Portrait and biographical record of western Oregon, containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present.., Part 7

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 7

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).

Their surplus earnings were invested in real es- tate, which, with the rapid increase in value, made each a fortune. In 1883, desiring to make an extended trip to Europe, he dissolved his legal partnership and with his daughter Susan visited Scotland, England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, remaining abroad eighteen months. Upon his return to Portland in 1884 he resumed the practice of law in connection with H. H. Northup and Paul R. Deady, under the firm name of Whalley, Northup & Deady, and the work quickly grew to lucrative size, gain- ing a prominence in railway litigation. In 1885 Judge E. C. Bronaugh was admitted as a mem- ber of the firm, which was then known as Whal- ley, Bronaugh, Northup & Deady. The latter shortly retired and his name was dropped from the firm. In March, 1889, Mr. Whalley retired from active practice, having acquired a large property which required his personal attention, but five years later he became a partner of Judges Strahn and Pipes and practiced again for two years. At that time Mr. Whalley withdrew from the firm and formed a partnership with his son- in-law, W. T. Muir, which lasted until the death of the former. For a number of years he had held a chair in the law department of the Uni- versity of Oregon as instructor in pleadings.

As a Republican in politics Mr. Whalley rep- resented Multnomah county in 1870 as a member of the state legislature, but retired altogether from political movements and enterprises at the close of his first term. He was a prominent man in the fraternity of the Odd Fellows, in 1870 repre- senting the Grand Lodge of Oregon in the Sov- ereign Grand Lodge at Baltimore. Always ac- tively interested in the welfare of the city, he was a member of the Columbia Fire Engine Company No. 3. Volunteer Department, and so continued until the paid department was installed.

Mr. Whalley long held a place in the front rank of the profession to which he gave so much of his life. He had a well ordered mind and in his forensic encounters always had his legal forces under control. He had a love of "fine point" which became a subject of trite remark among his legal brethren throughout the state. He be- came famed for his logical and strategic qualities, availing himself of every means to guard against legal surprises and to overlook no legal defense. The care which he bestowed upon the "critical niceities" of the law was due to his mental activity and habit of thoroughness in whatever he under- took, and not to any neglect of the broad prin- ciples which make the study and practice of law one of the most useful and elevating pursuits of mankind. He had a keen appreciation of the humorous, and this, with his imitative faculties, made him the most entertaining and enjoyable companion at the bar. He was an indefatigable

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

sportsman and was a master of the science of casting a fly or making one; every foot of that sportsman's paradise from "Mock's bottom" to Charley Saline's was to him familiar ground. With a few chosen friends he controlled the shooting privileges of twelve hundred acres of lake marsh ground on Sauvie's Island, always taking a great interest in the preservation and protection of game birds in the state, urging the enactment by the legislature of beneficial game laws. The statutes of the state to-day contain many game laws of his own construction which are susceptible of no misinterpretation. He was the first president of the Multnomah Rod and Gun Club of Portland, an organization which under his personal influence and endeavor ac- complished much good along these lines, and be- came especially vigilant in the detection and pros- ecution of violators. He was chosen the first president of the Sportsman's Association of the Northwest, and re-elected a second term. He had a fondness for dogs and was always their protector and friend.

As a member of St. Stephen's Chapel he con- tributed generously to the maintenance of the church work, acting as vestryman for some years and as superintendent of the Sunday school for three years before his death. A tribute paid to his memory by a friend was: "A man of alert mind, of great legal and literary erudition; of ready command of language, speaking and writ- ing with admirable force; at all times accessible, steadfast in his friendships, and intellectual pow- ers that would have brought him to distinction in any situation."

HON. GEORGE H. WILLIAMS. A record of the life of Judge Williams, former United States senator and attorney general of the United States, is in some respects a history of the rise and progress of Oregon. It is now (1903) just half a century since he first cast his lot with the inhabitants of the then territory of Oregon; and by reason of his identification with the develop- ment of its resources during the pioneer period of the territory and the constructive era of the state, and likewise through his intimate associa- tion with its most vital public interests during practically the entire history of its statehood, he has for many years been regarded as one of its foremost citizens, whose rich experience in the affairs of the nation, on the bench, and before the bar, entitle his opinions on questions of general public interest to the highest consideration.

