USA > Oregon > Multnomah County > Portland > History of Portland, Oregon : with illustrations and biographical sketches of prominent citizens and pioneers > Part 57
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CA. Alisty.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
At the time of the death of his father, the subject of this sketch was four years of age. The family, at this time consisting of five children, after a short stay on the Isthmus, returned to Germany, settling at the old home near Frankfort-on-the Main, where they were surrounded by their relatives who were well-to-do people. Here and at Mayence and Bergen the early life of our subject was passed. He received a good practical education, while the naturally artistic side of his nature was cultivated and developed by instruction in drawing. At an early age he entered the confectionery store of an nucle at Mayence, where he served a regular apprentice- ship as a confectioner. From Mayence he went to Frankfort-on-the-Main, where at the age of seventeen years he became foreman in a confectionery establishment. This service was followed by a brief period of service as foreman in a similar estab- lishment at Weisbaden, a popnlar bathing resort. Wlien nearing his eighteenth year he withdrew his allegiance from his native country, actnated at the time with the purpose of making a home for himself in the new world. For a short time there- after, however, he worked at his trade at Hamburg. In 1859 he came to America, and for a time continued at his trade in the service of an uncle in New York city. He then went to Macon, Georgia, and for a few months was confectioner in the Linear House, the leading hotel of the city. It was during this period that he had an opportunity of seeing the great evil of negro slavery in the South, which ultimately made him a strong supporter of the Union cause during the war and an ardent member of the republican party. After his experience in the South he joined his brother Edward in California, where for four years he engaged in mining in Tuolumne county.
In 1863 he went to San Francisco, where he again took up his trade, being employed by Peter Job, at that time the best known confectioner in California. He remained but a short time in San Francisco, and came to Portlaud in the fall of 1863, where for a few months he followed his calling. He then went to Victoria, British Columbia, and established a confectionery store. In 1866 he returned to Portlaud and established a manufacturing confectionery store. For three years he conducted it alone, after which Charles Hegele became a partner and so continued nutil 1872, when Mr. Alisky assumed sole control. Perhaps Mr. Alisky will be always best known in Portland in connection with the confectionery and restaurant which for so many years he conducted on First street. He was the first to put this business on a high plane, and during all the years he was connected with it, it was the leading establishment of this kind in the city. This branch of his business he disposed of in 1886, but it is still known as the "Alisky Restaurant." In 1887 he established the Alisky Candy Manufacturing Company, but sold ont his interest in 1888, and has since devoted his time to the management of his extensive real estate interests.
From the time he located in Portland, Mr. Alisky has had unbounded confidence in the city's growth, and from the beginning of his business career he freely invested the profits of his business in real estate, most of which he still retains. These invest- ments have proven the wisdom of his judgment and have made him a large fortune. He is at the present time owner of some of the most valnable business property in the city. For thirteen years he was a member of the volunteer fire department, and at one time was assistant engineer of the city department. He is a member of the various German social, dramatic and singing societies of Portland, and of some was
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HISTORY OF PORTLAND.
one of the founders. For thirteen years he was president and treasurer of Turn Verein society, and was the first president of the Arion society. He has always been a liberal supporter of the various aid societies. He is also a member of the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Knights of Pythias, in the former having received the highest honors of the subordinate lodge.
The most conspicuous attribute in Mr. Alisky's character has been that of energy. From the time he started in business for himself nutil his practical retirement, about three years ago, few men could have pursued their plans and work with more untiring and steadfast industry. This has been the main secret of his success. He has always been a firm believer in Portland's destiny and has shown his faith by his works. He has ever been a free and liberal contributor to every deserving public enterprise, while to benevolent and charitable efforts, regardless of creed or sect he has been equally generous. His entire business career has been above reproach and he rightfully stands high in the estimation of the business community. During recent years he has made an extended visit to Europe, spending considerable time amid the scenes of his early youth, and while the Fatherland will ever have a warm place in his heart, he is proud of his adopted country and rejoices that his lot was cast among the most progressive people of the world.
