USA > Oregon > Portrait and biographical record of western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.. > Part 21
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In Portland, in 1873, occurred the marriage of William Frazier and Margaret E. Long, who was born near this city, her father, Edward Long, having come from Ohio in 1847 and settled two miles from the city of Portland. The only child of Mr. and Mrs. Frazier is Charles R. Frazier, who graduated from a business college and at- tended Leland Stanford University for two years. afterward acting as deputy county sheriff under his father. The Commercial Club and Riverside Driving Association number Mr. Frazier among their members. While he is not connected with any denomination, he is a contributor to the Baptist Church, with which his wife is identified. His fraternal connections include membership in the Woodmen of the World, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks; Portland Lodge No. 55, A. F. & A. M .; Oregon Consistory No. 1, thirty- second degree ; and Al Kader Temple, N. M. S. The leading position he held in the Republican party, as well as among the citizens of his home town, led to his selection in 1896 for the office of county sheriff, and not only was he elected at that time, but in 1898 and 1900 he was honored by re-election, serving from July, 1896, to July, 1902, when he retired and did not enter the lists as a candidate. The qualities which he possesses qualified him for the duties of sheriff. With a robust mental and physical sturdiness, he was a terror to evil doers and law-breakers, and his several administrations won the commendation of the law-abiding element of the county. As a private citizen, as well as in his official capacity. he has won a large circle of friends and well- wishers, and has gained a deserved prominence in the city to which he came, unknown, many years ago.
HON. SOLOMON HIRSCH. The Pacific slope has furnished to the country many men of high intellectual attainments, who have distin- guished themselves in the various fields of endeav- or for which the American commonwealth has
become noted during the past few decades. In the commercial world by far the great majority of these have been men who began life with no resources excepting their own industry and in- domitable spirit. While the pioneers of the great west have been, as a rule, men born and reared in America, there also have been found, especially in the years following immediately after the first great rush to this country of wonderful opportunity, numerous conspicuous instances where rare successes have been the reward of diligent application on the part of those who have come from foreign shores to cast their lot witlı the ambitious sons of the east who have sought fame and fortune in this opulent region. The history of the operations of the early settlers on the coast has shown, however, that it has been men of force of character and determination only (with rare exceptions has this been true) to whom the greatest measure of success has come. The life record of the late Hon. Solomon Hirsch of Portland, ex-United States minister to Turkey, forms one of the most splendid illustrations of this obvious truth-that personal character and genuine worth count for more in the contest for supremacy in the liberal atmosphere of the west than in any other section of this free country. or in any other country in the world. Even so brief a résumé of the life services of Mr. Hirsch as it is possible to give in a volume of this char- acter will be a source of inspiration to the young men of the future generations who start out on their careers no more amply equipped to fight the battle of life than he. The story, in the tell- ing, sounds like a romance.
Born in Wurtemberg, Germany, March 25, 1839, he was a son of Samson Hirsch, a member of an old and respected family of that kingdom. There were five sons in the family who came to the Pacific coast. Leopold, who settled in Oregon as early as 1851, engaged in the mercantile busi- ness in Salem, and died in 1892. J. B. and Mayer were pioneers of 1853 in this state, and also fol- lowed mercantile pursuits in Salem, where the former died; the latter died in New York in 1875. Edward, who settled in Oregon in 1858, became a merchant in Salem, where he has also been prominently identified with public affairs. In 1878 he was elected state treasurer of Oregon, and upon the expiration of four years was re- elected to the office. Further honored by the people of his city, in 1890 he was chosen to repre- sent them in the state senate. In 1898 he was appointed postmaster of Salem, an office which he fills at the present time.
