-five years of age, when he took over the responsi- bilities of the plant, with a debt of eight hundred dollars to be cleared. He entered into the enterprise with spirit and the determination to succeed, and succeed he has. Today his nursery is known all over the country as producing the finest line of orna- mental shrubbery and bulbs in the west and he makes shipments as far east as New York. Mr. Broetje specializes in water lilies, both flowers and plants, and is the only extensive grower of water lilies in the state. He also specializes in Scotch heather and is the pioneer in that line. During the twenty-five years that Mr. Broetje has conducted the nursery he has paid off the debt and replaced the one small greenhouse by two very large and beautifully constructed greenhouses. With ever an eye for beauty he has three lily ponds which are dotted with his choicest varieties of lilies. The beautiful modern home of Mr. Broetje is surrounded by rows of bulbs and plants
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and is built over a spring, the cool and sparkling water of which has been piped to all corners of the house.
In the year 1906 Mr. Broetje was united in marriage to Miss Clara Heitkemper, whose parents were among the most respected in Clackamas county. Mrs. Broetje is an up-to-date and progressive woman and is always active in any church work.
Mr. Broetje, while a member of the republican party, has never taken any active interest in politics although he takes great interest in civic matters that tend to im- prove the state. By his own diligence and labor he has made his nursery what it is today and it amuses him to note that the workmen of today are paid twenty-five dollars weekly for their services at the nursery and also provided with housing, while he worked for the wage of one dollar and fifty cents a day. Mr. Broetje's nursery is one of the enterprises of which the state is proud and his fellow citizens owe him a debt of gratitude for the prominence he has gained for the county.
WERNER ADOLPH REINHOLD LAGUS, M. D.
Since 1908 Werner Adolph Reinhold Lagus has been practicing medicine in Astoria, where he has built up an extensive practice and has won the confidence and goodwill of all the people of the community. He is a native of Finland, in which country his birth took place on the 26th of December, 1865, a son of Wilhelm and Wilhelmina Lagus. The father was one of Finland's most distinguished educators, his fame as a teacher of Greek and Latin being recognized throughout Europe. He had also mastered the Oriental languages, being able to write and speak them fluently. Prof. Lagus was for many years professor of languages in the Imperial Alexander's University and for many years he served as rector (president) of that noted seat of learning.
Dr. Werner A. R. Lagus received his education in his native country and was graduated from the Imperial Alexander's University in 1896. He then went to Ger- many, where he took a two years' course at the Leipsic University, after which he returned to Finland where he practiced his profession until 1903 when he came to the United States. After practicing in Kansas City and Worcester, Massachusetts, for some time he removed to Astoria in 1908, where he has since practiced. Dr. Lagus is devoted to his profession and is a deep and earnest reader, ever keeping up with the progress being made throughout the world in the field of medicine. While his practice is general he makes a specialty of children's diseases and has won considerable fame along this line. He has won the confidence and respect of all with whom he comes into contact by his ability, kindness and his sterling traits of character.
In 1895 Dr. Lagus was united in marriage to Miss Sigrid Kroonquist, a native of his home city, and to them have been born three children: Sigrid, a graduate of Corvallis and a mining engineer of merit; Anna Maria, who is attending the Oregon Agricultural College; and Lorenzo, a student in the Astoria schools.
The greater portion of Dr. Lagus' time is devoted to his profession, in connection with which he is an active member of the Clatsop County Medical Society, the Oregon Medical Society and the American Medical Association. His standing in his profession is of the highest and as a citizen he is conceded to be one of the most progressive, public- spirited and representative men of the county.
PLOWDEN STOTT.
Plowden Stott, attorney-at-law of Portland is a representative of a family that has furnished several prominent members to the Oregon bar. He is, as it were, "to the manner born," for his father was the late Judge Raleigh Stott of the circuit bench, and his half-brother, George Stout, was a capable and successful lawyer of the Portland bar. Raleigh Stott was born in Indiana in 1846, and came across the plains with his parents in 1852, continuing thereafter a resident of Oregon. He married Susan Plowden and is mentioned at length on another page of this work.
Their son, Plowden Stott, obtained his early education in the Portland schools and afterwards attended Leland-Stanford University, where he pursued the study of law. He was admitted to the bar of Oregon in 1907 and entered upon the practice of his profession, in which he has since actively continued. He had to depend upon his
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own individual efforts for advancement and has always made it his purpose thoroughly to study his cases, which have then been presented with clearness and cogency, his deductions at all times being sound and logical. He has displayed unfaltering devo- tion to the interests of his clients and yet has ever recognized the fact that he owes a still higher allegiance to the majesty of the law.
