Portrait and biographical record of western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.., Part 37

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman publishing company
Number of Pages: 1064

USA > Oregon > Portrait and biographical record of western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.. > Part 37

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).

There is probably no citizen of Portland whose knowledge of horticulture is broader and more thorough than that possessed by Colonel Dosch. In his office as commissioner of the state board of horticultural commissioners, he has directed its operations and headed its work in the direction of bringing to the people of the state, as well as elsewhere, an accurate knowledge of Oregon soil, its possibilities as a horticultural center, and the special fruits suited to various localities. Often he has accepted invitations to contribute to hor- ticultural journals, and the articles appearing therein over his signature always command a wide reading. His association with the board of horticultural commissioners has been productive of the greatest good to the fruit-growing inter- ests of the state, and to those having a knowledge of his contribution to the success of the board's reports the accepted value of the reports is a tribute to his accuracy and judgment. It may be doubted if any measure has contributed more to the development of Oregon's horticultural re- sources than the act of legislature, approved February 25, 1889, for the creation of a state board of horticulture ; and it may also be doubted if any one member of the board has contributed in so great a degree to its success as has Colonel Dosch. As originally created, the board of hor- ticulture consists of six members, appointed by the governor, secretary of state and state treas- urer. One member represents the state at large, while the others represent five districts, namely : first district, Multnomah, Clackamas, Yamhill, Washington, Columbia, Clatsop and Tillamook counties ; second district, Marion, Polk, Benton, Lincoln, Linn and Lane counties; third district, Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, Josephine, Coos,

Curry and Lake counties ; fourth district, Wasco, Sherman, Morrow, Gilliam and Crook counties ; and fifth district, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Baker, Malheur, Harney and Grant counties. The members reside in the districts for which they are appointed and are selected with refer- ence to their practical experience in or knowl- edge of horticulture. Appointment is for a term of four years. The present officers of the board are E. L. Smith, president ; L. T. Reynolds, treas- urer, and Henry E. Dosch, secretary, while the representatives of districts are as follows : W. K. Newell, first district; L. T. Reynolds, second district; A. H. Carson, third district ; Emile Schanno, fourth district; Judd Geer, fifth district ; and E. L. Smith, state-at-large.

The marriage of Colonel Dosch was solemnized at Canon City, Ore., in 1866, and united with him Marie Louise Fleurot, who was born in France and received her education in Portland. They are the parents of six children now living, namely : Ernst, who is a merchant at Skagway, Alaska ; Lillie, Camelia, Arno, Roswell and Mar- guerite. The family attend the First Presbyter- ian Church of Portland, in which Colonel Dosch for a time officiated as treasurer.

For several terms he was commander of Lin- coln-Garfield Post No. 3, G. A. R. During his residence in Canon City in 1867 he was made a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows and is now identified with Minerva Lodge in Portland. During 1887-88 he was grand master of the grand lodge of Oregon. In politics he has always been allied with the Democratic party, but during the campaigns of 1896 and 1900 connected himself with the gold wing of that party, not being in favor of a sixteen-to-one standard. During the long period of his resi- dence in the west he has kept in touch with the progress in the world of thought and action, and while especially devoted to the great northwest, yet has no narrow spirit of prejudice, but is loyal to the welfare of our country, and interested in worldwide progress. Frequent trips to the east, as well as several voyages across the ocean to the old home land, have brought to him an intimate knowledge of the development of our nation and the influence of modern thought in the old world; but, while loyal to the land of his birth, he believes the history of the future ages is to be written by the United States and especially by that portion thereof lying beyond the Rockies.

EARL C. BRONAUGH, JR. From his carli- est recollections identified with the history of Portland, Mr. Bronaugh is keenly alive to the opportunities offered by his home city, and is