The youngest of the five sons in the family, Solomon was fifteen years of age when, in 1854, he set sail from Havre for New York. After a voyage of forty-two days he arrived at his desti- nation. Without any delay he secured work
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as a clerk in New York, and later was similarly employed in New Haven, Conn., and Rochester, N. H. Meantime, from his brothers, who had preceded him to Oregon, he received glowing reports of the prospects in the west, and deter- mined to join them in this state. March 20, 1858, he took passage on the vessel Star of the West for Aspinwall, and after crossing the Isthmus, proceeded on the Golden Gate to San Francisco, where he made a short stop. From there he came to Portland, landing here in April, 1858. His objective point was Salem, but he soon moved to Dallas, where he opened a retail store, continuing there until 1861. A later location was Silverton, Marion county, where he conducted a mercantile business until the fall of 1864. Upon returning to Portland he became a partner of L. Fleischner and A. Schlussel, under the firm title of L. Fleischner & Co., wholesale merchants occupy- ing a store on Front street, between Stark and Oak streets. In 1875 the concern was consolidated with that owned by Jacob Mayer, and the name thereupon became Fleischner, Mayer & Co., under which style it operates at the present time. The members of the firm at the time of the death of Mr. Hirsch were: Solomon Hirsch, Isaac N. Fleischner, Marcus G. Fleischner, M. A. Mayer and Samuel Simon. The trade built up by this firm, as manufacturers and importers of dry goods and men's furnishings has extended into Wash- ington, Idaho and Montana, besides reaching into every part of Oregon.
In fraternal relations Mr. Hirsch was a Mason, and the manner of his initiation into the order may testify to the great esteem in which he was held. Amongst the oldest prerogatives of a grand master of Masons, very rarely conferred or ex- ercised, is the right of conferring the degree of Masonry without the usual scrutiny of the can- didate by secret ballot. In the history of the order in the state of Oregon that prerogative has been exercised but once-in the case of Mr. Hirsch and Cyrus A. Dolph, who together, in 1902, were so distinguished, in the language of the craft being made Masons "at sight." The honor may be somewhat inexplicable to those not identified with the order. But Masons will un- derstand that this compliment was a recognition of the honor, the probity, the character, the noble life, the high principles of the man thus welcomed into the greatest secret order the work has ever known.
The marriage of Mr. Hirsch took place in Portland, February 1, 1870, and united him with Josephine, daughter of Jacob Maver, a native of New Orleans. There are four children in the family, namely: Ella, Sanford, Mai and Clemen- tine.
member of the state legislature during the session of 1872 he assisted in electing United States Senator Mitchell. In 1874 he was chosen to represent his district in the state senate, and four years later was again elected to that office. Upon the expiration of his second term, in 1882, he was re-elected, and served up to and includ- ing the session of 1885. During his latter period of service he again gave his support to Mr. Mitchell; but failing to bring his candidate suc- cess, turned his support to J. N. Dolph, who was elected. During the session of 1880 he was hon- ored by the election to the presidency of the senate. Upon the expiration of his third term he declined further renomination and returned to private life. Nevertheless a very large proportion of his fellow-citizens, and particularly the mem- bers of the Republican party, were not content to allow him to remain aloof from public affairs. In 1885 they brought his name before the people as a candidate for the United States senate. A few of the minority Republicans had their own candidate, but Mr. Hirsch was the choice of the majority of his party. When the matter was taken up by the legislative body of which he was at the time a member, he lacked but one vote of being elected. Had he cast that vote for himself, he would have gained a seat in the United States senate, but he was unwilling to do so and there- fore lost the office. An occurrence so unusual was widely commented upon at the time and has never been forgotten. During his service as state sen- ator he supported scores of important bills. Among these was an assignment law for the bene- fit of the poor (1878), to which he introduced an amendment giving it many features in common with the more recently adopted national bank- ruptcy law.