On the 14th of April, 1914, in Portland, Oregon, Mr. Stott was married to Miss Lillian Johnson, a daughter of N. P. Johnson. The religious faith of Mr. Stott is that of the Catholic church and he is identified with the Knights of Columbus. He also belongs to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, has membership in the Uni- versity Club and is a life member of the Multnomah Club. His political allegiance is given to the republican party. In 1915 and again in 1917 he was elected to the state legislature from Multnomah county and while a member of the general assembly gave the most thoughtful and earnest consideration to the vital questions that came up for settlement. During the war period he attended the officers' training camp at Eugene, Oregon, and assisted otherwise in the promotion of bond and other war time drives. In a word he did everything in his power to advance the interests of the country as a co-worker in the allied cause and the same spirit of loyalty and fidelity is manifest in every relation of life, effecting both his law practice and his public activities. He took an active part in athletics during his school and college days and has ever since been interested, and in his athletic activities has made many of his stanchest friends. He has made a good record in his legislative service and has a wide acquaintance throughout the state, the circle of his friends heing almost coextensive therewith.
DANIEL MCALLEN.
The measure of Daniel McAllen's influence upon the history of Portland can scarcely be computed, but it is well known that his activities constituted a most vital and important force in the development and progress of the city. He was the promoter of the Lewis and Clark Exposition, which is said to be the most important single ele- ment in the city's growth, drawing to it the attention of thousands of visitors and thus leading to the steady advancement which has made it the great and beautiful Rose City of today. Mr. McAllen, too, was for a quarter of a century an active factor in commercial circles as senior partner in the firm of McAllen & McDonnell. Mr. McAllen was born in Balla, Ireland, August 1, 1850. His education was acquired in the schools of his native country and when he was a young man in the late twenties he crossed the Atlantic, landing at New York. He believed that he would have better business opportunities on this side of the water and for several years was employed in the eastern metropolis, filling clerkships in several of the large dry goods houses of that city. But the call of the west was still an insistent one and from New York he made his way to San Francisco, where he resided for a few years and then determined to come to Portland. Here for many years he figured prominently in the business and public life of the community. His experience as a salesman in the east well qualified him for the conduct of business on his own account and he became an active member and senior partner in the firm of McAllen & McDonnell, in which connection he conducted business for a quarter of a century, retiring ahout 1910 to enjoy in well earned rest the fruits of his former toil. His colleagues and contemporaries in business came to know him as a strong, forceful, resourceful and progressive merchant and as a man of sound judgment and keen sagacity.
It was in the '90s that Mr. McAllen first began talking of holding an exposition in Portland, but the city was then in the throes of financial depression and few people would give the suggestion even a serious thought. Mr. McAllen never aban- doned the idea, however, but continually spoke of it on every favorable occasion until at length it was taken up by business men of Portland and brought to a most credit- able success. Just how much this has had to do with Portland's rapid growth and development since that time can scarcely be estimated, but all agree in the fact that it was one of the most active elements in the advancement of the city in the twentieth century.
Mr. and Mrs. McAllen were the parents of four sons: Lavelle, Mark, William and Eddie, all of whom volunteered for service in the World war. The eldest, John Lavelle, . was a lieutenant of engineers and was in active service at the front in France, where he did important work as an instructor. Following his return he now holds the rank
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of captain in the Reserve and is with the Guggenheim interests in Alaska; William Daniel was a lieutenant in the air service and was on duty as an instructor in Hono- lulu; Edward H. was a member of the navy and was on the ship South Dakota in South American waters; Mark was in the mine sweeping department of the navy in the North Sea, this being one of the most difficult and dangerous branches of the service. All four sons enlisted, not waiting for the draft, and their military record was one of which the father was very proud, as well he might be ..
Death called Mr. McAllen a few days before the seventieth anniversary of his birth. He passed away July 28, 1920, in the faith of the Catholic church, of which he had long been a devout member. He possessed many sterling qualities and was highly esteemed by his associates and friends, who were dawn from every walk of life.
JOHN E. IRONS.
A representative citizen of Freewater, Umatilla county, is John E. Irons, who is engaged in fruit growing. He was born in Keokuk county, Iowa, August 27, 1866, a son of Joseph and Matilda Jane (Monical) Irons. His father was a native of Virginia, while the mother was born in Indiana. At an early day Joseph Irons came with his parents to Iowa, where his father engaged in farming. The father and mother of Joseph Irons both died on their farm there and in 1887 Joseph Irons, with his wife and family, came west and settled near Milton, where he bought eighty acres of land. He brought this land to a high state of cultivation and there resided until June 25, 1907, when his demise occurred at the age of seventy-two years. Mrs. Irons is still living and is making her home with a daughter, Mrs. L. H. Bonsall, in Spokane. The mother is eighty-one years of age and in the best of health. Mr. Irons was throughout his life a stanch democrat, having firm belief in the principles of that party as factors in good government.