Mr. Alisky was married, in 1862, to Miss Caroline Francisca Hegele. They have one son, an artist of much promise, who is pursuing his art studies in Europe under the best masters of Dresden and Munich.
OHNSON, A. H. Few American cities can furnish so many instances where - men have accumulated large fortunes simply by well directed labor, however adverse the circumstances which surrounded their early struggles, than Portland. The subject of this sketch is a striking example of the truth of this statement. Arriv- ing in Portland some thirty odd years ago, without friends or money, but possessed of good health and plenty of pluck and energy, he has steadily pushed onward and upward until to-day he occupies a prominent place among the leading business men of the city.
He was born in London, in 1830, and is the third among eleven sous and daughters of Richard and Mercy Johnson. His father was a butcher, but on coming to America, in 1843, settled on a farm in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, where, with his family, he continued to live until 1869, when he came to Portland, and resided with the subject of this sketch until his death in 1871. Young Johnson had but little chance for gaining an education, a short period of instruction in the public schools of London completing his opportunities in this direction. Although he was but thirteen years old when he left London, he had become very familiar with that great city and he still retains the most vivid recollections of his early home. After the family came to Wisconsin, he assisted his father in the labors upon the farm, being thus employed until after lie had passed his twentieth year. He then went to Milwaukee and secured work in the pork packing establishment of John Plankington. Here he remained about a year, when he entered the service of Thomas Cross.
In the spring of 1852, he left Milwaukee with an ox-team train bound for Port- land, Oregon, consenting to drive a team across the plains for his board. He remained with the train during its long and wearisome journey until the Cascades
attfibreson
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were reached. Here he secured passage on the little steamer Flint, bound for Port- land, arriving September 17th, 1852. He had been brought up on a farm and was perfectly familiar with all the conditions necessary to carry on farming successfully, and the rich soil of the Willamette Valley, combined with its genial climate soon convinced him he had found a territory which would in time become a rich and prosperous region. He determined to remain and work out his destiny here. He had no money or even an acquaintance, but equipped with a rugged constitution and plenty of pluck and energy, he was not for a moment dismayed. For the first three months after his arrival he worked for a butcher by the name of Charles Albright. He then purchased a half interest in a meat market on Front street, between Morrison and Yamhill. Richard S. Perkins soon after bought the other half interest in the business and the firm of Johnson & Perkins was then established. Both had had practical experience in this line of business, and abundant success followed their undertaking. They remained together for ten years, and during this period were located on the corner of Washington and First streets where the First National Bank now is. Since the retirement of Mr. Perkins, Mr Johnson has managed his business alone. In 1863 he built a market on the corner of First and A streets, known as the Pacific Market. Here he remained until the Central Market was opened in 1871, where he remained for sixteen years. In 1887 he moved to his present location on First street, below Ash.
For many years Mr. Johnson has been the heaviest dealer in meats in the city. His operations in packing, butchering, handling and selling of all kinds of live stock have grown to very large proportions, his yearly business reaching a sum from $200,000 to $400,000. He has also been an extensive operator in real estate, owning some of the most valuable business blocks in the city, and 2,500 acres of timber and farming lands within ten miles of Portland.
During his whole business career Mr. Jolinson has borne a high reputation as an honorable, straightforward business man. Every obligation he has assumed he has faithfully and fully discharged. His business operations have brought him into close contact with men in every part of the State, and have given him a wide and intimate acquaintance with the people enjoyed by few men in Portland. He has been a hard worker all his life, but his years of active toil have had but slight effect upon his naturally vigorous constitution. He has ever been liberal, generous and charitable, and ever ready to co-operate with Portland's most progressive citizens in any enter- prise which promises to advance the general good.
He was married in 1853 to Miss Cordelia St. Clair, of Washington County, Oregon. They have had fourteen children, of whom ten are now living-five sons and five daughters, in order of birth as follows: Stephen M., Mercy S., wife of A. T. Dobbins, of Columbia County; Arthur R., Charles N., Cordelia J., wife of T. N. Dunbar, of Portland; Mary H., wife of E. H. Parkhurst, of Portland; Annie M., wife of Arthur L. Wylie, of Portland; Hamilton B., Caroline V. and Admire T. G. John- son. William S., his second son met with a fatal accident in Washington County, in the spring of 1889. He was married and left a family of five children.
