Oregon Republican League: History 101

Every Wednesday, the Oregon Republican League will post the biographies of important figures, in the League's/State of Oregon's history. Click on the head link above, to visit more of our listings at genealogy.com. Feel free to comment or share stories of your family's Republican affiliation.

Oregon Republican League:

Republican League Register of Oregon, The Register Publishing Company, 1896, pages 269-275.

STEARNS, HON. LOYAL B., Judge of the Fourth Judicial District was born in Swanzey, New Hampshire, in 1853, and came to Oregon the same year. He was educated at the Roseburg, Umpqua and Bishop Scott Academies. He began the study of medicine, but changed to law, and was admitted to the bar in 1876. In 1874 he was Engrossing Clerk of the legislature, and in 1875 secretary of the State Board of the Immigration and editor of the Daily Bee. In 1878 he was elected to the legislature. In 1879 he was appointed Police Judge of Portland, and held the place three years. In 1882 he was elected County Judge, and was appointed Judge of the Fourth Judicial District by Governor Moody in 1885, being elected to the same position in 1886 and again in 1892.

STEEL, GEORGE A., of Portland, was born in Stafford, Ohio, in 1846, and came to Portland in 1862. He worked as an accountant, was County Treasurer two years, and for a short time was Assistant Postmaster. In 1879 he embarked in the wholesale stationery business. Several years later he was appointed Special Agent of the Postal Department. In 1876 he was chairman of the Republican state central committee, at the time when the effort was made to steal one electoral vote away from the Republicans candidate for the presidency, Mr. Hayes. He has held the same position subsequently. In 1879 he was appointed Deputy Collector of the port. In 1881 he was appointed Postmaster, going out when Cleveland was first elected. President Harrison appointed him again in 1889, and he retired again at the expiration of four years, to make way for a Democratic successor. In 1886 he was elected State Senator, and served two sessions. He is connected with large business enterprises, particularly the electric railway line to Oregon City and other points.

STEIWER, HON. W. W. [Editor inserted: Winlock William Steiwer], a merchant of Fossil, was born near Salem, Oregon, in 1852. He graduated from the Willamette University and then taught school, afterwards engaging in the cattle business in Eastern Oregon. He was elected to the State Senate from Gilliam, Sherman, and Wasco Counties in 1892. He has been frequently a member of conventions and league meetings, and is now a member of the state central committees.

STEPHENS. HON. THOMAS A., Judge of the criminal department of the Fourth Judicial District, came to Portland from Virginia City, Nevada, in 1883. In Nevada he had practiced his profession and speculated in mines. For two years he was Prosecuting Attorney of Storey County, and at one time City Attorney of Virginia City. Mr. Stephens soon made himself felt in Portland politically, and in his profession, and in 1890 was elected District Attorney, and in 1894 District Judge. He is a veteran of the civil war and a comrade of the G. A. R.

STITES, CHARLES M., of Grant’s Pass, was born in Marion County, Illinois, August 20, 1858, and came to Oregon in 1884, locating at Grant’s Pass. He was a delegate to the county conventions from 1886 to 1892. In 1886 he was appointed Road Supervisor, and in 1894 was elected Assessor.

STORY, HON. GEORGE L, a prominent insurance man of Portland, was born in Manchester, Massachusetts, in 1833. In 1850 he went to California, and in 1851 came to Portland and embarked in the drug business. From 1855 to 1862 he was engaged in the paint and oil business in San Francisco. He then engaged in mining enterprises in Idaho, and from 1870 to 1874 was in the oil and glass business in Portland. He has for many years been in the fire insurance business. In 1872 he was elected a member of the City Council, and was re-elected for another term. In 1874 he was elected County Clerk. In 1882 he was appointed one of the Fire Commissioners that organized the paid fire department. In 1884 he was elected to the legislature. For several years he has been president of the Third Ward Republican Club.

