USA > Oregon > History of Oregon, Vol. III > Part 77
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95
and Rob .
HON. THOMAS A. McBRIDE
609
HISTORY OF OREGON
territory of Oregon. He was prominent in public affairs and was appointed by Presi- dent Lincoln minister to the Hawaiian islands. Resigning that position, he returned to Oregon and took up his residence at St. Helens, where he spent his remaining years, his death occurring in 1875. He was a physician by profession and was also an elder and minister of the Christian church.
After completing his common school education Thomas A. McBride entered Mc- Minnville College in Yamhill county, which conferred upon him the honorary degree of LL. D. in 1916. Prior to the completion of his college course he had engaged in teaching and on the 6th of October, 1870, he was admitted to the Oregon bar. He began practice at La Fayette, Oregon, but shortly afterward removed to St. Helens, where he opened an office, there remaining until 1878, when he removed to Salt Lake City, Utah. He was identified with the bar of that city until 1881, when he returned to Oregon, locating at Oregon City, where he became associated in practice with Edward L. Eastham, with whom he continued for six years, subsequently becoming a law partner of A. S. Dresser, a relationship that was maintained until 1892.
Much of Judge McBride's life has been devoted to public service and in 1876 he was elected on the republican ticket to represent Columbia county in the state législature. In 1882 his high professional attainments led to his appointment as district attorney of the fifth judicial district by Governor Moody and successive re- elections continued him in that office until 1892, when he became judge of that dis- trict, retaining that high judicial position for a period of seventeen years, or until the 1st of May, 1909. On that date he was appointed by Governor Benson associate justice of the supreme court to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Hon. Robert S. Beam, and the value of his services in this connection is indicated in the fact that he has since been continued in this important office. He has also served three terms as chief justice and his judicial record is a most creditable one, characterized by the utmost fidelity to duty and by a masterful grasp of every problem presented for solu- tion. It seems that he has entered upon a profession for which nature intended him, for in his chosen calling he has made steady progress and has carved his name high on the keystone of the legal arch of Oregon.
In Columbia county, Oregon, on the 7th of February, 1875, Judge McBride was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Merrill, a daughter of George and Ann Merrill. Her parents were numbered among the early pioneers of Columbia county, of which the father was for many years county clerk. To Judge and Mrs. McBride have been born two children: George M., who married Ethlene Mason; and May, who resides with her parents.
In his political views the Judge is a stanch republican, and his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Christian church, while fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Masons, serving as master of St. Helens Lodge in the latter organization. He stands as a high type of the ideal jurist who loses his identity, his personal feelings and his prejudices in the dignity, impartiality and equity of the office to which life, property, right and liberty must look for protection.
JOHN G. BLEAKNEY.
John G. Bleakney, who at different times was identified with the agricultural development of Oregon and who was on various occasions called to public office, at one time representing his district in the state legislature, passed away November 18, 1913, being then eighty-one years of age. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1832, a son of Samuel and Sarah Bleakney, who were also natives of the Keystone state. It was there that John G. Bleakney reached adult age, having in the meantime acquired a public school education. A few years prior to the Civil war he accompanied his parents on their removal to Illinois and in that state enlisted in response to the call for troops to serve for three months when the Civil war was inaugurated in 1861. On the expiration of his first term he enlisted for the duration of the war and rendered active aid to his country on the battle fields of the south. Following the cessation of hostilities he returned to Henry county, Illinois, where he engaged in farming.
In the year of his return to civil life-1865-he married Miss Martha Bellows, a daughter of William and Sarah Bellows, who were natives of Connecticut and who had become pioneer settlers of Illinois, the father there securing a small farm, and Vol. III-39
610
HISTORY OF OREGON
thus he resumed the occupation which he had followed throughout his previous life in Connecticut.
In 1871 Mr. Bleakney removed from Illinois to the Pacific coast, traveling first to San Francisco, California, and thence by boat to Oregon, establishing his home about eight miles south of Salem, where he purchased land and engaged in farming. Later he removed to Turner, Oregon, where he engaged in wagon making for several years and during the period of his residence in that section of the state became a recognized leader in political circles there and was elected to the state legislature in the same year that Governor Moody was called to the executive chair. Subsequently Mr. Bleak- ney served as bailiff of the supreme court and was also justice of the peace for several years in Marion county and also at Aumsville. Some time after he filed on one hundred and sixty acres near Wilhoit Springs, in Clackamas county, and afterward he removed to eastern Oregon, where his sons had taken up land.