John E. Irons received his education in Iowa, where he spent his early boyhood and then came west with his parents in 1887. He worked out on farms for some time and engaged in railroad work until 1902, when he started blacksmithing, an occupation he followed for some sixteen years. Because of ill health he was forced to give up this business, in which he had achieved more than a substantial measure of success, and he purchased a fruit ranch of eleven and one-half acres near Freewater. He specializes in prunes and winesap apples and has built up a business of large propor- tions. In addition to his fruit interests Mr. Irons holds some valuable real estate, owning one-half block of business property on South Main street and also a fine home on Grant street.
In 1910 Mr. Irons was married to Miss Emma M. Griner, a daughter of Jacob and Mariah Griner, and a native of Keokuk county, Iowa.
Since age conferred upon Mr. Irons the right of franchise he has been a stanch supporter of the republican party, in the interests of which he takes an active part, al- though he has neither sought nor desired public office. He is likewise a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which organization he maintains an active interest. Mr. Irons has arrived at his present position of prosperity solely through his own diligence and labor and he is readily conceded to be a representative citizen of Freewater and a leader in fruit growing interests.
CHARLES CRAWFORD HINDMAN.
Charles Crawford Hindman engaged in the private practice of law and recognized as an able attorney of the Portland bar, was born in Du Bois, Pennsylvania, July 10, 1886. His father, Charles Crawford Hindman, was a native of Corsica, Pennsylvania, born June 20, 1854, and was married to Florence Taylor, whose birth occurred in Brookville, Pennsylvania, and who is now a resident of Portland, Oregon. The father, however, passed away January 24, 1908. He was a physician and for many years continued in practice in Du Bois, Pennsylvania, there remaining till the time of his death.
Charles C. Hindman entered the public schools of his native city and from 1903 until 1905 was a student at Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Determin-
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ing upon the practice of law as his life work he then entered the University of Penn- sylvania Law School at Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in 1909. The fol- lowing year he came to Portland and in March, 1911, entered upon the practice of his profession, in which he has continued. While he is now engaged in private practice he has at various times held public office in the line of his profession. On the 14th of January, 1913, he was appointed assistant United States attorney for Oregon but at the end of six months he resigned to become associated with the law firm of Platt & Platt. Thus he remained until October 1, 1914, when he was appointed assistant district attorney for Multnomah county and so served until May 1, 1918, when he resigned to accept the appointment of assistant city attorney, filling that office until October 1, 1919, when he tendered his resignation and again entered upon the private practice. His clientage is now large and of important character and he has made for himself a creditable place at the Portland bar. He is also the secretary of the Du Bois Lumber Company of Portland and a member of the Dock Commissioners of Portland.
On the 22d of April, 1914, in Portland, Mr. Hindman was married to Miss Mildred Genevieve Honeyman, a daughter of Thomas D. Honeyman, and they have become the parents of two sons: Thomas Honeyman, born February 4, 1916; and Charles C., Jr., born May 21, 1920. The parents attend the Presbyterian church. Mr. Hindman has always given his political allegiance to the republican party and in November, 1920, was elected on the party ticket for the Oregon legislature. He belongs to the Chamber of Commerce and is interested in all the projects and plans put forth by that organ- ization for the benefit and development of the city. He belongs also to the University Club, to the Waverly Club, the Multnomah Club and the Press Club. He is a forceful and resourceful young man, who is making wise use of his time, talents and oppor- tunities, and as the years have gone by he has reached a creditable place as a lawyer and as a citizen.
THOMAS J. BINDER.
Thomas J. Binder, occupying a position of leadership in insurance circles in Port- land as the general agent for the Equitable Life Insurance Company of Iowa, was born in East Tawas, Michigan, March 4, 1879, his parents being Albert and Theresa (Wall- ner) Binder. In 1869 they settled in East Tawas, Michigan, and in 1881 they removed to Sehawaing, Michigan, where they now reside.
It was in the schools of the latter place that Thomas J. Binder acquired his edu- cation, having been but two years of age when the family left his native town. He was graduated from the high school with the class of 1900 and later attended a business college, in which he completed his course by graduation in 1902. From 1903 until 1910 he was cashier with a business firm in Detroit, Michigan, and then sought the opportunities of the Pacific coast country, arriving in Portland on the 13th of May of that year. Here he accepted a cashiership with an insurance company but soon afterward resigned to become agent and entered the service of the Equitable Life In- surance Company of Iowa in 1917 as general agent in Portland. He is still occupying this position and has won a reputation as one of the most successful insurance men in the state. This is due to his thorough mastery of the insurance profession and his ability to make and keep friends. During the year 1919 his agency wrote more than a million dollars insurance in Portland and 1920 showed a still greater amount, exceed- ing that of any other three year old agency in the city. While serving as an agent of his company prior to being made the general agent "Tom" Binder, as he is known in insurance circles, outstripped all of the agents of his company in Oregon and in 1916 ranked eleventh in the corps of thirty-five hundred men in the United States.
