Portrait and biographical record of Portland and vicinity, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 2

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 946

USA > Oregon > Multnomah County > Portland > Portrait and biographical record of Portland and vicinity, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present > Part 2

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).

The marriage of Professor Pratt was solem- nized in Portland July 14, 1874, and united him with Sophia C. Taylor, who was born in Ohio. She came to Portland in 1853, joining her father, Peter Taylor, a native of Scotland and a pioneer inhabitant of this city. Her education was re- ceived in the schools of this city, and early in life she engaged in teaching. Professor and Mrs. Pratt have their home at No. 611 First street, and are the parents of six children, name- ly: Douglas L., Irving H., Martin T., all of whom are engaged in business in Portland: Jo S., who is a clerk on a transport in the Pacific squadron of the United States navy; Allyne Francis and Gertrude S. The three eldest sons enlisted in Company H, Second Oregon Volun- teer Infantry, for service in the Spanish-Amer- ican war, and were soon sent ( 1898) to Manila, where they rendered efficient service as soldiers, being fortunate in retaining their health in spite of the trying tropical climate. On their return they all engaged in business in Portland, where they now reside.

It will be observed by a perusal of this brief sketch of important events in the busy life of Professor Pratt that his career has been one of great utility. His long period of service in Port- land as an educator has been characterized by marked success, a consensus of the opinion of those who have closely watched his record be- ing that no incumbent of the office of superin- tendent of the city schools has done more than he to elevate the standard of the schools. As a citizen he has proven himself progressive and public-spirited, giving freely. of his time and in- fluence to the work of promoting those move- ments intended to enhance the intellectual, social and industrial prestige of the community in which he has spent the most active years of his life. Personally he possesses an abundance of those qualitics of mind and character which tend to endear a man to those with whom he comes in daily contact, and the people of Portland who have learned to know him best arc steadfast in their allegiance to and devoted in their friend- ship for him.

HENRY FAILING. At the time of the death of Henry Failing of Portland, C. A. Dolph, as chairman of the sub-committee appointed to draft a suitable memorial, submitted the following sketch of his life, which was adopted by unani- mous vote of the water committee at its regular meeting, December 20, 1898, and ordered spread upon the records of the proceedings of the com- mittee : Henry Failing was born in the city of New York January 17, 1834. He was the second

son of Josiah and Henrietta ( Ellison) Failing, the first son having died in infancy. His father was a native of Montgomery county, in the Mo- hawk valley, in the state of New York, and was descended on the male side from the German Palatines, who settled that part of the province in the early part of the eighteenth century. His mother was an English woman, with a strain of Welsh blood in her veins, and came to the United States with a brother and sister about the begin- ning of the nineteenth century. Josiah Failing was reared on the farm of his parents and re- mained at home until a young man, going to New York about 1824. There he was married. June 15, 1828, to Miss Henrietta Ellison, daugh- ter of Henry Ellison, of York, England, and Mary ( Beek) Ellison, a native of New York. She was born in Charleston, S. C., whither her parents had gone shortly after their marriage. Mr. Ellison died suddenly when his daughter was hardly a month old, and the widow, with her fatherless infant, returned to the home of her parents in New York, where her daughter grew to womanhood. The Beeks were descended from the early Dutch settlers of the province, coming over from Holland before the transfer of the colony from the Dutch to the English more than two hundred years ago. Nathaniel Beek, father of Mrs. Ellison and grandfather of Mr. Failing, did service in the cause of independence during the Revolutionary war, in the Ulster county regi- ment of New York militia.

