USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. III > Part 62
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CHAUNCEY E. BARTON.
Two decades have passed since the death of Chauncey E. Barton, but he is yet remembered by many of the residents of Portland, where for a long period he engaged in contracting and building, erecting many homes of the city on both the east and west sides. He came to Oregon from Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in Wilkes-Barre of the latter state in 1836, his parents being William and Eliza Barton. His early life was passed in New York. He lost his father in childhood and from an early age was dependent upon his own resources. When about twenty he made his way westward to Illinois and soon afterward entered the Union army, being among the first to volunteer in defense of the country. He became a bugler of the Seventeenth Illinois Infantry Regiment, with which he served for three years, receiving an hon- orable discharge in 1864. Soon after his return to Illinois he again started westward, this time settling in Thayer county, Nebraska, and while there residing he was elected to the office of county surveyor on three different occasions for a term of two years, so that he filled the position altogether for six years. He made a most creditable record for fidelity and efficiency and after his retirement from that posi- tion was elected county commissioner for a term of four years. He was also the first postmaster at Pioneer, Nebraska, and thus in various ways was closely associated with the development and upbuilding of the community and with events that shaped its history.
In 1873 Mr. Barton was united in marriage to Miss Georgia A. Heath, a daughter of William F. and Rena Heath, who were representatives of old New England fam- ilies. In June, 1881, Mr. and Mrs. Barton started for Oregon, going first to San Fran- cisco and thence proceeding by boat to Portland. After reaching his destination Mr. Barton was first employed as a mechanic on the old steamboat Yaquna. He naturally possessed excellent mechanical ability, which he had developed in the course of years. Later he turned his attention to contracting and building, which he followed for many years on his own account, and various homes on both the east and west sides stand as monuments to his skill and enterprise. He continued to conduct a business of sub- stantial proportions until 1897, when he retired from contracting and removed to his country home, where he spent the succeeding three years, passing away on the 26th of April, 1900.
To Mr. and Mrs. Barton were born four children: Jessie, who is now the wife of W. A. Garvin, of Sacramento, California; Joseph T., who is living in Portland; Lucia, who is the wife of Ernest Gilhousen of Portland; and Ubert Sumner, who was on the ill-fated ship Cyclops, serving as petty officer in the Signal Corps. He had been in the service for four years and had started on his furlough with the intention of re- turning to see his mother in Portland when the Cyclops disappeared and has never
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been heard from again, evidently falling victim to one of the German submarines. The son had made an excellent record and his death was a great blow to the family.
In politics Mr. Barton was a stanch republican, always supporting the party which was the defense of the Union during the dark days of the Civil war and has ever been the party of reform and progress. Mr. Barton ever maintained pleasant relations with his old military comrades through his membership in Sumner Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, in which he served as adjutant and commander, and in days of peace he was as loyal to his country and her welfare as he was when he followed the nation's starry banner on the battlefields of the south.
HON. ROY W. RITNER.
With postgraduate experience in the school of politics and manifesting at all times a statesman's grasp of the vital questions and issues of the day, Hon. Roy W. Ritner is now serving as president of the state senate, to which position he was elected in 1921. He is one of the most prominent and popular men in political circles of Oregon, his record being at all times a most creditable one, characterized by devotion to the public welfare and by strict honesty and integrity. He is also well known in other connections, having extensive agricultural interests, and he is likewise identified with financial and manufacturing enterprises.
Mr. Ritner is a native of California and in his life typifies the western spirit of progress and enterprise that has played so important a part in the development and upbuilding of this section of the country. He was born at Placerville, California, Feb- ruary 13, 1876, a son of Joseph P. and Sarah (Harbison) Ritner. In 1850 the father went to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama, becoming one of the early pioneers of the northwest. For many years he was associated with the Wells Fargo Company in operating their pack trains to the mines and subsequently came to Oregon, becoming identified with the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company in their bridge-building department. He continued with that corporation until within a short time prior to his death, which occurred at Pendleton, Oregon, when he was eighty-seven years of age. In 1860 he had returned to the east and was united in marriage to Sarah Harbison at her home in Pennyslvania, her demise occurring in Pendleton in 1906.