In 1888 Mr. Hirsch went abroad for the pur- pose of visiting Mr. Fleischner in Vienna. While there he was taken sick and went to Carlsbad for the benefit of the waters. While still taking a course of treatment, in 1889, he received a cablegram from the state department notifying him of his appointment as United States minister to Turkey. The appointment came without solic- itation on his part, and naturally was an entire surprise. At first Mr. Hirsch felt constrained to decline on account of the condition of his health, but finally decided to accept upon receiving per- mission from the department to continue his treatment as long as necessary, and also permis- sion to return home after the formal presentation of his letters of credence. In June, 1889, he went to Constantinople, where the Sultan granted him an audience for the presentation of his letters. Immediately afterward he returned to the United States, arranged his business affairs preparatory to an extended absence, and then, accompanied
The public service of Mr. Hirsch was as note- worthy as his private business career. As a by his family, returned to Europe in October
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of the same year. He remained at his post until the summer of 1891, when he was granted leave of absence in order that he might return to the United States and tender his resignation. Arriv- ing in Washington, he called upon President Har- rison, but found the latter unwilling to accept his resignation. At the urgent request of the chief executive Mr. Hirsch withdrew his request to be relieved of the responsibilities of the office and returned to Turkey in December, 1891, with the understanding, however, that the next year his resignation would be accepted, as the death of his business partner in 1890 rendered his return to Portland desirable. Again, in October, 1892, he returned to Washington, and this time he was allowed to resign the post, as agreed upon, the president tendering him the most flattering acknowledgment of the valuable character of his services as minister plenipotentiary at a post of more than ordinary difficulty during a most criti- cal period in the relations between the two countries. Not only was his work highly accept - able to the department of state, but the mission- aries located in the various parts of the Ottoman Empire also tendered him the most cordial resolu- tions in recognition of his unselfish devotion to their welfare and interests. In 1897 President Mckinley offered him the same post, or that of United States minister to Belgium, as preferred, but his business demanded his presence at home and he felt obliged to decline the honor.
While not himself seeking the honor, many of the most influential citizens of Oregon had looked forward to the nomination and election of Mr. Hirsch to the United States senate in 1903. Many of his warmest adherents predicted that nothing could have prevented his election ; and this is now the generally accepted belief. It is but an echo of the best public opinion to record in this brief memoir of one of the most dis- tinguished men of the Pacific slope, that the state of Oregon could have furnished no more capable, sincere or highly qualified man for the office ; and that if he might have been spared to round out his useful life in this position, the state would have been represented at Washington by a gentleman possessed of such a broad knowledge of public affairs and the needs of the region he represented, as to make him the peer of the most distinguished members of that great body.
In the midst of private affairs of great magni- tude and importance, and public services of an invaluable nature, Mr. Hirsch was not unmindful of the best interests of his home city. Through his unselfish labors as a member of the Chamber of Commerce, as president of Beth Israel Con- gregation, and as a life member of the Portland Library Association, he promoted local interests in the social, educational and religious world. The Republican party at all times had the benefit
of his counsel and advice; and his services as chairman of the Republican Central Committee in 1882, and again in 1896, will be remembered as instrumental in perfecting the organization of the party on a basis which has made its operations in great political campaigns vastly more easy and successful. Chiefly as the result of his labors, the Republicans of Oregon elected a governor in 1882 for the first time in many years; and in the memorable campaign of 1896, when every possible obstacle in the way of Republican suc- cess was raised by the adherents of the free silver party, his management of the campaign was such as to save the state to his party. It has since been said by thoughtful party leaders that the same result probably would have been attained through no other management.
The career of this useful man of affairs and distinguished citizen of Portland was terminated by his death December 15, 1902. Among the many eulogistic editorial utterances following this sad event, we give place to the following from the Portland Labor Press, which is particularly felic- itous as coming from the leaders of the great masses of laboring men of Portland, by whom Mr. Hirsch was regarded as a friend in all that the term implies :
"Mr. Hirsch, while a man of large affairs and one whose impress was felt in many ways and walks of life, has left behind him the universal respect and regard of our entire people. He was a large employer of labor, and his uniform justice and fairness in his relations as an employer won the confidence and guaranteed to his house the faithfulness of those dependent upon him for employment. The great factory of the Fleischner- Mayer Co., employing over three hundred people in the manufacture of men's garments, will live long after him as a monument to his enterprise and far-sightedness. While in the congested cities of the eastern states it is found necessary to enact the most stringent laws compelling rigid inspection of factories of this character, the Fleischner-Mayer plant is a recognized model for health, cleanliness and up-to-date hygienic and sanitary appointments. Could it be said that the future manufacturers would all be like Solomon Hirsch, Oregon would not need to burden her statutes with laws governing sweat-shop methods in the making of men's wear. The working people can rightly feel that in the death of this good man they have lost a true, tried and just friend, and their sympathies will go out to those closer and dearer, who mourn his loss."