Mr. Johnson has been a very useful man to Portland and to the country at large. On men of work and worth like him the prosperity of communities depends.
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HISTORY OF PORTLAND.
THALLEY, JOHN WILLIAM, was born on the 28th of April, 1833. His ancestors on his father's side had, for a long period, been yoemen residing at Dent in the West Reding of Yorkshire, England, who had migrated there from Norfolk, and belonged to the same family of which Edmund Whalley of the Cromwellian Army was a member. Many of the family held respectable positions, both in the church, the army and at the bar, the elder sous usually owning and managing the small estate of the family, the younger members making their living in some of the learned professions, On his mother's side Mrs. Whalley's " fore-elders," as termed in Cheshire, were. Welsh, and for more than 200 years occupied, under lease for that term, the estate of Overton Hall, owned by Lord Kenyon. This lease terminated in the life-time of Mr. William Jones, the grandfather of Mr. Whalley, who then with his family moved to Canada, and from thence to New York City, where he died and was buried in St. Paul's churchyard on Broadway.
Mr. Whalley's father, Rev. Francis Whalley, left England under an appoint- ment from the society for the propagation of the gospel in foreign parts and was stationed in Annapolis, Nova Scotia, where the subject of this sketch was born. In 1835 the family returned to England, the father becoming rector of Rivington Parish, Cheshire, but was subsequently appointed Chaplain of Lancaster Castle, followed by service as rector of the parish at Churchtown, Lancashire, afterwards of New Hutton and then of Old Hutton, near Kendal in Westmoreland. Here amid the wild and grand scenery and beautiful lakes of the north, young Whalley lived until thirteen years of age, pursuing his studies under the guidance of his parents, both of whom were cultured and educated people. He not only at this age had received a good rudimentary education but even had acquired considerable knowl_ edge of the classics, being able to read Caesar at nine and Ovid at ten.
The humble circumstances of Mr. Whalley's parents, who, beside himself, had two sons and a daughter to provide for, made all hopes of their giving him a collegiate education impossible. This fact induced him, at the age of thirteen, to take service as an apprentice on board the merchantman "Speed," in which vessel he sailed from Liverpool for New York, in the year 1847. On arriving in New York, not liking the sea, he left the ship, and with an aunt visited his grand mother, who at that time was the widow of Dr. Adrian, of New Jersey, a man distinguished both in scientific and political circles. Meeting his uncle, Mr. Thomas Jones, author of an excellent treatise on bookkeeping, and a teacher of that science, young Whalley entered his office, remaining with him until March, 1848, and during that period acquired the rudiments of a fair mercantile education.
Mr. Jones in obedience to the command of young Whalley's father sent him to England in 1848, where it was understood a situation in the Bank of England awaited him; but on arrival there it was found impossible to secure the situation Being unable to obtain employment, and realizing that his native country offered few advantages to a person without pecuniary expectation and commanding little influence, young Whalley again determined to go to sea. He went to Liverpool in February, 1849, and bound himself as an apprentice on board the Antelope, then bound for San Francisco, California, at which point he arrived on the 17th of July, 1849, in the very height of the gold excitement. With other sailors young Whalley deserted, and began the life of a miner. During the winter of 1849 he worked in the mines on the south fork of the American River below Coloma, and in 1850 on the
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
Middle Yuba. He followed a miner's life, going through all the vicissitudes thereto, uutil the year 1858, at which time, being then located in Yreka, California, he determined to abandon mining, which had been unproductive, and to study for admission to the bar.
Being without means, and desiring more opportunity for studying than the occupa- tion of mining had afforded, he procured the position of teacher in the school at Little Shasta, near Yreka. He pursued teaching with success, up to the year 1864, exclusive of the years 1861 and 1862, most of the time being employed in the public school at Yreka, the county seat. During the years 1861 and 1862, he filled the office of county superintendent of schools, in which position he served with great credit and to the entire satisfaction of the people.