Their son, Roy W. Ritner, was reared in Umatilla county, Oregon, and attended the schools of Pendleton, after which he pursued a course in the Weston Normal School, and following his graduation he took up the profession of teaching, which he followed for a short time in Umatilla county. Subsequently he became a reporter on the Pendle- ton Tribune, occupying that position for a time, and then entered financial circles, obtaining the position of bookkeeper in the Pendleton Savings Bank, with which he was identified for ten years. This institution was later reorganized as the American National Bank and Mr. Ritner is still financially interested therein. He next turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he has been very successful, starting his operations with one section of land and gradually extending his holdings until he now has three sections. He is thoroughly familiar with the scientific principles of agriculture, employing the most modern and progressive methods in the cultivation cf his land, and his efforts have therefore been productive of excellent results. That Mr. Ritner is a man of resourceful business ability is further indicated in the fact that he is interested in the Collins flour mill at Pendleton and is also one of the promoters and principal owners of a modern apartment house in the city.
In 1909 Mr. Ritner entered the political field, in which he has since been active and prominent. His first position was that of chief calendar clerk of the state senate, in which capacity he served from 1909 until 1911. In 1913 he contested for chief clerk of the senate with John Cochran, who was for many years employed as a reporter on the Morning Oregonian, the vote being a tie for four ballots, Mr. Cochran winning the election. In 1915 Mr. Ritner was elected on the republican ticket to represent his district in the house of representatives, so serving until 1917, and in the latter year he handled the campaign of R. N. Stanfield for speaker of the house, his efforts result- ing in the election of Mr. Stanfield. In 1919, while serving in France as a member of the American Red Cross, Mr. Ritner was nominated and elected a member of the state senate without opposition-an unprecedented occurrence in the political annals of the state, and incontestable proof of the esteem in which he is held by his fellow citizens. He represented the twentieth district, comprising Umatilla county, in the senate and
HON. ROY W. RITNER
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so excellent was his service in that connection that in 1921 he was called to still higher honors, being made president of the senate. He is proving a most fair and impartial presiding officer and enjoys in the fullest measure the esteem and personal regard of his political opponents as well as his political adherents. He is a capable organizer, who is entirely at home in political maneuvering and is a good debater but never indulges in fanciful flights of oratory. He knows the ins and outs of legislative activity, is thoroughly familiar with parliamentary law, and by virtue of his force and ability is an important factor in influencing legislation, his efforts being particularly directed along the line of good roads, of which he is an ardent advocate, realizing their im- portance in promoting the development of the state. He has been the author of much beneficial legislation, his labors being ever of a constructive character, and his record as a legislator is a highly commendable one. He also served as an alternate at the national republican convention held in Chicago in 1920 and is a leader in the ranks of his party in the state.
For eight years Mr. Ritner was business manager of the Pendleton Round-Up, or . from the time of its organization until he went to France, and he was also well known as a baseball player, becoming president of the Tri-State Baseball League. In 1918 he volunteered for service in the American Red Cross and was sent to France as field representative, being assigned to the Fifth Army Division and stationed either on the firing line or just back of it during the entire period of his service overseas. He was commissioned captain and handled all of the supplies for the Fifth Division, known as the Red Diamond Division. He was in the St. Mihiel campaign and reached the Argonne forty-eight hours after the United States troops had gone into the forest, from which he saw twenty-three hundred of them brought back either gassed or wounded in twenty-four hours. He had many thrilling experiences and a few narrow escapes while discharging his duty. His service in the Red Cross was not accompanied by pecuniary reward and he paid his own expenses, returning to the United States after the signing of the armistice and reaching home before Christmas Day of 1918. Mr. Ritner is also prominent in fraternal circles, belonging to the Knights of Pythias and to the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, of which he is a past exalted ruler. He has attained high rank in Masonry, being a member of the Commandery and Shrine, and his life is guided by the beneficent teachings of the order. As a legislator he has done much to shape public thought and opinion and is leaving the impress of his individuality upon the history of the state. He has ever stood for development and for constructive measures and has always looked beyond the exigencies of the moment to the opportunities and possibilities of the future. He holds to high ideals in public service, is profound in his judgment, incorruptible and unwavering in his conduct, never placing personal aggrandizement before the rights and privileges of the people. His activities have been broad, varied and important and in every sphere of life in which he has operated he has attained a position of leadership. Untiring in his activ- ity for the public good and actuated in all that he does by a spirit of patriotism and loyalty, his labors have been far-reaching and resultant.