To Mr. and Mrs. Bleakney there were born three sons: Lewis A., who was born in Illinois in 1865; Albert T., born in Iowa; and Clark F., who was born in Oregon. Two of these sons are still farming in eastern Oregon.
Mr. Bleakney was a member of the Grange for many years and his wife also belonged. He had membership with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and was ever a stalwart republican from the time that age conferred upon him the right of franchise. He passed away November 18, 1913, and thus closed a useful life which had gained for him the respect, confidence and goodwill of all who knew him. He contributed much to the pioneer development of his state and especially was he active in promoting its agricultural development.
CLARENCE LEE MANNHEIMER.
For many years Clarence Lee Mannheimer has been numbered among the prominent and progressive citizens of Bend. He has been active in mercantile circles as a partner of his brother but is now conducting alone the Bend store known as Mannheimer Brothers, while his brother is active in the conduct of a branch store at Redmond.
Clarence Lee Mannheimer was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1887, a son of Julius and Hannah (Wurzburg) Mannheimer. His father was one of the pioneer residents of Chicago and was for thirty years in the employ of one firm. His death occurred in 1916. Hannah Wurzburg was born in New England and was but six years of age when she removed to Chicago with her parents. She was reared at Adams and Franklin streets, the home occupying the site now covered by the wholesale department of Mar- shall Field & Company.
In the acquirement of an education Clarence Lee Mannheimer attended the grade and high schools of his native city and started his commercial life as a clerk in a whole- sale notion house there. He was engaged along that line for four years when he became a traveling salesman and spent the following four years covering the middle western states. In the spring of 1911 he removed to Portland and there secured employment with a wholesale house, his object being to acquire a knowledge of trade methods on the coast. In November of the same year he determined to enter the mercantile business on his own account and upon looking around for a suitable location he decided upon Bend. In association with a brother he established a department store, known as Mannheimer Brothers, which within the intervening ten years has come to be the leading mercantile establishment of the city. The business was first conducted upon a modest scale but as the result of carrying a high grade of goods, courteous treatment on the part of the employes, truthful representation and an earnest effort to please, he soon built up a trade that required larger quarters. The present quarters are on Wall steet, the busiest portion of the retail section. The store has a frontage of thirty-five feet with a depth of one hundred feet and a balcony on which ready-to-wear goods is displayed, its dimensions being thirty-five by seventy feet. The value of the stock in the original store was five thousand dollars while the stock now carried is valued at over forty thousand dollars. The kinds of stock carried include dry goods, men's and women's ready-to-wear, shoes, notions and draperies. A force of ten clerks is constantly employed to keep the estab- lishment running in a smooth and efficient manner. The rapid growth of the firm has been such as to cause the opening of another store in Redmond, in the conduct of which the brother Claude is active. Though separate establishments in every way they have a joint New York buyer, who keeps the stock up to the minute as to styles and makes
611
HISTORY OF OREGON
it possible for the women of Bend to secure their clothes without going to the larger stores in Portland.
In 1915 the marriage of Mr. Mannheimer to Miss Bianca Bloch, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, took place. Her father was Jacob Bloch, a well known wholesale coffee importer. One son, Robert J., has been born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Mann- heimer. In the club and social circles of Bend Mrs. Mannheimer takes an active and prominent part and though a great deal of her time is spent. in that manner she is accounted a model housewife and mother.
Since age conferred upon him the right of franchise Mr. Mannheimer has been a stanchi supporter of the republican party and though he has been frequently importuned he declines all political preferment. Fraternally he is a Mason, Odd Fellow and Elk and in civic affairs he takes a prominent part as a member of the Bend Commercial Club. Mr. Mannheimer's business has not only contributed to his individual success but has also been an active factor in the development of Bend and the state. His interests are thoroughly identified with those of the community and at all times he is ready to lend his aid and cooperation to any movement calculated to benefit this section of the country or advance its wonderful development.
