Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Oregon Republican League: History 104 Biographies

Oregon Republican League: History 104 Biographies

Every Wednesday, the Oregon Republican League will post the biographies of important figures, in the League's/State of Oregon's history. Feel free to comment or share stories of your family's Republican affiliation.

BOURNE, Jonathan, Jr., (1855 - 1940)
Senate Years of Service: 1907-1913
Party: Republican

BOURNE, Jonathan, Jr., a Senator from Oregon; born in New Bedford, Bristol County, Mass., February 23, 1855; attended private schools and Harvard University; settled in Portland 1878; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1881 and practiced in Portland 1881-1886; interests in mining, farming, cotton mills, and commercial enterprises; member, Oregon house of representatives 1887-1899; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate and served from March 4, 1907, to March 3, 1913; unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1912; chairman, Committee on Fisheries (Sixtieth and Sixty-first Congresses), Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads (Sixty-second Congress); president of the National Republican Progressive League; resumed his former pursuits in Oregon and Massachusetts; engaged in newspaper work in Washington, D.C., until his death there on September 1, 1940; interment in Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Bibliography

American National Biography; Dictionary of American Biography; Pike, Albert Jr. “Jonathan Bourne Jr., Progressive.” Ph.D. dissertation, University of Oregon, 1957; Schlup, Leonard. “Republican Insurgent: Jonathan Bourne and the Politics of Progressivism, 1908-1912.” Oregon Historical Quarterly 87 (Fall 1986): 229-44.

Monday, May 28, 2007

President Bush Commemorates Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery

President Bush Commemorates Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetary

11:20 A. M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all. Secretary England, members of the Cabinet, General Pace, members of Congress, members of the United States military, veterans, families of the fallen, our fellow citizens: Welcome.

Today we honor the warriors who fought our nation's enemies, defended the cause of liberty, and gave their lives in the cause of freedom. We offer our love and our heartfelt compassion to the families who mourn them. We pray that our country may always prove worthy of the sacrifices they made.

For seven generations, we have carried our fallen to these fields. Here rest some 360,000 Americans who died fighting to preserve the Union and end slavery. Here rest some 500,000 Americans who perished in two world wars to conquer tyrannies and build free nations from their ruins. Here rest some 90,000 Americans who gave their lives to confront Communist aggression in places such as Korea and Vietnam.

Many names here are known: the 18-year-old Union soldier named Arthur MacArthur, who grabbed a falling flag and carried it up Missionary Ridge; the Tuskegee Airmen who defended America abroad and challenged prejudice at home; the slain war hero and President who asked that we "assure the survival and success of liberty" and found his rest beneath an eternal flame. Still others here are remembered only by loving families. Some are known only to God.

Now this hallowed ground receives a new generation of heroes -- men and women who gave their lives in places such as Kabul and Kandahar, Baghdad and Ramadi. Like those who came before them, they did not want war -- but they answered the call when it came. They believed in something larger than themselves. They fought for our country, and our country unites to mourn them as one.

We remember Army Specialist Ross Andrew McGinness. Ross was born on Flag Day in 1987. When he was in kindergarten, he said he wanted to grow up to be "an Army man." He enlisted at 17 -- the first day he was eligible. He deployed to Iraq. Last December, a grenade was thrown into his Humvee as Ross was patrolling the streets of Baghdad. The soldiers inside could not escape in time, so Ross leapt into the vehicle and covered the grenade with his own body. By sacrificing himself to save four other men, he earned a Silver Star -- and the eternal gratitude of the American people.

We remember Marine Sergeant Marc Golczynski of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Marc volunteered for a second tour of duty in Iraq. He knew the dangers his service would entail. Before he deployed, he wrote the following in an email to his family and friends: "Please don't feel bad for us. We are warriors, and as warriors have done before us we fight and sometimes die so our families do not have to." Marc left behind an eight-year-old son, Christian, who is with us today; he managed to be brave while he held his father's folded flag.

With us are other children and families mourning moms and dads and sons and daughters. Nothing said today will ease your pain. But each of you need to know that your country thanks you, and we embrace you, and we will never forget the terrible loss you have suffered. I hope you find comfort in knowing that your loved ones rest in a place even more peaceful than the fields that surround us here.

The greatest memorial to our fallen troops cannot be found in the words we say or the places we gather. The more lasting tribute is all around us -- a country where citizens have the right to worship as they want, to march for what they believe, and to say what they think. These freedoms came at great costs -- and they will survive only as long as there are those willing to step forward to defend them against determined enemies.

As before in our history, Americans find ourselves under attack and underestimated. Our enemies long for our retreat. They question our moral purpose. They doubt our strength of will. Yet even after five years of war, our finest citizens continue to answer our enemies with courage and confidence. Hundreds of thousands of patriots still raise their hands to serve their country; tens of thousands who have seen war on the battlefield volunteer to re-enlist. What an amazing country to produce such fine citizens.