From 1858 to 1861, Mr. Whalley was a frequent contributor to the local press of Siskiyou county and to the Hesperion magazine, published at San Francisco. Many poetical contributions to the latter periodical were extensively copied throughout the United States, evoking much favorable comment from the local press.
On the 21st of July, 1861, Mr. Whalley was married to Miss Lavina T. Kimzey, of Little Shasta, who had been one of his pupils. Seven children have been born to them, six daughters aud one son. Five of the daugliters are now living, one of whom is married to Mr. J. Frank Watson, of Portland, and another to Lieutenant Allison, Second Cavalry United States Army, now stationed at Walla Walla.
During the years Mr. Whalley passed in teaching, he continued reading law, and was admitted to practice, in 1861, before Judge Dangerfield in Siskiyou county, but deferred entering into active practice until 1864. He then went to Grant county, Oregou, and there opened a law office, meeting with good success in his profession. Mr. M. W. Fecheimier, who had studied law with Mr. Whalley, soon after being admitted to practice, opened an office in Portland, and it was through his solicitation that Mr. Whalley finally determined to come to Portland. He was led to this decision partly through a desire to reach a point where better facilities could be had for educating his children thau could be found in Grant county. He arrived in 1868, and formed a co-partnership with Mr. Fecheimer, under the well remembered firm name of Whalley & Fecheimer. The firm soon acquired a lucrative practice. They made the bankrupt law of 1867 a specialty, and most of the business in that depart- ment of legal practice throughout the State came into their hands. This was an exceedingly profitable branch of practice in Oregon for some years after the establish- ment of the firm. The surplus earnings from their professional work, both members invested in business property in Portland and its rapid increase in value during recent years has secured for each a handsome fortune.
In 1870, Mr. Whalley was elected a member of the legislature from Multnomah county and served for one term, when he retired altogether from political life, preferring to devote his whole attention to his profession.
Mr. Whalley has been a prominent Odd Fellow for many years and, in 1870, represented the Grand Lodge of Oregon in the Grand Lodge of the United States, at its session in Baltimore.
Desiring to visit Europe, Mr. Whalley, iu 1883, dissolved his legal co-partnership and with his daughter, now Mrs. Allison, made an extended tour of the Old World. He returned to Portland in 1884, and resumed the practice of law in connection with Mr. H. H. Northup and Mr. Paul R. Deady, under the firm name of Whalley,
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HISTORY OF PORTLAND.
Northup & Deady. A large practice was quickly obtained, the firm becoming especially prominent in important railway litigation. Judge E. C. Bronaugh was admitted as a member, in 1885, the firm name being changed to Whalley, Bronaugh, Northup & Deady. Mr. Deady subsequently retired, and the firm was thereafter known under the name of Whalley, Bronaugli & Northup. Having accumulated a large property, and the management of his own private business requiring more of his time than his legal practice permitted, Mr. Whalley retired from the firm and the active practice of the law in March, 1889.
Mr. Whalley has long held a place in the front rank of his profession. He has a well ordered mind and in his forensic encounters his legal forces are always under perfect control. His love of a "fine point" has become a subject of trite remark among his legal brethren throughout the State. He is remarkable for his tactical and strategic qualities. He avails himself of every opportunity for legal surprises and overlooks no means of legal defense. By many practitioners the weightier matters of the law are often sacrificed to these qualities, but such is not the case with Mr. Whalley. The care which he bestows upon the "critical niceties" of the law is due to his mental activity and to the habit of thoroughness in what he undertakes, and not to auy neglect of any of the broad principles which make the study and practice of the law one of the most elevating and useful pursuits of mankind.
Mr. Whalley has a thorough contempt for the farces and shams of society, which with a combative temperment has led to a habit of speaking his mind about men and things with plain and piquant speech, and not infrequently with offense to those who find themselves, in the language of Bret Harte, "the individuals who happen to be meant." He has a keen appreciation of the humorous, and this with his imitative faculties make him the best story teller and the most enjoyable companion at the bar.