The early boyhood of Henry Failing was passed in his native city. He attended a public school in the ninth ward, then and now known as No. 3. The school was at that time under the control of the New York Public School So- ciety, an organization which has long since ceased to exist, the management of the schools being now merged into the general system of the board of education. The work of the schools in those days was confined to the more simple branches, but what was taught was thoroughly done; so that when, in April, 1846, young Failing at the age of twelve bade farewell to school and sports, he was well grounded in the English branches. He entered the counting house of L. F. de Figanere & Co., in Platt street, as an office boy. M. de Figanere was a Portuguese, a brother of the Por- tuguese minister to the United States, and his partner, Mr. Rosat, was a French merchant from Bordeaux. The business of this firm was largely with French dealers in the city and it was there that Henry Failing acquired such a knowledge of the French language that he was enabled to both write and speak it with facility and correctness. Three years later, having meanwhile become an expert accountant, he became junior bookkeeper in the large dry-goods jobbing house of Eno, Mahoney & Co., of which concern Amos R.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Eno (the lately deceased New York millionaire) was the head. His knowledge of the importing business and custom-house firms and dealers was such that neither of these two concerns had oc- casion for the services of a broker during his stay with them. Mr. Eno, with whom Mr. Fail- ing maintained a correspondence until the for- mer's death, told an intimate friend that it was one of the mistakes of his life that he did not make it more of an inducement for Henry Fail- ing to remain with him. As it was, they parted with mutual regret.

The almost meagre opportunities for the ac- quirement of knowledge which Mr. Failing possessed were so diligently and wisely used that when, in 1851, a little more than seventeen years old, he made the great move of his life, he was better equipped for his future business career than many of far greater opportunities and educational facilities. April 15. 1851, in company with his father and a younger brother ( the late John W. Failing), he left New York to establish a new business in Oregon. The journey was by sea to Chagres on the Isthmus of Panama, thence by boat up Chagres river, and thence to Panama by mule train. From Panama they came to San Francisco by the steamer Ten- nessee, afterwards lost on the coast. They reached Portland June 9, 1851. coming on the old steamer Columbia, which that year had been put on the route of the Pacific Steamship Com- pany, C. H. Lewis, late treasurer of the water committee, being a passenger on the same steamer. For many years Mr. Failing and Mr. Lewis were accustomed to observe the anniver- sary together.

After a few months of preparation, building. etc., the new firm opened business on Front street, one door south of Oak. The original sign of J. Failing & Co. can be seen yet on the four- story building that occupies the ground. On this spot Mr. Failing continued to do business many years, retaining his interest until January, 1893. Josiah Failing from the first was promi- nent in municipal and educational affairs, being a member of the first city council in 1852 and mayor of the city in 1853. In 1854 the elder Failing retired from business and Henry Failing continued in his own name. He was married, October 21, 1858, to Miss Emily Phelps Corbett, youngest sister of Hon. H. W. Corbett, formerly of this city. Mrs. Failing died in Portland July 8, 1870, since which time he has been a widower. He had four daughters, one of whom died in in- fancy. Three are now living, namely: Miss Henrietta E. Failing. Mary F. Failing and Mrs. Henry C. Cabell, wife of Capt. Henry C. Cabell, U. S. A.

In the year 1869 Mr. Failing, in connection with his father, Josiah Failing, and Hon. H. W.

Corbett, bought a controlling interest in the First National Bank of Portland from Messrs. A. M. and L. M. Starr, who had, with some others, established the bank in 1866. Mr. Failing was immediately made president of the institution, which he continued to manage until his death. Immediately after the change of ownership the capital of the bank was increased from $100,000 to $250,000, and in 1880 it was doubled to its present amount, $500,000, while the legal sur- plus and the undivided profits amount to more than the capital. In addition to this, dividends far exceeding the original investment have been made to the stockholders. In January of 1871 Mr. Failing and Mr. Corbett consolidated their mercantile enterprises, forming the firm of Cor- bett, Failing & Co., the co-partnership continu- ing twenty-two years, when Mr. Failing's inter- est terminated by the dissolution of the firm. The name of the concern is perpetuated in the present corporation of Corbett, Failing & Robertson, their successors.

In the political campaign of 1862 Mr. Failing was chairman of the state central committee of the Union party, a combination of Republicans and War Democrats, who carried Oregon for the Union in those exciting times. In 1864, at the age of thirty years, he was by popular vote elected mayor of the city of Portland, and during his first term in that office a new charter for the city was obtained, a system of street improve- ment adopted and much good work done. At the expiration of his term of office he was re-elected with but five dissenting votes. In 1873 he was again chosen mayor of the city and served for a full term of two years. His administration of the affairs of the city was able, progressive and economical. In the legislative act of 1885 he was named as a member of the water committee and upon its organization was unanimously chosen chairman of the committee, which position he held until his death. Upon all political ques- tions he had decided convictions, in accordance with which he invariably acted; but he never en- gaged in political controversy nor indulged in personalities. His marvelous judgment and powers of exact calculation are well illustrated by his service as chairman of the water committee. For many years he, substantially unaided, an- nually made the estimates required by law of the receipts and expenditures of the committee for the year next ensuing. These estimates arc, under the varied circumstances necessarily con- sidered in making them, characteristic of him. and some of them are marvels of exactness. His estimate of the cost of operation, maintenance. repairs and interest for the year 1893 was $100,- 000, and the actual outlay was $100,211.91. His estimate of receipts for the year 1892 was $240- 000, and the receipts actually collected were