CASWELL GUY MATLOCK.
Caswell Guy Matlock, president of the Pastime Arcade and the Alta Picture House companies in Pendleton, was born in that place on the 17th of November, 1882, a son of Caswell J. and Mary Ann (Bennett) Matlock. The father was born near Nash- ville, Tennessee, while the mother was a native of Indiana. Caswell J. Matlock went to Dane county, Missouri, with his father when still a youth and resided on a farm there, which his father operated until 1869. In that year the family emigrated across the plains with ox teams and settled in the Willamette valley, where the father again took up a homestead. This farm was located near Eugene. Some time later the father of Caswell J. Matlock became a partner of his brother, William F. Matlock, and after spending the winter at Athena, they moved near Heppner, where he had a sheep run and raised stock. Until 1905 the father of Caswell J. remained in this business, at the termination of which time he removed to Pendleton and entered into the moving picture business. In 1906 one of the first movie houses in Pendleton was established and Mr. Matlock conducted this business until 1912, when Caswell J. took over the business. The father of Caswell J. will always be remembered as one of the pioneers in that line of business in Pendleton. He had increased the acreage of the one hun-
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dred and sixty acre ranch which he had preempted until he had seven thousand acres, one of the finest stock ranches in the county. The father, Caswell J., died in Pendleton, in March, 1917. Caswell J. Matlock was married to Miss Mary Ann Ben- nett in Willamette valley.
The greater part of the life of Caswell Guy Matlock, whose name initiates this review, has been spent in Pendleton. He received his early education in the schools there and later attended Gonzaga College at Spokane, Washington. After putting his textbooks aside he engaged in sheep ranching from 1898 to 1905, at which time he sold his ranch and removed to Pendleton, becoming operator at one of his father's moving picture houses. In 1912 he became manager of the Pastime Theatre and four years later entered into partnership with Mr. Greulich, and both the Pastime and Alta Theatres are conducted by these two men, Mr. Matlock acting as president of the company.
In 1914 Mr. Matlock was united in marriage to Miss Sylvia Harvey, a daughter of John Harvey, and a native of Umatilla county. To the union of Mr. and Mrs. Matlock two children have been born: Harvey G., and John W.
The fraternal affiliation of Mr. Matlock is with the Elks, and he is a very active member of the Pendleton Gun Club, being a fine shot. He is fond of all outdoor sports and is a booster for them as well as for business interests.
WILLIAM O. SIMS.
William O. Sims, member of the Portland bar, who enjoys a well earned reputation as a most dependable lawyer and one who is a very close student of the law, was born on a farm in Clinton county, Indiana, June 2, 1870, his parents being Elijah and Jenettie (De Moss) Sims. The latter is a native of Hendricks county, Indiana, while the father was born in Clinton county. There they were married and at the present writing they make their home in California. At the time of the Civil war Mr. Sims, in 1861, responded to the call for troops to aid in the preservation of the Union and enlisted in Company G of the Eighty-ninth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, with which he continued until victory crowned the Union arms. When the country no longer
needed his military aid he took up the occupation of farming and also engaged in expert carpenter work. As it is said that in order thoroughly to understand an individual one must know something of his ancestry, it is interesting in this con- nection to note that the Sims family is of Scotch-Irish derivation and was founded on American soil in the seventeenth century. The grandfather, Page Sims, was born in Clinton county, Indiana, and served in the Black Hawk war. His death occurred in 1899, when he had reached the age of eighty-three years.