On the 6th of August, 1913, in Detroit, Michigan, Mr. Binder was united in mar- riage to Miss Emily M. Sullivan, and to them has been born a daughter, Margaret Katherine, now a youthful student attending the Portland schools. The marriage of the couple was the culmination of a romance which started at college in Michigan where they were both students. Mrs. Binder is a woman of many accomplishments. After her graduation she taught school for a short period and later held a responsible office posi- tion with one of the largest corporations in Detroit. She has since her residence in Portland made as many friends as her popular husband. In war work she was particu- larly active, giving a large part of her time to bond drives, relief work, etc. She is
THOMAS J. BINDER AND FAMILY
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accounted a model mother and a gracious hostess, and her position in society equals that of her husband in the business world. This little family is accounted an ac- quisition to Portland from every angle.
Mr. Binder is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Progressive Busi- ness Men's Club of Portland. His political endorsement is given to the republican party. During the war period he served on all bond drives and also in connection with the Young Men's Christian Association, the Jewish Welfare and the Knights of Columbus drives, and he was one of the Flying Squadron, whose intensive work secured notable results in financing the different activities.
WILLIAM JOHN BAKER.
William J. Baker, a well known dealer in real estate in Hood River county, a writer of insurance and also a maker of loans for agricultural purposes and a prominent citizen of Hood River, was born across the border in Canada in 1851, of English descent, but has been a resident of the United States since he was two years old and may justly be regarded as an American product.
He is a son of William and Margaret Baker. The father, an Englishman by birth, was an extensive manufacturer and also the proprietor of a prosperous newspaper. He came to America in 1840. His wife's people had located in Canada many years before that date and were classed among the early settlers of that country. In 1853 William Baker moved his family across the border and located in Iowa, where they lived for several years.
It was there that William J. Baker was reared and educated. His first work was in the railroad service with which he was connected for nearly twenty years, and he still holds his membership in the Order of Railroad Conductors. In 1882 he came to Oregon and entered the service of the Oregon & Washington Railroad & Navigation Company, remaining with that company for four years.
In 1886 Mr. Baker located at Hood River and commenced farming, having some thirty acres in orchard. In 1904 he abandoned the farm and opened a real estate office in Hood River, where he has been engaged in the real estate business for the past sixteen years and has aided in locating many orchardists and farmers, besides handling much city property. Mr. Baker is a large taxpayer, owning much valuable property in Hood River, where he enjoys a large measure of popularity. While in no sense a professional politician, he is an earnest supporter of the republican party and has been a delegate to many conventions. He has been a member of the city council and for several years served as a member of the school board, his interest in education being deep and abiding, believing that a nation's greatness depends in large measure upon the education of its children.
In 1884 Mr. Baker was united in marriage to Florence H. Alford, a native of Penn- sylvania, whose father in his day was a well known hotel man in Nebraska. Mr. and Mrs. Baker are the parents of four children, namely: Mrs. H. T. DeWitt, of Hood River; Mrs. Marjorie Fonts, of Portland; William J. Baker, of Hood River; and Kath- arine E., a student at the University of Oregon.
Mr. Baker is a member of the Masonic order; is a Master Mason, a Knight Templar and a Noble of the Mystic Shrine, and he is also affiliated with the Odd Fellows. In connection with his real estate business, he writes general insurance and advances loans for the purpose of acquiring farming lands or city properties, and he is regarded as one of the most substantial citizens of Hood River.
THOMAS HISLOP.
Thomas Hislop was one of the self-made men of Portland and his record of success- ful achievement should serve to inspire and encourage many others. He was left an orphan when but nine years of age and when he arrived in this city his cash capital consisted of but a single dime. Mr. Hislop was born near Montreal, Canada, June 1, 1844, his parents being John and Mary Hislop. The latter died in 1849 and four years later the father passed away. The son, Thomas Hislop, spent his youthful days in his native city and at a time when most lads were in school he was providing for his own support and was early inured to a life of hardship and toil. When he was seven-
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teen years of age he shipped as cook on board a boat plying on the Great Lakes and in the fall of 1864 removed to Indiana. It was very difficult at that time to secure volunteers for the Union army and on the 14th of April, 1865, Mr. Hislop became a substitute for a man who had been drafted and who paid into the government recruit- ing office four hundred and fifty dollars, which was to be given Mr. Hislop when he received an honorable discharge. On the following day peace was declared, so that Mr. Hislop always said that he had one day's experience during the Civil war, in which his duty was to guard a pile of hay for one night, so that the mules would not get it. He was assigned to the Fifty-third Indiana Regiment of the Seventeenth Corps, with which he was sent to North Carolina and thence to Maryland, and on the 4th of July the regiment was reviewed at Louisville, Kentucky, by "Uncle Billy," as all the soldiers called General Sherman.
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