MARION RICHARD BIGGS.
There is no man in Oregon better known or more popular than Marion Richard Biggs, affectionately called "Dick" by his many friends. Not only does he enjoy an honored place at the bar of Oregon but he is one of the representative stock raisers of the country. He has achieved a great popularity in civic and fraternal circles and is now grand master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, grand lodge of Oregon.
Like many others of Oregon's prominent men "Dick" Biggs is a native of another state, his birth having occurred in Pike county, Missouri, on the 22d of February, 1864, a son of M. R. K. and Katharine (Scoby) Biggs. The Biggs family were pioneers of both Tennessee and Missouri and were representative citizens of the communities in which they resided. His grandfather Biggs was a minister of the Baptist church and was much beloved by the members of his congregation. His father, M. K. R. Biggs, who is now living in Audrain county, Missouri, at the age of ninety years, is also a native of Pike county and is one of Missouri's representative stock raisers. The Scoby family were Kentuckians, having been pioneers in that state and also in Missouri.
In the acquirement of an education "Dick" Biggs attended the grade schools of Pike county and in due time enrolled in La Grange College, where after a preparatory course he enrolled in the University of Missouri. He took up the study of law at that institution and in 1889 was graduated with the LL. B. degree. Soon afterward, being admitted to the bar, he took the advice of Champ Clark, who was an intimate friend of the family, and came west, heading for Spokane, Washington. Immediately preceding his arrival in that city, it was practically destroyed by fire, with the result that Mr. Biggs continued his journey and set up practice at Burns, Harney county Oregon, where he remained for five years. At the termination of that time he removed to Prineville and there engaged in the practice of his profession until 1918, when he decided that thirty years of active practice was enough. He then retired from the legal profession and hav- ing some time before taken a homestead in Crook county, engaged in stock raising. As a lawyer Mr. Biggs achieved marked precedence among the members of the Oregon har, his success having come to him as the reward of earnest endeavor, fidelity to trust and recognized ability.
Mr. Biggs soon won for himself a prominent place in ranching circles and he is at the present time operating two ranches, one of three hundred and twenty acres, two and one-half miles from Prineville, and the other of four hundred acres, four miles from Prineville. He devotes his time to breeding and raising registered shorthorn cattle and in his herd are three sires, Secret Master, who was sired by Ringmaster, a winner of three grand championships, Superb Prince, who was sired by Superb, a famous show bull, and Village Master, Second, sired by Secret Master. With such pedigreed stock as this it will be seen that Mr. Biggs is one of the most important cattle men in the state. Every modern convenience may be found on his ranches. His buildings, which are large and well ventilated, are electrically lighted, and he is a stanch advocate of pure water and good range. In addition to his two ranches Mr. Biggs owns one section of land which he uses for summer grazing and another section at Summit Prairie.
612
HISTORY OF OREGON
In 1894 occurred the marriage of Mr. Biggs and Miss Laura Pearl Stancliff, a daugh- ter of George M. Stancliff, a California pioneer of 1849, who moved to Oregon in the early days of the state and was for the most part engaged in cattle and sheep raising, along which lines he achieved more than substantial success. Mrs. Biggs' great-grand- mother was Elvira Adams, a sister of John Quincy Adams.
Since attaining his majority Mr. Biggs has been a stanch supporter of the democratic party, having firm belief in the principles of that party as factors in good government. He was deputy sheriff of Harney county, city recorder of Prineville and county judge of Crook county but has never desired political preferment. He felt that acceptance of those offices was a matter of civic duty and as he believes every public office to be a public trust, he served his fellowmen to the best of his ability. As an able and repre- sentative member of the legal profession Mr. Biggs maintains membership in the Central Oregon Bar Association and the Oregon State Bar Association and fraternally he is iden- tified with the Masons, in which he has attained the thirty-second degree and he is a member of the Mystic Shrine and an Odd Fellow. He is now occupying the office of grand master of the Odd Fellows of Oregon. The life of Mr. Biggs has been one of con- tinuous activity and has not only contributed to his individual success but has also been an important factor in the development of the state. He is most loyal to the ties of friendship and citizenship and his history well deserves a place in the annals of his adopted state.
WILLIAM IRWIN HARRISON.