Judge Williams was born in New Lebanon, Columbia county, N. Y., March 26, 1823, and re- ceived an academic education at Pompey, N. Y., whither his parents removed when he was a child. At the age of twenty-one he was admitted

to the bar of New York. Immediately thereafter he removed to Iowa, then a territory, and opened an office at Fort Madison. At the first election after the organization of the state government, in 1847, he was elected judge of the first judicial district of that state, serving five years. The im- mediate cause of his identification with Oregon was his appointment, in 1853, as chief justice of this territory, an office to which he was reap- pointed in 1857 by President Buchanan. He be- came a member of the constitutional convention which drafted the first constitution for the state of Oregon, and acted as chairman of the judiciary committee of that body. In this capacity he vigorously opposed the introduction of slavery into this state, and before the instrument was pre- sented to the voters made an active canvass in behalf of the anti-slavery clause therein. In 1860 he became one of the founders of the Union party, and subsequently canvassed the country for Lin- coln and aided with all the strength at his com- mand in awakening sympathy for the Union cause. His election as United States senator in 1864 took him to Washington at the most critical period in the country's history, and it is a matter of record that his services during that vital epoch were in line with the policy which, in its consum- mation, was productive of such splendid results. In the senate he was a member of the committees on finance and public lands, and also of the re- construction committee.

Among the measures which he was instrumental in bringing before the senate, and which became laws, are the following: The Military Recon- struction Act, under which the insurrectionary states were reorganized and their representation admitted to congress ; an act creating a new land district in Oregon, with a land office at La Grande ; an amendment to the act granting lands to the state of Oregon for the construction of a military road from Eugene to the eastern bound- ary of the state, granting odd sections to supply any deficiency in the original grant ; various acts establishing post roads ; a general law to secure the election of United States senators; the "ten- ure of office act," vetoed by President Johnson, but passed over his veto; numerous appropria- tions for Oregon; an amendment to the act of 1861 relative to property lost in suppressing Indian hostilities in Oregon; an amendment to the judiciary act of 1789; an amend- ment to the act granting lands to aid in the construction of a railroad from the Central Pacific in California to Portland. Ore .; an act to pay two companies of Oregon Volunteers com- manded by Captains Walker and Olney; an act to strengthen the public credit; an amendment to the act granting lands to aid in the construction of a railroad from the Central Pacific to Port- land, by which the grant was prevented from re-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

verting to the government ; an act granting lands to aid in the construction of a railroad and tele- graph line from Portland to Astoria and Mc- Minnville ; a resolution to facilitate the building of a light-house at Yaquina Bay, and other light- houses on the Oregon coast ; an act granting cer- tain lands to Blessington Rutledge, a citizen of Lane county ; a resolution to increase the pay of assistant marshals in taking the census of 1870; an act extending the benefits of the donation law of 1850 to certain persons; and an act creating a new land district in Washington, with a land office at Walla Walla.

In 1871 Judge Williams was appointed one of the joint high commissioners to frame a treaty for the settlement of the Alabama claims and the northwestern boundary, and other questions in dispute between the United States and Great Britain. There is no question but his ability, wisdom and tact secured a settlement of the boundary question favorable to the contention of the United States. It had been claimed that the only solution of the difficulty was to refer the matter to the Emperor of Germany; but Judge Williams refused to agree to this proposition unless it were stipulated that the Emperor's de- cision should be strictly in accord with the treaty of 1846; that he should not decide de novo, but simply explicate the meaning of the convention which had already decided the question. The commission finally yielded to his views and thus rendered possible the decision that gave to the United States San Juan and other islands. It is not generally known throughout the United States that the part Judge Williams bore in the solution of this question was such an important one, but all who are familiar with the case accord him the honor for his wise stand in the adjust- ment of the problem.