STOTT, HON. RALEIGH, of Portland, was born in Indiana in 1845, and six years later came to Oregon, locating in Washington County. He graduated from the Pacific University in 1869 and was admitted to the bar in 1870. In 1873 he removed to Portland, where he is now practicing law. In 1874 he was elected to the legislature. In 1876 he was elected Prosecuting Attorney of the Fourth District, and in 1880 Judge of the same district. He has been for twenty years in county and state conventions, and a speaker on the stump.

STROWBRIDGE, JOSEPH A., of Portland, was born in Moutour County, Pennsylvania, in 1835, and passed his boyhood in Ohio. In 1852 the family came to Oregon, and Mr. Strowbridge began at once a mercantile career that has been highly successful. He has always been engaged in the wholesale boot and shoe and leather business, being now the proprietor of a large supply house. Mr. Strowbridge was elected School Trustee in 1895, and his name is frequently mentioned in connection with added honors.

SUMMERS, COLONEL OWEN, of Portland, was born in Brockville, Canada, June 13, 1850, and went with his parents to Illinois at an early age. They soon after died, leaving him to make his way in the world alone. He worked on a farm and attended school at intervals until he was fourteen years of age, when, after repeated efforts, he succeeded in enlisting in Company H, Third Illinois Cavalry, February 22, 1865, and was immediately sent to the front. His regiment fought guerrillas all spring and summer, and in the fall made a campaign against the Sioux Indians. He was mustered out in November. In 1875 he came to the coast, but returned East. In 1879 he again came, and embarked in the crockery business in Portland, which he has built up to large proportions. He has done much to build up the National Guard in Oregon. He was one of the organizers of the Veteran Guard in 1883, and was elected First Lieutenant. He than served as Adjutant of the battalion, and in 1887 was elected Lieutenant-Colonel of the First Regiment. In 1891 he was re-elected, and in 1895, was chosen Colonel. In 1891 he was elected Department Commander of the G. A. R. He is an ardent Republican, and has been a familiar figure in conventions. He was elected to the legislature in 1886, and was the party nominee for Sheriff in 1892.

SWACKHAMER, SAMUEL O., of Union, was born in Warren County, New Jersey, July 25, 1837, and came to Oregon in 1863, and has lived constantly in Union County, engaged as a stock raiser and freighter/ In 1876 he was the first Republican elected Sheriff, and was re-elected in 1878. In 1880 he was nominated for the State Senate. He was appointed Register of the United States Land Office at La Grande in 1885. He was a delegate to the county convention from 1864 to 1892, and the state conventions of 1886 and 1890.

TALMAGE, C. W. [Editor inserted: Charles Willis Talmage], of McMinnville, was born in Washington County, Oregon, May 6, 1856, He was Deputy County Clerk from 1881 to 1884, and was elected County Treasurer in 1890. He is an active Republican, and has been a member of conventions. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1895.

TANNER. HON. A. H. [Editor inserted: Albert H. Tanner], an attorney of Portland, was born in Washington Territory, September 9, 1855. He lived on a farm in Yamhill County, and graduated from the Monmouth College in 1874. He taught school and studied law, being admitted to the bar in 1879, and began practice in Portland, forming soon a partnership with Hon. J. C. Moreland. From 1884 to 1887 he was City Attorney, and from 1889 to 1891 Police Judge. In 1887 he formed a partnership with Hon. John H. Mitchell, which still continues. He has taken a continuously active part in politics, as a member of county and state conventions and club meetings and otherwise, and is now a nominee for the state senate.

TAYLOR, HON. FRANK J., of Astoria, was born in Clatsop County, May 11, 18 51, and has resided there continuously. He graduated from the Law School of Union University, Albany, New York, in June, 1873, and in September was admitted to the bar and began practice in Astoria. Judge Taylor was elected Recorder in 1875 and Police Judge in 1876, serving two and one-half years. In 1880 he was elected to the legislature. He was elected Circuit Judge to fill a vacancy in 1884, and again for a full term in 1886. In 1895 he was elected Mayor of Astoria. He was a delegate to county conventions from 1874 to 1884, to state conventions 1874 to 1882 and 1894 and 1896, to congressional conventions in 1894 and 1896, and league meetings in 1895 and 1896.