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

$237,300.85. His estimate of the receipts for the year 1897 was $232,000. The amount actu- ally collected was $231,860.95. The magnitude of the task of making these estimates is empha- sized when the fact is considered that not only the fluctuations in the population of a large city must be considered. but climatic conditions an- ticipated, and the amount of water consumed in irrigation based thereon; the amount of build- ing and the volume of trade considered, and an estimate made of the amount of water consumed in building and in the use of elevators. These various sources of revenue were all carefully con- sidered and estimates made which were in ex- cess of the actual income in but trifling amounts.

The career of Mr. Failing affords encourage- ment to young men seeking place and power in business affairs. It demonstrates what can be accomplished by patient industry and honest ef- fort, unaided by the scholastic training afforded by colleges and universities. The counting house was his schoolroom; but he studied not only men and their affairs, but also the best authors, becoming well informed in literature, science and the arts. He appreciated the advantages of a classical education and contributed liberally to the support and endowment of the educational institutions of this state. At the time of his death, which occurred November 8, 1898, he was a regent and president of the board of regents of the University of Oregon and was a trustee and treasurer of the Pacific University, the oldest educational institution of the state. He was a stanch friend and supporter of the re- ligious and charitable institutions of the city and state. The First Baptist Church of Portland, and the Baptist Society of which he was many years the president, also the Children's Home, of which he was treasurer, were special objects of his solicitude, and he contributed largely to the support of all. In connection with the late William S. Ladd and H. W. Corbett he was active in the project for purchasing and laying out the grounds of Riverside cemetery. For many years he was desirous of seeing a suitable piece of ground laid out and properly improved for cemetery purposes, and this beautiful spot, where his remains now rest, is in no small de- gree the result of his effort. To the Portland Library Association, of which he was president, he made large donations in money and gave much time and thought to the work. The library build- ing, now one of the fairest ornaments of our city, is largely the result of his benevolence and enterprise. He was especially generous and kind to the pioneers of the state, who, like him, aided in laying the foundation of a civilization which is now our common heritage, and his name will be remembered and honored by them and their posterity as long as the history of our state is

written or read. In appreciation of his character and of his services to the city and state, his as- sociates of the water committee of the city of Portland direct this tribute to his memory be entered upon their records.

HON. JOHN B. CLELAND. About 1650 the Cleland family, who were strict Presbyteri- ans, removed from Scotland to Ireland, and there, in County Down, Samuel Cleland was born and reared. Before leaving that county he was made a Mason and subsequently rose to the rank of Knight Templar. About 1812 he settled in Orange county, N. Y., where he im- proved a farm near Little Britain. In his old age he joined his son's family in Wisconsin and there spent his last days. His son, James, a native of Orange county, became a pioneer of 1846 in Wisconsin, where he settled near Janes- ville, in Center township, Rock county, on the West Rock prairie. Like his father he took a warm interest in Masonry and in his life has exemplified the lofty principles of the order. During his active life he maintained a deep in- terest in politics and was a local leader of the Democratic party. For some years past he has been retired from agricultural pursuits and now, at eighty-two years of age, is making his home in Janesville. His wife, Isabella, was born in county Down, Ireland, and died in Rock county, Wis., in 1879. In early childhood she was brought to this country by her father, John Bry- son, who settled on a farm in Orange county. Of her marriage there were five children, and three sons and one daughter are now living, the eldest of these being Judge John B. Cleland, of Portland. The others are: Mrs. Mary Fisher, of Janesville, Wis .; Samuel J., a farmer near Emporia, Kans .; and William A., of Portland, a well-known attorney.