In 1872, upon the invitation of President Grant, Judge Williams became attorney general of the United States: and in this important cab- inet post he proved himself a keen, resourceful and logical adviser, and demonstrated the pos- session of high qualities of statesmanship. His record in the cabinet was an honor to the state of Oregon as well as to himself. The people of the northwest exhibited the keenest pride in his capable service during an administration when it was necessary to solve numerous perplexing problems, and the generation which witnessed the events of those days are wont to refer to it with great satisfaction. Many important ques- tions were brought before him, to all of which he brought the same thoughtful attention so char- acteristic of him in earlier years and in his own private affairs. The sting left by the Civil war in the south had not yet begun to heal, and a great degree of tact was required daily of the attorney general, to whom were brought for solu-

tion intricate questions arising from the conflict. Subsequent events in the history of the republic have demonstrated the fact that the policy he pursued in these various matters was eminently fair and sagacious, and in numerous instances he was happy in being able, through his prudent counsels, to restore peace to distracted communi- ties. In 1874 Judge Williams' name was present- ed to the senate by the president as successor to Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase; but so great an opposition to his confirmation developed in the east, among those who wished an eastern jurist to succeed to the office, that, in the interests of harmony, he withdrew his name, much to the re- gret of President Grant, who was one of his warm personal friends and admirers.

History has accorded to this distinguished citizen the honor of having been the first to out- line, through the medium of the Washington Star, the policy ultimately adopted by congress for the adjustment of the historic presidential contest of 1876. The essential features of the famous Electoral Commission Act under which Gen. Rutherford B. Hayes was made president were embodied in an article which he contributed to the Star, and the credit for the plan outlined and soon after adopted is conceded to belong to him.

Since his retirement from public life Judge Williams has made his home in Portland, among whose citizens he holds an assured position of eminence and influence. For many years de- mands have been made upon him by his personal friends and his party for his services in political campaigns, and by the citizens of Portland, on their numerous social gatherings. Not only is he a strong speaker on public questions, clear, powerful and convincing in his arguments, but to a rare degree felicitous as a post-prandial orator. In brief, he is a giant in intellect, totally devoid of the arts of the politician, in the common ac- ceptance of the term. His utterance on the sub- ject of Christianity from the standpoint of the historian, freed from the romance which attaches to the life of the Saviour, commanded the atten- tion and interest of thoughtful persons through- out the country; and a valued contribution to the best thought of the period on this subject is found in his lecture on "The Divinity of Christ."

Judge Williams is now spending the twilight of his life in the administration of the official af- fairs of the municipality of Portland, having been elected to the mayoralty in 1902. In the labor which he has thus assumed in his advanced years he is bringing to bear the same conscientious cf- fort. the same honesty of purpose and highminded views of the duties of a public servant, which characterized his record while filling some of the most responsible and onerous offices in national affairs. He is giving to the city, through his ap-

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

pointment of men of acknowledged integrity and public spirit, a corps of executive and advisory officials whose efforts in the direction of honest and unselfish labor in behalf of the public are be- ing generally appreciated, and all indications now point to an administration unequalled in the his- tory of the city for moral courage, political econ- omy and breadth of view-a sight too rare in the conduct of municipal affairs in these days when corruption and vice are rampant throughout the larger cities of the land generally.

HENRY EVERDING. During the many years of his residence in Portland Henry Ever- ding has advanced with the people of his adopted locality, and has entered with zest into the busi- ness and social life by which he was surrounded. Possessing the adaptiveness characteristic of his Teutonic nationality, he has also applied the thrift and conservatism so necessary to the suc- cessful development of pioneer or growing con- ditions. A citizen of this part of the west since 1864, he first started a grain, feed and produce business in partnership with Edwin Beebe, under the firm name of Everding & Beebe, his partner having been similarly employed since 1862. This modest beginning was located on the corner of Front and Taylor streets, and after various changes from one part of the city to the other settled down to where Mr. Everding has been conducting his affairs alone, ever since the death of Mr. Beebe, twenty years ago. It is the oldest commission house in Portland, and in the early days had a much more extensive and far reach- ing trade than at present, at that time shipping grain and produce to California and the adjacent states.

A native of Hanover, Germany, Mr. Everding was born April 14, 1833, and comes of a family distinguished in war and peace, and vitally con- nected with commercial, agricultural and indus- trial affairs. The father of Mr. Everding died at a comparatively early age, and thereafter the widow and children carried on the work of the farm which he left to their care. Of the eight children all came to the Pacific coast. John, who came in 1853, is now a resident of San Francisco: Charles, Fred and Richard came over in 1854; the two first mentioned died in Califor- nia, while Richard is living in Portland; Henry and his mother came in 1855. There were three daughters in the family, one of whom is deceased, while the others reside in California and Portland respectively. Henry was six weeks out from Bremen on a sailer, and after landing in New Orleans took a three weeks' trip up the Missis- sippi and Ohio rivers to Cincinnati, where he worked in a starch factory for six months. For a few months following he clerked in different

stores, and while learning the language and familiarizing himself with the customs of the country, managed, by thrift and economy, to save a little money.