William O. Sims was reared to the occupation of farming and early became familiar with the best methods of tilling the soil and caring for the crops. He attended the country schools of Indiana to the age of eight years and was then taken by his parents to a farm in Pawnee county, Kansas, where he continued his education. When he had mastered the elementary branches of learning he became a high school pupil at Larned, Kansas, afterward at Winfield, that state, and later was a student in the Kansas State Normal School and Harper College. In 1889 he took up the profession of teaching in Cowley county, Kansas, devoting seventeen years to pedagogic work, seven years of the time being passed in Kansas and the remainder in Oregon. .
Mr. Sims came to this state in 1895 but in 1896 went to Polk county, Oregon, and accepted the position of principal in the Bethel Academy, occupying that position for three years. In 1900 he became superintendent of schools in Sheridan, there con- tinuing his work as an instructor for four years. In the meantime he devoted his leisure hours to the study of law, for it was his ambition to become a member of the bar. He was admitted to practice in 1903, upon examination before the supreme court, and opened a law office in Sheridan, where he remained in active practice until 1918. In the latter year he removed to Portland and while retaining an office in Sheridan, began practice in this city, where he has since continued. Here his practice is stead- ily growing in volume and importance and his devotion to his clients' interests is proverbial. Those who know him speak of him as a most honest and dependable rep- resentative of the bar, whose opinions are expert on any close question. He is very industrious, energetic and painstaking in everything that he undertakes and his chief object seems to be to excel through efficiency. While he is an excellent speaker, pos-
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sessing no little oratorical ability, he does not depend upon this alone for his suc- cess but upon his logic and his clear presentation of facts in the profession of law.
In 1895, at Emporia, Kansas, Mr. Sims was united in marriage to Miss Anna Urquart and to them have been born the following named: Bonnie Marine; Twila Hope; and Emerson, who was born October 18, 1901, and enlisted in the Fifth Oregon Machine Gun Company in July, 1920. He was graduated from the Franklin high school of Portland in January of that year and a few months later joined the army. His daughters are both high school graduates and one of them a college graduate while the other is an expert stenographer.
Mr. Sims is a republican in his political views and for eleven terms filled the office of city attorney at Sheridan, Oregon. During the war period he served on the legal advisory board, was a member of the Four-Minute men organization, was also on the questionnaire board and aided in all of the bond drives. He is a Master Mason and has filled all of the chairs in Sheridan Lodge, No. 64, A. F. & A. M. He is likewise connected with the Order of the Eastern Star and belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Rebekah Lodge. He is much interested in church and Sunday school work and is a trustee of the First Baptist church of Portland and a teacher in the Sunday school. His ideals of life are high and these actuate him in all of his personal as well as his professional relations.
DR. ARCHIE P. INGRAM.
Dr. Archie P. Ingram, a popular and prominent chiropractor, with offices in the First National Bank building, The Dalles, is engaged in practice in partnership with Dr. D. T. Browne. He is a native of Oregon, born in Washington county, in 1883, and is a son of William J. and Jane (Wheeler) Ingram. His father was among the pioneer settlers who located in Oregon in 1852 and was a general farmer. In the course of his active life he held many public offices in Washington county, where he was a well known and popular citizen for many years.
Archie P. Ingram was educated in the graded schools of his home county and his professional training was obtained at the Riefland Chiropractic College, of Portland, Oregon, from which he was graduated in 1910. He began the practice of his profession at Coquille, Oregon, and later he took a postgraduate course at the Palmer-Gregory Chiropractic College. On his return to Oregon, Dr. Ingram renewed practice in Washington county and in 1916 moved to The Dalles, opening an office in the First National Bank building. He has taken a course in mechano-therapy American Col- lege, Chicago, Illinois, and spondylo-therapy, under Dr. Abrams, of the Leland Stan- ford University.
In 1918 Dr. Ingram formed a partnership with Dr. D. T. Browne, of Portland, Oregon, a graduate of the Pacific College, the business being conducted under the firm name of Ingram & Browne. Dr. Browne for some years was secretary of the Oregon Chiropractic Association and acted as editor of the Drugless Review, the official publication of the association. He was one of the committee that framed the law passed by the state of Oregon legalizing the profession of chiropractor in this state. The partners are members of the Oregon State Society and of the American Association of Chiropractors.