On the home farm in Rock county, Wis., where he was born July 15, 1848, Judge Cleland passed the years of early boyhood. He attended the country district schools, the grammar and high schools of Janesville, and later Carroll Col- lege in Waukesha. At the expiration of the junior year in college he entered the University of Michigan in 1869 and was graduated from the law department March 29, 1871, receiving the degree of LL. B. Admitted to the bar of Michi- gan, then to that of Wisconsin, and soon after- ward to that of Iowa, in July of 1871 he settled at Osage, Mitchell county, Iowa, where he was a practicing lawyer and justice of the peace. In 1876 he was elected district attorney of the twelfth judicial district of Iowa, comprising eight counties, and this position he held from 1877 to 1885. In the fall of 1884 he was elected circuit judge of the twelfth district by a large

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

majority. A constitutional amendment two years later abolished the circuit courts, and he was then elected district judge, which position he resigned in 1888 on removing to Fargo, N. D. After two years as a practitioner in Fargo he came to Oregon in 1890. since which time he has been a resident of Portland. The appoint- ment as circuit judge came to him in January, 1898, from Governor Lord, to succeed Hon. L. B. Stearns, resigned, as judge of one of the de- partments. The nomination for this office was tendered him in June, 1898, and at the following election he received a flattering majority, im- mediately thereafter entering upon his duties for a term of six years.

In Center township, Rock county, Wis., Judge Cleland married Ellen J. Cory, who was born in that county, her parents having been pioneers from Orange county, N. Y. They are the par- ents of four children, namely : Laura Josephine, Bessie Isabella, Earl James and Mattie Ellen. Mrs. Cleland is identified with the Congregation- al Church and a contributor to religious and philanthropic movements.

The eminent position held by Judge Cleland among the attorneys and jurists of Oregon is indicated by the high honor they conferred upon him in electing him to the presidency of the State Bar Association. No jurist in the entire state is more highly esteemed than he, and none enjoys to a fuller degree the confidence of the people in his impartiality, intelligence and sagacious judg- ment. By his previous experience on the bench in Iowa he had gained a thorough knowledge of the duties of a jurist and was therefore qualified to assume the responsibilities devolving upon him. With him partisanship sinks into the back- ground, yet he is a loyal Republican and since boyhood has never swerved in his allegiance to the party. Socially he is associated with the University Club and Multnomah Athletic Club. Like his father and grandfather, he maintains a constant interest in Masonry. While in Iowa he was made a Mason in Osage Lodge No. 102, where he served as master for two terms. In Osage Chapter No. 36 he served as high priest. while his connection with the commandery dates from his admission to Coeur de Leon Command- ery, K. T., of which he was eminent commander for seven years. At this writing he is a member of Portland Lodge No. 55. A. F. & .1. M. ; Port- land Chapter No. 3, R. A. M., and Oregon Com- mandery No. 1, K. T., of which he was emi- nent commander for two terms. During his res- idence in lowa he was senior grand warden of the Grand Commandery, and since coming to Oregon he has enjoyed similar honors, having heen grand master of the Grand Lodge in 1898- 99 and grand commander of the Grand Com- mandery of Oregon during the same year. The

Shrine degree he received in El Zagel Temple, N. M. S., Fargo, N. D., and he is now affiliated with Al Kader Temple, N. M. S., of Portland. His Consistory degree has been given him since coming to Portland, and he has also attained the thirty-third degree here.

Aside from his connections with bench and bar, fraternal and social organizations, Judge Cleland has a host of warm personal friends in every walk of life. His commanding presence makes him a conspicuous figure in even the larg- est concourse of people. In physique he is stal- wart and well-proportioned, about six feet and four inches tall, and possessing a dignified and judicial bearing, yet with a kindly and genial courtesy that wins and retains deep and lasting friendships.

WILLIAM A. CLELAND. During the years of his residence in Portland Mr. Cleland has established a reputation for accuracy of knowledge and breadth of information in matters relating to his profession, that of the law. For this he was well qualified through the advantages derived from an excellent education. While his early advantages were limited to the district school near the home farm, in Rock county, Wis., where he was born June 22, 1855, yet his teach- ers were thorough and, finding him to be ambi- tious, delighted to aid him in securing a satis- factory start. When thirteen years of age he became a student at Milton and two years later went to Beloit, where he completed the prepara- tory department and in 1872 entered Beloit Col- lege. In 1874 he matriculated as a junior in Princeton University, from which he was gradu- ated in 1876, with the degree of A. B. His alma mater in 1902 conferred upon him the de- gree of A. M.