In April, 1855, Mr. Everding went to New York and embarked for Aspinwall, and from Panama sailed on the John L. Stevens for San Francisco, which craft contained fourteen hun- dred passengers. When thirty-six hours out the boat came upon the wreck of the ill-fated Golden Age, a large number of whose passengers were taken aboard the Stevens and returned to Panama. No interruption marred the progress of the second sailing, and the hopeful little band arrived in San Francisco in May, 1855. Here Mr. Everding was fortunate in finding work in the starch factory of his brother, John, who had started the first enterprise of the kind in the city. Later Mr. Everding and his brother Fred- erick stocked and ran a ranch in Contra Costa county, the management of which fell to Fred- erick, while Henry turned his attention to the starch factory. As before stated, he came to Portland in 1864, and inaugurated the large grain, feed and produce business with which his name has since been connected.

Since coming to Portland Mr. Everding has been united in marriage with Theresa Harding. a native of Prussia, Germany. Mr. Everding is essentially social, as are the most of his country- men, and is identified with Willamette Lodge No. 2, A. F. & A. M .; Oregon Commandery No. I, of which he is a charter member, having been transferred from the Knights Templar Comman- dery No. 1, of San Francisco. He is also con- nected with the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows of Portland. Mr. Everding is one of the substantial and highly honored pioneers and cit- izens and has been among the most helpful and representative of the countrymen who have set- tled in this city.

COL. JAMES JACKSON, U. S. A. A mil- itary career of more than ordinary distinction is that of Col. James Jackson, a lieutenant-colonel of the United States Army, retired, and colonel and inspector-general of the state of Oregon, on the Governor's staff. His services during the civil and Indian wars entitle him to a conspicu- ous place in the military history of the United States.

Colonel Jackson was born in Sussex county, N. J., November 21, 1833. Ilis father. Timothy Jackson, was an ordained minister of the Bap- tist Church, and filled pulpits in different parts of New Jersey and Ohio. His mother, Mary .1. Jackson. was the daughter of Rev. Morgan Ap John Rhees ( Welsh Rhys) and Ann Loxley. Dr. Rhees was a Baptist minister and brought

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

a colony of Welsh dissenters to America, estab- lishing them at Beulah, Pa. This colony not proving a financial success, he removed to Phila- delphia, where he married Ann Loxley, a daugh- ter of Benjamin Loxley, who at the breaking out of the Revolution was keeper of the King's stores in Philadelphia, but resigned this office to join the colonial forces, in which he held com- missions from lieutenant to major, and was a volunteer aid, with rank of colonel, on Wash- ington's staff at Valley Forge. Colonel Jack- son's father died in 1843, and his mother soon after returned with her children to Philadelphia, where Colonel Jackson received his education in the public schools, graduating from the high school in 1850. He then studied architecture, located in Charles City, Iowa, in 1855, and was living there when the Civil war came on. He determined to volunteer for the suppression of the Rebellion, and after closing up his business joined the Twelfth United States Infantry, was on recruiting duty for some months, and then went into the field in Virginia, in August, 1862, as a sergeant of Company C, Twelfth United States Infantry. In April, 1863, he was pro- moted a second lieutenant in this regiment and participated in the battles of Second Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Get- tysburg, Spottsylvania, the various battles in the Wilderness, and the siege of Petersburg, until November, 1864, when the regular brigade, be- ing badly depleted, was withdrawn from the field and sent north to recruit its strength.