Portland's young men made prompt response to the call to the colors in the World war and among this number was William Irwin Harrison, now engaged in the practice of law. A native of Missouri, he was born at Vilander, on the 2d of March, 1889. His father, Benjamin Harrison, whose birth occurred in Kentucky in 1841, removed to Missouri, and in Bourbon, that state, wedded Mary Ellen Irwin, who was born in Spring- field, Illinois. Both are still living, being now residents of Vilander, Missouri. The father was a private in the Seventh Missouri Cavalry in the Civil war, thus protecting the Union and he also had three older brothers who were likewise with the federal army throughout the war. Benjamin Harrison was wounded at Lehanon, Missouri, and he also took part in the fight at Wilson's Creek, where General Lyon was killed. After the war he took up the occupation of farming and stock raising, in which he is still engaged and though now well advanced in years is yet a vigorous, well preserved man.
William Irwin Harrison obtained his early education in the schools of his native town and afterward attended the high school at Steelville, Missouri, while in 1908 he was graduated from the Missouri State College of Springfield with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. He then went to Old Mexico, where he was in the employ of a mining company for twenty-seven months and on the expiration of that period made his way to Chicago and entered upon preparation for the bar, being graduated in 1914 from the University of Chicago Law School with the degree of D. J. On the 16th of August, 1914, he arrived in Portland, where he opened a law office and has since engaged in practice. He is an able attorney, a fighter, and strong with both court and jury. He is a fluent and convincing speaker with a fund of anecdotes to illustrate his point and in his law arguments is thoroughly logical and convincing. Aside from his professional connections he is a director of the Lewis E. Obye Motor Company and also of the F. H. Call Company.
On the 11th of September, 1915, in Portland, Mr. Harrison was married to Miss Eleanor Roggenbucke, a daughter of Bruno Roggenbucke, of El Paso, Texas. Their chil- dren are Lucille Irwin and Louise.
Mr. Harrison is a veteran of the World war, having enlisted on the 29th of August, 1918, at which time he was sent to Camp Taylor, Kentucky, to the Field Officers' Train- ing School, where he remained until December 29, 1918, when he was honorably dis- charged, having made an excellent military record although not having the opportunity to go overseas. Politically he is a republican and fraternally is connected with the Masons, also with the Phi Alpha Delta and the Acacia, the latter a college fraternity. He belongs to the Waverly Country Club and is interested in all that pertains to the progress and welfare of his community. He was an alternate-at-large to the republi- can convention in Chicago in 1920 and is active in party politics, yet has not been ambi- tious to hold office. He regards the pursuits of private life as in themselves abundantly
Bushnell
WILLIAM I. HARRISON
615
HISTORY OF OREGON
worthy of his best endeavor and is concentrating his efforts and attention upon his personal interests with results that are highly satisfactory to his clients, as well as to himself. He turns for recreation to golf, fishing and motoring. He is a young man of strong personality, thoroughly agreeable, with qualities that will always make for popularity and he has many friends.
MAURICE PATRICK CASHMAN.
The prosperity of any community, town or city depends upon its commercial activity, its industrial interests and its trade relations, and therefore among the builders of a town are those who stand at the head of the business enterprises. For a number of years Maurice Patrick Cashman has been known as "Bend's Clothier" and the success he has achieved in the conduct of his mercantile business is the result of his own intelli- gently directed effort.
Maurice Patrick Cashman was born at Youghal, County Cork, Ireland, in 1888, a son of Maurice and Mary Ann (Hickey) Cashman, both of whom are deceased. His father was a merchant for many years and attained more than substantial success in that connection. Mr. and Mrs. Cashman were the parents of fourteen children, of whom our subject was the fifth in order of birth. Eight of the children are residents of America, namely: William, who is a Catholic priest in charge of the church at Le Sueur, Minnesota; Teresa, who is a linguist and was for a time secretary to President Gomez of Cuba. Upon his retirement from that office she accepted a position in the Havana branch of the Royal Bank of Canada, in charge of the international department of that bank, and is now a student at the University of Chicago, where she is taking a course in banking; Nora, the wife of Leo Miller of Chicago; Margaret, also a resident of Chicago; Elizabeth, who resides in Bend and has charge of the financial affairs of "Bend's Clothier" both at the Bend store and at the branch store at Madras, Jefferson county, and who, to quote her brother, "runs the ship"; Nellie, who has just returned from a four-year sojourn in Paris and is living in Chicago; Josephine, also a resident of Chicago; and Maurice Patrick. Katie is the wife of George Hurley of Chicago, who is now con- ducting the store of the senior Cashman in Ireland. James Cashman is a member of the local government board of Cork county, Ireland, while Patrick is a student of Mount Mellerary College. The success attained by each of the children shows evidence of care- ful home training and the atmosphere of culture and refinement in which they were reared have been important factors in their lives.