Immediately after graduating Mr. Cleland en- tered the law office of his brother, Judge John B. Cleland, at Osage, Iowa, where he combined the duties of clerk with the study of law. Two years later he returned to Wisconsin, where he re- mained until after his mother's death. In 1879 he went to Fargo, N. D., where he continued his law readings and acted as clerk. Admitted to the bar in 1881, he opened an office in Grafton and a year later formed the firm of Cleland & Santer. While continuing the office at Grafton, in January of 1889 he became a member of the firm of Miller, Cleland & Cleland, of Fargo. In 1800 le came to Portland and with his brother. John B., formed the firm of Cleland & Cleland. Since the accession of his brother to the circuit bench in 1898 he has continued alone.

Always a believer in Republican principles, Mr. Cleland served as chairman of the county and district central committees while living in

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Dakota. Socially he is a popular man, number- ing a host of friends and well-wishers, an active participant in the affairs of the Commerical Club and a welcomed guest in the most select circles of the city.

Belonging to a family conspicuously promi- nont in Masonry, he has shared the general in- terest in that order. While living at Grafton, N. D., he was made a Mason in Crescent Lodge No. Il, in which he served as master from December of 1887 to December of 1888. February 6, 1884. he was initiated in Corinthian Chapter No. 3. R. A. M., at Grand Forks, N. D. February 18, 1885, he was made a member of Grand Forks Commandery No. 8, K. T., from which he was demitted March 5, 1890, to Oregon Comman- dery No. 1, K. T., of which he is past eminent commander. In 1889 he became a Shriner in El Zagel Temple, N. M. S., at Fargo, and since May 26, 1891, has affiliated with Al Kader Tem- ple, of Portland. He is also associated with Portland Lodge No. 55. A. F. & A. M., and Portland Chapter No. 3, of which he is past high priest. In June of 1902 he was elected grand priest of the Grand Chapter of Oregon, which responsible position he has since filled with char- acteristic enthusiasm and success.

ASAHEL BUSH. The career of Asahel Bush, pioneer journalist and banker, of Salem, illustrates in a striking degree the possibilities of the Northwest during the first half-century of its development. The citizenship of Oregon probably affords to-day no more conspicuous ex- ample of the self-made man of affairs, no bet- ter or more worthy type of American citizenship, than is to be found in the subject of this neces- sarily rather brief memoir. A record of the salient points in his career, illustrating the vari- ons steps he has taken onward and upward to the attainment of the unquestionable and un- questioned position as the foremost citizen of the Willamette valley should, and undoubtedly will, prove a source of inspiration to the ambi- tious young men of the present generation whose aspirations lie along lines of a nature more or less similar to those pursued by Mr. Bush dur- ing the days preceding the period since which his position in the commercial world has been assured.

The ancestral history of Mr. Bush, both lineal and collateral, is distinctly American. The founders of the family in the New World emi- grated from England in 1630, and from that time to the present men bearing that name have lent their best efforts toward the promotion of the welfare of the country, placing America first in their affections and interests. In 1650 rep- resentatives of the family moved from the state

of Connecticut, where they had resided for more than twenty years, to Westfield, Mass. Aaron Bush, grandfather of Asahel Bush, was a farmer of New England, where his entire life was spent. Asahel Bush, his son, father of the pioneer of whom we are writing, was born in Westfield, Mass., also carried on agricultural pursuits in that state. In public affairs he was prominent and influential, and served as selectman of his town and as a representative in the Massachu- setts State Legislature. He was a believer in the Universalist faith, and a man of broad mind and liberal views. In early manhood he wedded Sally Noble, a native of Westfield, Mass., whose ancestry may also be traced back to England. Asahel and Sally ( Noble) Bush became the pa- rents of six children, but two of whom are now living.

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.

Portrait and biographical record of Portland and vicinity, Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present, Part 2

Author: Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 946

Author:
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 946