TEMPLETON, HON. W. A. [Editor inserted: William Alford Templeton], of Brownsville, was born in Missouri in 1845, and came to Oregon in 1847. He has been in packing to the mined and in farming. In 1890 he was nominated for the legislature against a hopeless Democratic majority. He was again nominated in 1894 and elected. He has been a member of conventions and league meetings.

THERKSELSEN, HON. LAWRITS W., of Portland, was born near Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1842. He came to America in 1860, to California in 1861, and Oregon in 1871. For ten years he was a contractor and builder, and then organized the North Pacific Lumber Company, of which he is still manager. He has always been an enthusiastic Republican and taken part in conventions and party work, but has not sought office. However, he was elected to the legislature in 1884 and School Director in 1887.

THORNBURY, HON. CALEB N., was born in Pennsylvania, December 12, 1827, and learned the printer’s trade. In 1849 he went to California. For fourteen years he pursued a life of vicissitudes in the mines, especially in the Klamath country, including a term in the California legislature, and in 1863 came to Oregon and opened a store in Grant County. In 1875 he moved to The Dalles, and was Receiver of the United States Land Office there three terms, and was subsequently County Judge. He also served one term in the legislatures.

THOMPSON, HON. D. P. [Editor inserted: Daniel P. Thompson], of Portland, was born in Cadiz, Ohio, November 8, 1834. He was early employed as a mechanical engineer, and learned the blacksmith trade. In 1853 he came to Oregon and began hard work at Oregon City. In 1854 he was appointed on the United States survey, and continued seven years. He enlisted in the First Oregon Cavalry and retired with rank of captain. He worked on surveying till 1874, when President Grant appointed him Governor of Idaho, holding the office two years. He was a delegate to the national convention of 1876, and the same year located in Portland. He was gradually become extensively interested in banks, mines and other enterprises, and has accumulated a fortune. He was for four years a member of the state senate from Clackamas County, and in 1878 was elected to the house from Multnomah. In 1879 he was elected Mayor of Portland, and was re-elected in 1881. In 1887 he went abroad for a year, and on his return was elected to the legislature again. In 1892 he was appointed United States Minister to Turkey, but the next year retired for a Democratic successor. In 1890 Mr. Thompson was the party nominee for Governor of the state, but was beaten by a Democratic and Populist combination. He is now the nominee for Member of the State Board of Equalization.

THOMPSON, HON. E. H. [Editor inserted: Eldridge H. Thompson], of Brower, was born in Killingsworth, Connecticut, January 16, 1842, and twelve years later moved to Illinois. He served in the army and navy during the war. He established the Portland Iron Works in 1882, and in 1887 embarked in the saw mill business at Brower. He was elected to the legislature in 1894.

TOLMAN, GENERAL JAMES C., of Ashland, was born in Washington County, Ohio, March 12, 1813. He spent three years as apprentice to a leather manufacturer, and then spent a ear at the university at Athens, Ohio. He early entered politics as an ardent Whig supporter of General Harrison. In 1839 he moved to Iowa, and ran for the legislature in Van Buren County, being the only Whig coming anywhere near election. In 1845 he engaged in leather manufacturing at Ottumwa, and was elected to the legislature from there. In 1849 he crossed the plains to California. In 1851 he returned to Iowa, having been successful as a miner. In 1852 he again crossed the plains and settled in Rouge River valley. In 1853 he went to Coos bay, but returned the next year and embarked extensively in the stock business. In 1858 he was elected the first County Judge of Jackson County, and was re-elected in 1862. For years he was prominent in Republican work in the state. In 1876 he was a delegate to the national convention. In 1874 he was the Republican nominee for Governor, but was defeated by the third-party movement of that year. In 1878 he was appointed Surveyor General of Oregon by President Hayes, and was reappointed 1 882 by President Arthur.