In the reorganization of the army, after the war, he was assigned to the Thirtieth Infantry and accompanied the regiment to the plains in January, 1867, where he was engaged in guard- ing the construction of the transcontinental rail- road and scouting in the Indian country. He was promoted a captain in 1868, and January I, 1870, was transferred to the cavalry arm of the service as captain of Troop B, First Cavalry. As commander of this troop he took part in the Modoc war, the Nez Perce war and the Bannock war. He was, at different times, stationed at Camp Warner and Fort Klamath in Oregon; Fort Walla Walla, Fort Colville and Fort Coeur d'Alene in Washington; and Forts Keogh and Custer in Montana. In 1886 he was placed on recruiting service in New York City, and after the termination of this tour of duty was detailed as inspector-general of the Division of the At- lantic. In 1889 he was promoted major of the Second Cavalry, joining the headquarters of this regiment at Fort Walla Walla and going with it to Fort Lowell, Ariz., in 1890. This post being abandoned, he took station at Fort Wingate, N. Mex., and while serving there was detailed for duty with the Oregon National Guard, reporting

to the governor of the state in June, 1892, and taking up his residence in Portland. At the solicitation of the state military officers he was continued on this duty until his retirement from active service November 7, 1897, a few months previous to which he was promoted a lieutenant colonel and assigned to the First Cavalry.

For special gallantry in action at the battles of Weldon Railroad and North Anna, during the Civil war, Colonel Jackson was brevetted a cap- tain and major, and for gallant services in the Modoc and Nez Perce wars he was brevetted a lieutenant colonel. For " most distinguished gal- lantry in action against hostile Indians " he was awarded a medal of honor by congress.

Soon after the beginning of the Spanish-Amer- ican war, in April, 1898, Colonel Jackson was appointed, by Governor Lord, inspector-general of the state of Oregon with the rank of colonel, and assisted in organizing the Second Oregon Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which, shortly after its organization, reported for duty in San Fran- cisco, and was one of the first regiments sent to the Philippines. He has held the office of inspector- general ever since, having been reappointed by Governor Geer, and annually inspects each or- ganization of the National Guard in the state.

Colonel Jackson, by virtue of his descent from Colonel Benjamin Loxley, is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, and, through his services in the Civil war, a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States-has been commander of the Oregon Commandery of this order-and the Grand Army of the Republic (Lincoln-Garfield Post), in which he has held the offices of department in- spector and of aide-de-camp on the staff of Gen- erals Warner and Lawler, Commanders-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a member of the New York Club, the Army and Navy Club of New York City, and the Commer- cial Club of Portland, being at present vice-presi- dent of the latter club.

Colonel Jackson has two children by his mar- riage with Miss Ida Beach of Oakland, Cal .: a son, Rhees Jackson, and a daughter, Marion Beach Jackson. Rhees Jackson served in the Second Oregon Volunteers in the Philippines as first-lieutenant and battalion adjutant, and was recommended by its commander, Gen. Owen Summers, on account of gallant and efficient ser- vice, for a commission in the regular army; he was appointed by the President second-lieutenant in the Twelfth United States Infantry August 1, 1800, and is now a first-lieutenant in that regi- ment. Colonel Jackson's daughter is living with her father at his home on Willamette Heights in Portland. The present Mrs. Jackson was Miss Ella Greene, of Davisville, Cal.

PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

HARVEY W. SCOTT, president of the Lewis and Clark Exposition Company, is of the type of men that have transformed the Pacific north- west from a wilderness. With his own hands he has cleared away the forest trees to make room for the simple home of the pioneers, with its mica windows, and puncheon floors; he has split the rails for the fence built around the family homestead ; in going to and returning from school he has followed the only paths through the woods-the trails beaten down by wild animals and Indians; he has shouldered rifle and gone forth in defense of the white man's right to occupy the country ; he has seen the ox-team of the plainsmen pass away and the steamboat and the railroad take its place as the means of transport ; he has seen the activities of the peo- ple rise from a small and uncertain traffic with the Hawaiian Islands to a world-wide commerce. The remotest corner in Africa is better known to Americans today than Oregon was to them when Mr. Scott made it his home. In Mr. Scott the past and the present are indissolubly linked. In him the hardy spirits that followed the foot- steps of Lewis and Clark to the Pacific ocean join hands with those who have taken up the wand of civilization and progress where the pio- neer laid it down. The trails of half a century ago have become the railroad of today; the bat- eau of the trader has gone and in its place has come the ocean carrier ; warships anchor where Indian dugouts lolled in the '50s ; the old settler is passing and the new order is here. Mr. Scott is in every way the most eminent representative of the old and the new and it was fitting that he should be chosen to head the undertaking for the celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the exploration of the Oregon country by Lewis and Clark.

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 7

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