At the services held in his memory at Temple Beth Israel on Sunday, January 4, 1903, a large concourse of his personal friends, including prac- tically all the most prominent men in Portland and many people from the lowlier walks in life who esteemed it a high privilege to be able thus
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to honor the memory of one dearly beloved by all, were in attendance. Eulogistic addresses were delivered by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise and ex- Attorney-General George H. Williams, the present mayor of Portland. Dr. Wise's estimate of the character and services of Mr. Hirsch may be summed up briefly in the following excerpts from his address:
"In the highest sense of the term he might be styled a self-made man, for he rose from very humble beginnings unto high place, with no aid from without, unaided save by Him of whose help and guidance his life was a grateful and pious acknowledgment. Self-made though he was, no one could have been further removed from the arrogance and boastfulness of the merely successful man who believes only in himself and in his own prowess; though self-made, he was God-fearing and God-revering.
"Solomon Hirsch proved his Americanism not only by the probity of his conduct in public life, which but served to make his personal character conspicuous, so that adapting the words of Theo- dore Parker 'his private character became a pub- lic force,' but especially in his resentment of the inhuman attitude of some European powers to his fellow-Jews. * * * The cry of the hounded Roumanian Jewish expatriate wrung that noble heart which bled for the sorrows and sufferings of his people.
"I would say that his love of the race and relig- ious fellowship whence he was sprung rivaled his devotion to his adopted country. If rivalry there was between his attachment to his mother- faith and his loyalty to his fatherland, it was a rivalry that tended to deepen his attachment and strengthen his loyalty at one and the same time. So faithfully did he cherish the religion of his fathers that I have long thought that, if he was ambitious, it was because he hoped to serve his people by representing them honorably and worth- ily in public life. Eagerly he welcomed every opportunity to win and merit the world's respect for the Jew. * * The religion he professed impelled him to nobility of action. Full as was his life of deeds and achievements, it was fullest of the little kindnesses and tendernesses and cour- tesies, the little and great benevolences which endeared him to his fellow-men. Disciple of the
House of Israel unswervingly faithful, citizen of his adoptive country gratefully patriotic, settler of the northwest sternly honorable, if none of us can take his place, each of us can take pattern and inspiration from his life."
JOHN MILTON HODSON. The Hodson family are quite numerous, being represented in
"Solomon Hirsch was a man of ideals. Man of affairs though he was, he did not permit him- . England, Canada and all the states and territories self to become the servant of his business, or the slave of his possessions. He remained master of himself and all that he possessed. Virtue he pursued, and knowledge high ; with him the two were closely allied, for in his life to know was to do. Virtue he pursued from the beginning unto the end of his days, and knowledge high through all his busy, crowded life, with the ardor of a youthful lover. of the United States, particularly in the middle states. There are three forms of spelling the family patronymic: Hodgson (the old English form). Hodgin, and Hodson, the latter being used by probably ninety per cent of the members of the family. The genealogy of the particular branch to which the subject of this article belongs is traced to Robert Hodgson, an officer in the Eng- lish army, who served in Ireland from about 1645 to 1650. After the death of Robert, his children, two sons and a daughter, came to America, in 1660, the daughter and one of the sons locating in New York. The other son, George Hodgson, settled on Sassafras creek, in Susquehanna county, Pa., in which vicinity many of his de- scendants now reside. His son John lived and died upon the old homestead.