TONGUE, THOMAS H., of Hillsboro, came to Oregon in 1859, with his parents, who came to join an uncle, Thomas Otchin, who had some to the coast in 1836 and settled in Washington County in 1841. He remained on the farm, where his father and mother are still living, unto; 1862, when he began to attend school at Tualatin Academy and Pacific University, working for his board and to purchase books. In 1868 he entered the law office of W. D. Hare, at Hillsboro, and was admitted to the bar in 1870. In 1866 he was a delegate to the county and state conventions, and has been continuously a delegate ever since, also to the first congressional district convention. He was secretary of the state central committee in 1874, and presided over the state conventions of 1890 and 1894. Since 1886 he has been a member of the state central committee, and since 1892 chairman of the congressional committee. In 1892 he was elected president of the State League, and declined re-election in 1894. He was a delegate to the national convention of 1892, and was made vice-president for Oregon. In 1895 he was elected a delegate to the National League. In 1888 he was nominated to the state senate. Hard worker in politics as he had been, he had never made a political speech, but he went at it like a veteran. HE was elected by majority over month Democratic and Prohibition opponents. In 1890 he made his first political speech outside the county, being a joint discussion with Governor Pennoyer, at Macleay, which was almost a Waterloo for the Governor. In 1892 he was again nominated for the state senate, but was beaten by a combination of Democratic and Populist votes, aided by an Independent Republican candidate. In 1895 he was urged to become a candidate for the congressional nomination, but firmly declined. However, he went on the stump and did excellent campaign service throughout Western Oregon. He was a candidate for United States Senator last year, but after the caucus nomination of Mr. Dolph he withdrew, though on the last night of the session he was voted for just prior to the election of Mr. McBride. Mr. Tounge is an extremely graceful and eloquent speaker, a ready debater and a man who commands the respect of his fellows, both in public and private life.

TOOZE WALTER L, of Woodburn, was born in Pittsfield, Lorain County, Ohio, November 25, 1860, and came to Oregon in 1877. He cleared two years, taught school in Washington county five years, was in mercantile business in Butteville two years, and in 1886 embarked in businesses in Woodburn, where he is known as the “Produce and Merchandise King of French Prairie.” He is an ardent and hard-working Republican. He was a delegate to the county conventions of 1892 and 1894, and chairman of the former; a delegate to the league in 1895 and 1896, acting as assistant secretary of the latter and a delegate to the National League in 1894, being made the member for Oregon of the national executive committee. In 1894 he made fully fifty speeches in the campaign.

TRAIN, S. S. [Editor inserted: Samuel S. Train], editor of the Albany Herald and Herald-Disseminator, was born in Essex County, New York, August 6, 1841, and moved to Stephenson County, Illinois, in 1852. From 1861 to 1863 he served in the Ninety-second Wisconsin Infantry. He then engaged in newspaper work and taught school in Illinois, Nebraska, Kansas and Oregon , till 1882, when he founded the Disseminator at Harrisburg, taking in J. R. Whitney as a partner in 1884. The same year they purchased the Albany Herald and consolidated the two papers at Albany, beginning the issue of a daily in 1885. This is now one of the leading Republican papers of the state. Mr. Train is an active, working Republican. He was one of the Oregon Soldiers’ Home Commission from 1893 to 1895.

TRUITT, HON. WARREN, of Dallas, was born in Illinois in 1845, graduated from McKendree College in 1868, and was admitted to the bar in 1870, coming to Oregon in 1871. He taught school in Bethel Academy three years, and in 1874 was elected Judge of Polk County. In 1882 he was elected to the legislature. In 1884 he was a Presidential Elector. Judge Truitt has been continuously a member of conventions and league meetings, and has served on state central committees. He was a prominent candidate for the congressional nomination at Albany this year.