86 Bronaugh

287

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

one of the enthusiastic advocates of its possi- bilities. He was horn in Cross county, Ark., February 26, 1866, and when two years of age was brought to Oregon by his father, E. C. Bronaugh. His education was begun in the pub- lic schools of Portland, and was completed at the University of the Pacific, at San Jose, Cal., from which he was graduated in 1888, with the de- gree of A. B. Three years later the degree of A. M. was conferred upon him by his alma mater. He began the study of law while a clerk in the office of Whalley, Bronaugh & Northup, and afterward entered the law department of the University of Oregon, from which he was graduated in 1890, with the degree of LL. B. During June of the same year he was admitted to the bar. In taking up the active practice of his profession he became a member of the firm of Bronaugh, McArthur. Fenton & Bro- naugh, which, by the death of Judge McArthur, in 1897, and the retirement of the senior Bro- naugh, was changed to Fenton, Bronaugh & Muir. The latter partnership was dissolved in February, 1900, and later the firm of Bronaugh & Bronaugh was organized by Mr. Bronaugh and his cousin, Jerry Bronaugh, the two now conducting a general practice and acting as at- torneys for a number of corporations. Mr. Bro- naugh has made a specialty of the law of real property, and has been, since 1900, attorney for several foreign loan companies.

Mr. Bronaugh was married in San Jose, Cal., to Miss Grace Huggins, a native of Iowa. They now have four children: Elizabeth, Lewis, Earl C., Jr., and Polly. The family is connected with the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Port- land, in which Mr. Bronaugh is a member of the board of trustees, and for eight years has been Sunday school superintendent. He is a member of the board of directors of the Y. M. C. A. The Arlington Club, University Club, State Bar Association and Alumni Association of the Phi Kappa Psi and Phi Delta Phi are among the organizations to which he belongs. During his university work he was one of the founders of Chase Chapter of Legal Fraternity, Phi Delta Phi, University of Oregon. Fraternally he is connected with the A. O. U. W. and the Royal Arcanum. In 1900 he was elected to represent the Seventh ward in the city council, and served two years, meantime being chairman of the committee on streets, health and police, and was also a member of the judiciary committee. Under appointment by the legislature in 1901 he be- came a member of the charter board and served as chairman of the committee on executive de- partment and a member of the committee on the legislative department.

EARL C. BRONAUGH. In the last half century the lawyer has been a pre-eminent factor in all affairs of private concern and national im- portance. He has been depended upon to con- serve the best and permanent interests of the whole people, and is a recognized power in all the avenues of life. He stands as the pro- tector of the rights and liberties of his fellow men, and is a representative of a profession whose followers, if they would gain honor, fame and success, must be men of merit and ability. Such a one was Earl C. Bronaugh, who passed away March 6, 1899, after a connection of thirty- one years with the bar of Oregon, and it is safe to say that there never was an attorney in the state who was held in higher respect by his asso- ciates. Coming to the state at a time when the work of development had just begun, he be- came identified with the substantial growth and upbuilding of the same. Unostentatious in man- ner, he never allowed himself to become a pub- lic man, preferring to give his whole time to the practice of his profession.

At the time of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, members of the Bronaugh family, who were French Huguenots, fled to Scotland for refuge, and from there came to America. The emigration must have taken place some time be- fore the Revolution, as members of the family took part in the struggle for independence. Jeremiah Bronaugh, the father of the personal subject of this review, was born in Virginia, where the family had settled at a very early day. In about 1846, Mr. Bronaugh became a pioneer of western Tennessee, and still later removed to Arkansas, where he lived the balance of his life. In early manhood he was engaged in the mercantile business, but the most of his life was devoted to agricultural pursuits. By marriage he was united with Miss Elizabeth Clapp, a daughter of Dr. Earl B. Clapp, of Ab- ingdon, Va. Dr. Clapp was a native of Massa- chusetts, and served as surgeon during the war of 1812 with the Virginia troops. He married Elizabeth Craig, of Abingdon, a daughter of Capt. Robert Craig. Captain Craig was a native of Pennsylvania, and in 1787 he removed to the Old Dominion. During the struggle for inde- pendence he served under Washington during two campaigns. He was also very active in pro- moting patriotic societies, organizing many in different portions of the country. He died in Abingdon in 1834, aged ninety years. For seventy years he was a very active member of the Presbyterian Church. Dr. Earl B. Clapp was a descendant of Thomas Clapp, a native of Dorchester, England, who came to this country in 1633. and settled in Massachusetts, where the descendants of the family resided until some time prior to the war of 1812, when Dr. Clapp

288

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

migrated to Virginia, being the first member of the family to leave the New England states. His marriage with Elizabeth Craig resulted in the birth of four children, one of whom was Elizabeth, who became the wife of Jeremiah Bronaugh. Of this latter union there were seven children, three of whom lived to reach ma- ture years, as follows: Earl C., our subject ; Anna Louisa, now Mrs. Poindexter, of Bard- well, Ky., and William J., who died in Arkansas. His son, Jerry, is now an attorney of the city of Portland.