Robert Hodgson, the son of John, removed to North Carolina about 1750, settling near Guil- ford Courthouse, where he reared a large family, eight sons and two daughters. Nearly, if not quite, all of the latter about 1800 found homes in the then new territories of Ohio and Indiana. Jonathan Hodgson removed to Clinton county, Ohio, with his family in 1811, and there cleared out a large farm and reared a family of four sons and two daughters, all of whom were born in North Carolina, prior to the removal of the family to Ohio. Matthew Hodgson was born in North Carolina in 1795, and came with the family to Ohio, where in 1820 he was married to Hannah Hunt. About this date, by almost unanimous consent, at least ninety per cent of the Hodgson family dropped the letter "g" from the name, as in the pronunciation of the same it had always been considered a silent letter. Matthew Hod- son, who was a farmer and wheelwright, con- tinued to reside in Ohio until 1852, when he removed to Hancock county, Ind., his death oc- curring there in 1875. The Robert Hodgson who removed from Pennsylvania to North Carolina was a minister in the Society of Friends (Quakers) and nearly all of his descendants have adhered to the faith of that church. The family of Matthew Hodson consisted of two sons and three daughters. Asa H. Hodson removed from Indiana to Oregon in 1879, settling in McMinn- ville, where he engaged in the hardware business. His death occurred in 1889. His son, Orlando O. Hodson, continues the business established by his
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father and is meeting with success in his under- takings.
John Milton Hodson was born near New Vienna, Ohio, August 24, 1839, and re- moved with his parents to Hancock county, Ind., in 1852. The education which he received in the public schools of Ohio and Indiana was supplemented by a course in the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, and for several years he was engaged as teacher and superintendent in the schools of In- diana. In 1872 he engaged in the newspaper business as editor and joint proprietor of the Winchester (Ind.) Journal, but in 1880 he sold out and engaged in the orange business in Flori- da, following this for some time. Not being pleased with the conditions prevailing in that country, he returned to Indiana in 1881, and two years later removed to Oregon, locating in Lane- county. He founded what was known as the Eugene Register, publishing the same until 1888. In 1890 he came to Portland as deputy collector of customs for the port of Portland, which posi- tion he held for three years, or until Cleveland's administration was inaugurated, when he re- signed. For four years, dating from the fall of 1894, he was interested in the firm of Irwin- Hodson Co., printers and blank book manufac- turers, as secretary and accountant. All through his busy life he has been engaged in buying, im- proving and selling real estate, which is his prin- cipal business at the present time.
October 17, 1861, Mr. Hodson was united in marriage with Martha A. Rawls, who passed to the spirit life in 1881, leaving a daughter, Ger- trude. In 1883 he married Winona Coffin, a great-niece of the famous abolitionist, Addison Coffin. In 1865 Mr. Hodson was made a Mason in Golden Rule Lodge No. 16, of Knightstown, Ind., and was exalted a Royal Arch Mason and knighted in the bodies of Knightstown in 1870. Since coming to Oregon he has attained the thirty-third degree, Ancient and Accepted Scot- tish Rite, being crowned an honorary inspector general of the Supreme Council of the south- ern jurisdiction, by Illustrious I. W. Pratt, in January, 1902. At this writing he is preceptor of Oregon Consistory No. 1. His official rela- tions with the craft have been almost continuous since he was made a Mason, having served in nearly every station within the gift of his breth- ren. He is a past M. W. grand master. past M. E. grand high priest, past M. E. president of high priesthood, past M. Illustrious grand master of the Cryptic Rite, and past grand com- mander of Knights Templar of Oregon. He en- joys the distinction of being the only Mason who has passed the presiding chairs of all the grand bodies in the state. For a number of years he has been the writer of the reports on correspond-
ence for the grand lodge, grand chapter and grand commandery. He is an earnest supporter of the principles and philosophies of the world's greatest fraternity, believing them the most pro- found and valuable of any human organization, and that their most perfect demonstration should be found in the daily life and conduct of its mem- bers.
HON. GEORGE W. BATES. To follow the career of George W. Bates from the time when, as a sturdy youth on his father's farm back in Lee county, lowa, he worked and played beside the stream .that sang its refreshing way through the meadows, and in which he ofttimes plunged to dissipate the noon-day heat, were to travel faster and with more accomplishable vigor than is either consistent or profitable to average mor- tals. Yet so seemingly exhaustless is the pres- ent vitality and resourcefulness of this intrepid promoter of western enterprises, so varied are his interests, and so splendid his grasp of the opportunities by which he is surrounded, that one is constrained to look forward rather than back, and to expect as well as appreciate.
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