In the acquirement of an education Maurice Patrick Cashman attended the parish schools of the vicinity and in due time entered Christian Brothers College, from which he was graduated in 1905. As was the custom in the old country he then apprenticed him- self to a clothing and dry goods merchant, paying two hundred dollars to learn that trade and for the privilege of working two and a half years with no remuneration. In 1908 Mr. Cashman decided to come to America and as a result landed in the United States in the latter part of the same year. His first employment was in the general office of the Northern Pacific Railroad and while active in that connection he became thoroughly acquainted with American methods of transacting business. A man of quick intelligence he realized that the building of railroads through the Deschutes canyon would result in the founding of a prosperous town at the terminal and acting upon that belief he removed to Bend in 1911 and entered the hotel business. For three years he was active in the conduct of a hotel, or until fire destroyed the building and furnishings, and then in 1916 he purchased a half interest in a clothing store. In the fall of the same year he bought out his partner's interests and has since conducted the establishment as "Cashman, Bend's Clothier." In 1917, upon the completion of the handsome O'Kane block, Mr. Cashman leased for a term of years the corner store, thus securing one of the choicest business locations in the city. With a large and complete stock of men's and boys' clothing, furnishings, shoes and hats, with ninety-eight feet of window display and with the assistance of eight able employes, Mr. Cashman has one of the representative estab- lishments of the county. He believes that satisfied patrons are the best advertisement and each year sees a marked advance in business.
In 1916 occurred the marriage of Mr. Cashman to Miss Marie Thomas of Mankato, Minnesota, whose father, William Thomas, is one of the best known farmers of that section of the country. Mrs. Cashman was educated at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy,
616
HISTORY OF OREGON
Spokane, Washington. Two children have been born to their union, but death took the eldest child, shortly after its hirth. Rosemary, their other child, is now two years old.
In politics Mr. Cashman follows an independent course, giving his support to the man he thinks best fitted for the office without regard to party principles. Fraternally he is an Elk, Woodman of the World, and a member of the Knights of Columbus. Mr. Cashman is active in any movement for the improvement of the general welfare and to that end is a member of the Bend Commercial Club, of which he is a director. His con- nection with any enterprise insures a prosperous outcome of the same, for it is his nature to carry forward to successful completion whatever he undertakes. He has earned for himself an enviable reputation as a careful man of business and in his dealings is known for his prompt and honorable methods, which have won him the deserved and unbounded confidence of his fellowmen.
PETER G. KESTER.
Peter G. Kester, manager of the Pilot Rock Elevator Company, was born in Montour county, Pennsylvania, January 6, 1867, a son of Samuel and Mary (Cromley) Kester.
Peter G. Kester received his preliminary education in his native county, and afterwards attended the State Normal at Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, and an academy at Danville, Pennsylvania, remaining at home until he was twenty-one years of age, when he left Pennsylvania and went to Iowa. He followed farming in Guthrie county, that state, until 1902, when he removed to Oregon City, Oregon, and was there engaged as a millwright. One year later he removed to Portland, where he followed the same line of work and also aided in the construction of large corporate interests, such as the Portland Railway, Light & Power Company's plant. From 1905 until 1915 he was engaged in building saw and flour mills for the Burrell Construction Company of Chicago and in September, 1918, located in Pilot Rock, where he built his present elevator, which is known as the Pilot Rock Elevator Company. This elevator was one of the finest in Umatilla county and to its operation he has devoted the greater portion of his time. On January 23, 1921, the sack storage warehouse in connection with the elevator was burned, causing a loss of about $80,000.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.