Earl C. Bronaugh was born in Abingdon, Va., March 4, 1831. There he spent the first twelve years of his life, at the end of which time he accompanied his parents on their removal to Shelby county, Tenn. There a new home was founded in the wilderness, and for six years Mr. Bronaugh assisted his father in the work of the farm and wood. While a resident of Abingdon he had attended the public schools and laid the foundation for an education, and while working with his father he devoted his spare time to study. Early in life he had become imbued with a desire to make law his life occupation. Accordingly, in 1847, he entered the law office of his uncle, J. W. Clapp, of Holly Springs, Miss., and after two years of study he was ad- mitted to the bar.

Being without means to take up the practice of his profession at once, the following two years were spent in teaching in Tennessee and Arkansas. He then located at Jacksonport, Ark., where he engaged in practice for a short time. Soon after he removed to Little Rock, the same state, where for a time he served as clerk of the chancery court. Later, two years were spent at Brownsville, Ark., from which place he removed to Helena, in the same state. Here he became prominently identified with affairs and was elected judge of the circuit court in 1860. This office he continued to hold until the breaking out of the Civil war.

While not a man in sympathy with slavery, his education and environments had been such as to imbue him with the principles of the south. He was a firm believer in state sovereignty and when his adopted state seceded from the Union he gave his support to the Confederate cause. He enlisted in the army of the south and for one year continued in the service. At the expira- tion of this time his health failed and he soon after received his discharge from the service and returned home, where he remained until the close of the war. For a time after the close of the great struggle he remained in the south, but he soon realized that it was a poor country in which to strive for a fortune and position and after a few years he determined to seek newer fields in the far west where there were fairer

chances for reward. In the year 1868 he came to the city of Portland. On reaching here he was without a dollar in the world, but he was not of the sort that give up and become dis- heartened. He was determined to succeed and at once opened a law office. From the first he received his share of the public's patronage and as time passed and people learned of his ability his practice grew until at the time of his death there were none that commanded a more ex- tensive clientage, and his legal attainments placed him in the very front rank of the Oregon bar.

For three years he was associated with Hon. John Catlin as a partner and for ten years was a member of the firm of Dolph, Bronaugh, Dolph & Simon. In 1882, owing to failing health, he removed with his family to St. Clair county, Cal., where he remained for two years. On his return to Portland he became a partner in the law firm of Whalley, Bronaugh & Northup. The senior member of this firm re- tired in 1889, and from that time until the death of Mr. Bronaugh, the style of the firm was Bronaugh & Northup.

At a meeting of the members of the Portland bar soon after the death of Mr. Bronaugh there was a large attendance and many of the leading attorneys of the city delivered a number of scholarly and eloquent orations. It was said at the time there was never before a like meeting where so many sincere and able addresses were given. The committee on resolutions, in addition to a sketch of his life, presented the following eulogy, which was adopted by the meeting :

"As a lawyer, Judge Bronaugh had few if any superiors at the Oregon bar. Some might excel him in eloquence, others in powers for skillful cross examination, but no one in the knowledge of the law or accuracy of statement. No case intrusted to him was lost through his want of care, research or ability. It has been said of him that no man could make a better record in a cause for appeal to the supreme court, and no lawyer saw the controlling ques- tions in a case with more clearness than he. Before a jury he was an exceedingly dangerous antagonist. Always in earnest himself in what he did. he never failed to impress those whom he addressed with the sincerity of his views. Persuasive in speech, logical and forceful in ar- gument, with a play often of quiet and grace- ful humor and gentle wit, of which he used to please and not to wound, it was not surprising that he should have been a great verdict winner. Those whom he vanquished in forensic contest never felt the sting of their defeat intensified by any boasting on his part or the detraction of the abilities or conduct of his adversary. In defeat he was always calm, courteous and

John fi leaples

291

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

brave; fertile in resources but fair in action. It is not the language of mortuary panegyric, but the plain simple truth, which everyone in the community in which for thirty years he has lived and labored, will attest, to say of him that his name was the synonym of uprightness and honor, and that he was in the estimation of everyone, whether client or adversary, esteemed and respected as an honest man.