He is an indefatigable sportsman and is a master of the science of casting a fly, or for that matter of making one; and he can talk to the professional augler in his own language. Every foot of that sportsman's paradise from "Mock's bottom" to "Charley Saline's" is to him familiar ground. In illustration of the difficulty that men bent on pleasure sometimes have in leaving the cares of business behind them, it is related of him that he once made the trip of several miles to his favorite hunting preserve, absorbed by the question whether demurrer would lie to a particular con- plaint, only to find when his destination was reached that he had left his gun at home. The man in charge of the premises has always steadfastly refused to disclose the nature of the remarks which the occasion seems to have required.
For the last several years his fondness for shooting aquatic fowl has led to the partial abandonment of the pursuit of other classes of game birds. With a few chosen friends he controls the shooting privileges over about 1200 acres of lake and marsh land on Sauvie's Island, which in season he visits once a week. He has taken a great interest in the preservation and protection of the game of the State, and urged with vigorous zeal the enactment by the Legislature of beneficial game laws. Largely through his efforts this was finally accomplished, the statute of the State to-day containing many laws of his own construction, regulating the taking of game which are susceptible of no misinterpretations. For a long time he was President of the Multnomah Rod and Gun Club of Portland, an organization which under his personal influence and endeavor accomplished much good in the line just indicated, and was
Jours Truly Bittein
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
especially vigilant in the detection of violation of game laws and active in the prose- cution of the wrong doers. He was also chosen first President of the Sportsman's Asso- ciation of the Northwest, and at the expiration of his term was re-elected. This association, virtually an amalgamation of the different sportsman's clubs of the northwest territory, had for its object the protection of the game of the entire northwest, and the promotion of that uniformity in legislation made desirable hy the geographical location of the different States and Territories and the similarity in the kind and habits of the game found therein. This association is now in active existence, and is exerting an influence which will not fail to largely effect the course of legislatiou upon matters coming within the scope of its constitution.
Mr. Whalley is a man of alert mind, of great legal and literary erudition, has ready command of lauguage, and speaks and writes with admirable force. He is at all times accessible, is steadfast in his friendships and has intellectual powers that would bring him to distinction in any situation.
ILLIN, BENTON, one of Portland's prominent citizens, was born in DesMoines, K .Iowa, on the 5th day of August, 1842. When only three years old his parents crossed the plaius, and settled on the old homestead, ou Butter Creek, Clackamas county, Oregon, in the spring of 1847. Here his aged mother still lives, enjoying, in the evening of life, a rest from the severe toils of hier earlier years. On this farm the next twelve years of young Killin's life was spent in the hard labors of a farmer's boy. But while thus surrounded, with but little to arouse his ambition, he was planning something different and to his taste better.
When 16 years old he started out from home to fight life's battle alone. During the summer he toiled faithfully on a farm and with the wages thus earned he entered the Willamette University, where he remained as a student until the spring of 1861, supporting himself in the meantime hy working for farmers in the neighborhood during vacation, and employing himself at whatever his hands found to do on Saturdays.
Iu the spring of 1861, his health gave away. The tell-tale flush upon the cheek and the exasperating cough gave out the warning that consumption was fast taking hold on him. Abandoning his studies, he sought to renew his strength in the mount- ains and mines of Idaho, where he remained until January, 1862.
At this time his health being restored, his patriotisin led him to the support of his endangered country, and for three years he served faithfully in the 1st Oregon Cavalry, euduring without murmur the dangers and hardships of a soldier's life to serve the country he loved so well.
Peace being restored, he gladly laid down his arms, and resumed the work of obtaining an education. In the fall of 1865, he entered Pacific University at Forest Grove, where with untiring diligence he prosecuted his studies for one year, going over a two years' course in that time.
After leaving school he commenced reading law, supporting himself in the mean- time by teaching a winter term of school. In 1866, he was elected superintendent of schools for Clackamas county, serving out his term to the satisfaction of the people.
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