TRULLINGER, HON. J. C. [Editor inserted: John Corse Trullinger], of Astoria, was born in Fountain County, Indiana, July 29, 1828, and crossed the plains to Oregon in 1848. He went to the California mines in 1849, returned in 1850, built a warehouse in Milwaukie, and in 1852 settled on a farm near Oswego. In 1865 he laid out the town of Oswego. In 1870 he founded the town of Centerville, where he had saw and flour mills. In 1875 he built the West Shore mills in Astoria, and has twelve acres covered with saw mills, warehouses, etc. From 1876 to 1880 his plant was run as a cannery. He erected the city electric light plant in 1885. He has been president of the Board of Police Commissioners, Member of the Council and Mayor of Astoria and in 1892 was elected to the legislature. He helped organize the Republican party in Oregon, and has been a foremost worker ever since.

TUTTLE, COLONEL B. B. [Editor inserted: Benjamin B. Tuttle], of Portland, was born in Woolbridge Connecticut, August 18, 1843. He enlisted in the First Connecticut Infantry, April 19, 1861, and was at the battle of Bull Run. In November, 1861, he again enlisted in the First Connecticut Cavalry, and served till the end of the war, being mustered out as captain of the company. He went to Chicago in 1865 and engaged in the grain business till 1870, being one year a member of the Board of Supervisors of Cook County. In 1870 he came to Washington Territory as Private Secretary to Governor E. S. Salomon. For the last twenty years he has been a resident of Portland. For many years he was Superintendent of the Railway Mail Service of the Pacific Northwest. In 1886 he was elected on the Republican ticket as Justice of the Peace in Portland, and was re-elected in 1888. Colonel Tuttle has taken an active part in military affairs in Oregon. He helped organize Company K, in 1886, and was soon after appointed Judge Advocate General on the staff of Governor Moody. In 1887 he was elected Captain of Company A, and in 1888 was elected Major of the regiment. In 1895 Governor Lord appointed him Adjutant General of the state.

UNDERWOOD, JAMES A., of Roseburg, was born near Oakland, Oregon, December 28, 1862, and began teaching in 1883. In 1890 he was elected Superintendent of Schools of Douglas County, ad was re-elected in 1892 and 1894. He was a delegate to the county convention in 1890.

VAN SLYCK, HON. E. M. [Editor inserted: Earl M. Van Slyck], of Baker City, was born in Hudson, Wisconsin, January 11, 1862, and was reared in New York. He learned the drug business and was engaged in it at Rixford, Pennsylvania, three years before coming to Oregon in 1884. He clerked in a drug store in Baker City, mined in Grant County, and in 1891 opened a drug store in Baker City. Mr. Van Slyck is an active Republican. He has been a member of the state central committee since 1892, and the congressional committee since 1894; was a member of the state and district conventions of 1892, 1894 and 1896, and the league meetings of 1895 and 1896, and is now assistant secretary of the state a central committee.

VAUGHN, J. WILEY [Editor inserted: James Wiley Vaughn], of Heppner, was born in Mount Vernon, Illinois in 1850, and came to Oregon in 1874, locating at Cove, going to Dallas in 1877 and Independence in 1879. He was a delegate to the Polk County convention in 1880, and for three years in the Independence Council and president of the board. In 1887 he moved to Lexington and organized the club there for the campaign of 1888 and was that year a delegate to the county convention. In 1894 he was a delegate to the state convention and in 1895 to the league. He was a delegate to the Trades Council in Tacoma in 1890 and 1891 to represent the Retail Clerks’ Union. In 1894 he was secretary of the Lexington Club and county organizer.

VAWTER, WILLIAM I., of Medford, president of the Jackson County Bank, was born in Linn County, March 24, 1863, and graduated from the University of Oregon in 1886. He was principal of the Eugene public schools till 1888, when he established the bank at Medford. He is an earnest Republican, has been a delegate to county and state conventions and league meetings, a member of the congressional and state central committees, and chairman of the county central committee.