"Priceless indeed is that legacy of a good and honored name that he bequeathed to his family which he loved so well, and for whom he so cheerfully labored. He was a devoted hus- band and father; a kind and generous neighbor ; a plain and simple gentleman of the old school; unaffected in manner, speech and dress; sin- cerely devoted to his profession and unmindful of the strife and contentions of public life. He did not mingle much in public, was retiring and modest, and preferred the quiet home, the grave decorum of the court room, and the desk and library of his office. He was a man of strong religious convictions, and deeply sensible of the sufferings of the human race. The loss of seven children in their childhood and youth gave a touch of sorrow to his face, and the gravity of life and its issues made a profound impression upon his whole career. And yet he was a most hopeful man in the promises of the faith he pro- fessed. The hope of a simple, sincere Christi- anity animated his life and efforts. To him this life was but a preparation for that to come. It was therefore doubly earnest to him, for as Long- fellow wrote, he felt ---

' Life is real, life is earnest, And the grave is not its goal ; Dust thou art, to dust returneth Was not spoken of the soul.'

" Although his star of life is no longer seen, yet it has set as sets the morning star in beauty, which goes not down behind the darkened clouds of the west, but melts away in the pure radiance of Heaven. Let us emulate his virtues and fol- low his example."

Mr. Bronaugh had a deep and abiding faith in the cardinal principles of the Christian re- ligion. Though reared in the Presbyterian faith, later in life he identified himself with the Christian Adventist denomination. and became an earnest worker in the cause. He was a man of unsullied reputation, pure minded, generous hearted, and always adhering strictly to the prin- ciples which he laid down for his self-govern- ment, when, as a thoughtful and reasoning creature, he first decided to champion the cause of the Master of the hearts and lives of men. He contributed liberally of his means for the furtherance of the Gospel, and his benevolence

aside from church work was numerous, though very quietly conducted. The ethical system as- sociated with the church was carried by him into his daily life, and in Masonry, in which he took an earnest and active interest, he found the fellow of the church. The time he had to spare from the practice of his profession was devoted to the study of the Bible; it was his recreation, and many of the Biblical articles from his pen have been published in different sections of the country.

HON. JOHN F. CAPLES. The descendant of a family identified for many years with the jurisprudence of Ohio, with the founding of at least one of the towns of that state, and with the maintenance of its agricultural prestige, the career of Hon. John F. Caples has naturally been founded on broad and liberal lines, and with a view to large accomplishment. He was born at what is now Ashland county, Ohio, January 12, 1832, and is the youngest of the eight sons and two daughters born to Judge Robert Francis and Charlotte (Laffer) Caples, natives respectively of Westmoreland and Allegheny counties, Pa. The paternal grandfather Caples was of Eng- lish descent, and was an early settler in Penn- sylvania.

Judge Robert Francis Caples became identified with Wayne county at a very early day, where he engaged in farming and was associate judge of the county courts. In time he removed to within fourteen miles of Tiffin, Seneca county, Ohio, where he entered, cleared and improved the land upon which the town of Risdon was built, and of which he was one of the proprietors. The near- by town of Rome, of which Mr. Foster was pro- prietor, was eventually incorporated with Risdon, under the name of Fostoria. Judge Caples studied law in his youth and was admitted to the bar, in after life becoming known for his equit- able rulings and wise disposition of legal com- plications. His death occurred in 1835 of chol- era. His wife was of German descent, and a daughter of John Laffer, a pioneer of Allegheny county, Pa., who followed the martial fortunes of Washington during the Revolutionary war, under command of General Wayne. Mrs. Caples died in Ohio in 1852, having survived her hus- band seventeen years. Three of her large family are living, and of these Henry L., a resident of Vancouver, an attorney, and ex-member of the Washington legislature, came to the coast in 1852.

The education of Hon. John F. Caples was ac- quired in Risdon, now Fostoria, Ohio, and at the Ohio Wesleyan University at Delaware, which latter institution he attended for four years. His legal training was inaugurated with the firm of Stanton & Allison. of Bellefontaine, Logan