In 1910 Dr. Ingram was married to Miss Hazel Robinson, a daughter of E. W. Robinson, of Portland. They are the parents of a son, Alton Wellington Ingram, who attends the graded schools of The Dalles. The Doctor and his wife take an active part in the social and cultural movements of their home city, and their efforts are always directed toward the wellbeing of the community where they reside.
ROBERT BRECKINRIDGE BEATIE.
One of the most popular men in Clackamas county is Robert Breckinridge Beatie. He is a native of that county, his birth having occurred at Beaver Creek in 1860. His parents were Charles F. and Nancy J. (Litell) Beatie, natives of Virginia, in which state their forbears had settled before the days of the American Revolution. In early life the father removed with his parents to Missouri and after obtaining a pri-
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mary education in that state he returned to Virginia and completed his education at the Emory and Henry College. In 1850 he went to California seeking gold but met with only a fair amount of success so in 1852, he went north and settled in Oregon, where he commenced farming.
Robert B. Beatie was born on the donation claim at Beaver Creek upon which his father settled. He received his elementary education in the public schools of Clackamas county and upon reaching manhood commenced farming on his own account. His farm consisted of two hundred and seventy-three acres of his father's donation land claim and here he has spent his life. He is one of the most popular men in the county as is clearly evidenced by the fact that he was elected sheriff for two terms, and although a democrat in an overwhelmingly republican county was elected for the second term by a majority of more than eleven thousand. Again his popularity was demonstrated when in 1910 he was elected county judge by a majority vote of one thousand and eighty. He was again nominated in 1920 for county judge.
In the year 1890 Judge Beatie was married to Miss Carrie Belle Myers, a daughter of one of Oregon City's pioneer merchants, and to them have been born five children, namely: Charles Fountain, who is now managing his father's farm; John Myers; Robert Hood; Leonora Litell; and Alfred. When war with Germany was declared, Charles, then a student at the Oregon Agricultural College, immediately enlisted. He was not to be out done by John M., however, who enlisted in the navy and saw active service for six months, at the end of which time he was tendered an honorable dis- charge, being stricken with rheumatism. Another son, Robert H., also enlisted in the navy, in which branch of service he remained for two years. The Beatie family is one hundred per cent American and did everything in their power to further America's cause. Another patriotic member of the family who paid the supreme sacrifice was Waldo Emerson Canfield, the son of Judge Beatie's sister, Mrs. David Canfield. He was a volunteer in the One Hundred and Sixteenth Engineers and gave his life at the battle of Argonne with such distinguished gallantry as to win the Croix de Guerre and the Distinguished Order Medal. Another nephew also saw service in the World war as a member of the Three Hundred and Eighteenth Engineers.
Although busily engaged in farming and in his public service, Judge Beatie in 1893, made a trip to Alaska where he remained for two years. Always quiet, forceful and an earnest believer in good government and the rights of the people, he has served the public to the best of his ability and has rightly won the popularity which is his throughout the county.
JOHN MILTON CULBERTSON.
Although not yet forty-one years of age, John M. Culbertson, head of the firm of John M. Culbertson & Company, is the pioneer real estate dealer of Hood River, Oregon. He was born at Fort Worth, Texas, in 1879, a son of Elijah and Helen (Curtner) Culbertson, natives of Indiana, in which state their families had been pioneers as they themselves were of Texas. An early member of the family, John Culbertson, was among the first settlers of Indiana, locating in that state when the Indians were giving considerable trouble to new settlers. He was engaged in the mer- cantile business and built the first store in Fort Worth, Texas, the store being after- ward used as the first courthouse of Tarrant county for the transaction of legal business.
John M. Culbertson was educated in the schools of Fort Worth and the university of that city, from which he was graduated. On the completion of his university course, he engaged in the mercantile business with his brother until 1904, when the state of his health caused his retirement. Coming to the Pacific coast, he visited Hood River, and liking its situation and climate, he decided to make his home here and has since been a resident of this city. In partnership with his brother, he started a real estate, loan and insurance business, which has grown to be the largest in the Hood River valley. After a few years his brother removed to Portland and is there engaged in the same business on his own account.
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