292

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

county, Ohio, and he was subsequently admitted to the bar of Logan county in 1853. In 1855 he transferred his law practice to Findlay, Ohio, and later to Warsaw, Ind., and after returning to Ohio entered the government recruiting service in northwest Ohio and northern Indiana. In 1865 he brought his family to the coast via the Isthmus, San Francisco and to Vancouver, Wash .. in which latter city he engaged in practice and served as city attorney. A year later, in 1866, he located in Portland, and in 1872 was elected to the legislature from Multnomah county, was chairman of the judiciary committee, and assisted in the election of Mr. Mitchell to his first term in the United States senate. In 1878 he was elected district attorney, his territory compris- ing Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Colum- bia and Clatsop counties, a responsibility main- tained by Mr. Caples for six years in succession, an honor hitherto accorded to no district attorney in the state. In 1897 Mr. Caples was appointed United States consul to Valparaiso, Chili, by President Mckinley, and while holding this im- portant post had opportunity to exercise the dip- lomacy and tact which have been important factors in the formation of his success, and which were especially required because of the compli- cations resulting from the Spanish-American war. Mr. Caples resigned the consulship in 1901, and thereafter returned to Portland, where he has since engaged in a general practice of law.

In Champaign county, Ohio, Mr. Caples mar- ried Sarah J. Morrison, in 1854, Mrs. Caples hav- ing been born in Ohio, and her death occurred in California in 1877. Six children were born of this union : Carrie, wife of Dr. W. H. Saylor, of Portland; Mrs. Matthieu, of Portland; Mrs. Paget, of Portland; Mrs. Anthony, of Califor- nia : Robert A., a newspaper man of Vinita, I. T .; and Jennie, living at home. Mr. Caples is a member of the State Bar Association and of the Board of Trade. Fraternally he is associated with Portland Lodge No. 55, A. F. & A. M., the Consistory and the thirty-second degree of Scot- tish Rite; and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. As a stanch upholder of Republican- ism he has enrolled himself among the western politicians in the broadest sense of that much abused term, and aside from the honors before mentioned, served as presidential elector of Ore- gon in 1892, and was the messenger who conveyed the vote to Washington. In 1896 he served in a similar capacity for President Mckinley. Back in Ohio Mr. Caples was a delegate to the Ohio state convention at Columbus in 1856, and he was present at the Chicago nomination of Abraham Lincoln. As an orator, eloquent and effective platform speaker, and general trial lawyer, Mr. Caples is excelled by few, if any, on the Pacific coast, and within the state of Oregon no one is

personally known to more people than he. He is a member of the Taylor Street Methodist Episco- pal Church, a member of the board of trustees, and chairman of the same for many years.

HON. JAMES WILLIS NESMITH. The name which heads this review is one written high in the annals of Oregon's history, and stands for the life of a man whose influence still makes itself felt throughout various circles in the life of the west. Beyond the borders of the state which Colonel Nesmith made his by the life and work of a pioneer, has also gone that broad- ening influence, for he became one of the prom- inent men of the national government during the trying times of '61, and gave the strength of his intellect and manhood toward the support of those principles, upon which the foundation of the Union rests. True, always, to his princi- ples of honor, loyal to that which claimed his allegiance, and earnest in the prosecution of whatever duty came into his hands, Colonel Nes- mith won the esteem and confidence of all with whom he came in contact, friend and foe alike trusting him, for in his social, business and polit- ical relations, in public and private life, his career was free from the stain of dishonesty. Oregon is justly proud to claim him as a repre- sentative son.

The life of Hon. James Willis Nesmith began in New Brunswick, in 1820, while his parents, William Morrison and Harriet ( Willis) Nesmith, were visiting in the north. Both the father and mother of Colonel Nesmith were representatives of old and distinguished families, on the pater- nal side inheriting the sturdy qualities of Scotch- Irish ancestry. After their marriage in 1814 the young people took up their abode in Maine, where they remained until the death of the mother, which occurred while the colonel was still an infant. When this son was five years old, the father lost his entire fortune by fire, and was thus prevented from giving to his children those advantages which would otherwise have been theirs. Though deprived of the reg- ular training of school, Colonel Nesmith did much studying, as he had a natural inclination for books, and had also a keen observation, which enabled him to pick up a great deal of valuable knowledge as he grew older and found more association with the outside world. Like many another eastern-bred youth, he felt a strong de- sire to test his ability in a pioneer life, and he was not old when he came as far west as Ohio, and in company with his cousin, Joseph G. Wil- son, late member of Congress from Oregon, attended the district school near Cincinnati. A little later he came to Missouri, and was joined by his father, who died and was buried there.

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 western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.., Part 37

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago, Chapman publishing company Number of Pages: 1064

Author: Chapman Publishing Company, Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago, Chapman publishing company
Number of Pages: 1064