Laura and I have met many of them; we've sat at the bedsides of the wounded. This morning, I met service members who received medals for distinguished service -- and found myself humbled by their grace and their grit. I had the honor of meeting with families of the fallen in the Oval Office, and was amazed by their strength and resolve and decent grace under pressure. We've heard of 174 Marines recently -- almost a quarter of a battalion -- who asked to have their enlistments extended. For these extensions, they would earn no promotion and no promise of a favored posting. They want to serve their nation. And as one of them put it this way: "I'm here so our sons don't have to come and fight here someday."

Those who serve are not fatalists or cynics. They know that one day this war will end -- as all wars do. Our duty is to ensure that its outcome justifies the sacrifices made by those who fought and died in it. From their deaths must come a world where the cruel dreams of tyrants and terrorists are frustrated and foiled -- where our nation is more secure from attack, and where the gift of liberty is secured for millions who have never known it.

This is our country's calling. It's our country's destiny. Americans set off on that voyage more than two centuries ago, confident that this future was within our reach -- even though the shore was distant, and even though the journey may be long. And through generations, our course has been secured by those who wear a uniform, secured by people who man their posts, and do their duty. They have helped us grow stronger with each new sunrise.

On this Day of Memory, we mourn brave citizens who laid their lives down for our freedom. They lived and died as Americans. May we always honor them. May we always embrace them. And may we always be faithful to who they were and what they fought for.

Thank you for having me. May God bless you and may God continue to bless our country.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Oregon Republican League: History 104 Biographies

Oregon Republican League: History 104 Biographies

Every Wednesday, the Oregon Republican League will post the biographies of important figures, in the League's/State of Oregon's history. Feel free to comment or share stories of your family's Republican affiliation.

ELLIS, William Russell, (1850 - 1915)


ELLIS, William Russell, a Representative from Oregon; born near Waveland, Montgomery County, Ind., April 23, 1850; moved with his parents to Guthrie County, Iowa, in 1855; attended the district schools and the Iowa State Agricultural College at Ames; was graduated from the law department of the University of Iowa at Iowa City in 1874; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Panora, Iowa; mayor of Panora for one term; moved to Hamburg, Iowa, where he continued the practice of law, and also engaged in newspaper work; served two years as city attorney; mayor of Hamburg in 1880 and 1881; moved to Heppner, Oreg., in 1884; superintendent of schools of Morrow County in 1885 and 1886; district attorney of the seventh judicial district of Oregon 1886-1892; elected as a Republican to the Fifty-third, Fifty-fourth, and Fifty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1893-March 3, 1899); chairman, Committee on Expenditures in the Department of Justice (Fifty-fourth Congress), Committee on Irrigation of Arid Lands (Fifty-fifth Congress); unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1898; circuit judge of the sixth judicial district of Oregon from July 10, 1900, to July 1, 1906; moved to Pendleton in 1901 and practiced law; elected to the Sixtieth and Sixty-first Congresses (March 4, 1907-March 3, 1911); unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1910; resumed the practice of law in Pendleton, Oreg.; in July 1914 moved to Portland, Oreg., where he died January 18, 1915; interment in a mausoleum in Portland Crematorium.

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000138

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Oregon Republican League: History 104 Biographies

Oregon Republican League: History 104 Biographies

Every Wednesday, the Oregon Republican League will post the biographies of important figures, in the League's/State of Oregon's history. Feel free to comment or share stories of your family's Republican affiliation.

BARRY, Alexander Grant, (1892 - 1952)
Senate Years of Service: 1938-1939
Party: Republican


Oregon Historical Society
BARRY, Alexander Grant, a Senator from Oregon; born in Astoria, Clatsop County, Oreg., August 23, 1892; attended the public schools of Astoria and Portland, Oreg., the University of Washington at Seattle, the University of Oregon Law School, and Northwest College of Law at Portland, Oreg.; admitted to the bar in 1917 and commenced practice in Portland, Oreg.; during the First World War was commissioned a second lieutenant and served in the artillery until February 1919; member of the Oregon Relief Committee in 1932, the Oregon Relief Commission in 1933, and the Oregon Liquor Control Commission 1933-1935; chairman of School District No. 1 Civil Service Board in 1937 and 1938; elected on November 8, 1938, as a Republican to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Frederick Steiwer and served from November 9, 1938, to January 3, 1939; was not a candidate for election to the full term; resumed the practice of law; member, State house of representatives 1945-1950; died in Portland, Oreg., December 28, 1952; interment in Willamette National Cemetery.

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000187

Monday, May 14, 2007

Oregon loses former State Representative Mac Sumner (R-Molalla)



It is with a sad heart that we must report that former State Representative Mac Sumner (R-Molalla) passed away last evening at the Willamette Falls Hospital in Oregon City. Mac passed away with his devoted wife Sandy and the rest of his family at his side. Mac Sumner was 66 years old.

I had the opportunity and pleasure to work with Mac on a number of issues. Mac was as genuine a man as you will ever meet. He worked hard, and his passion drove him to do what he felt was best for his family, his community and his state.


Mac is the father of 7, a devoted family man, former mayor of Molalla, and an elder in the Molalla Christian Church.


Mac was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2004. Mac was re-elected in 2006, but had to step down after the November 2006 election for health reasons. Unfortunately, many of the lowlifes on the liberal blogs questioned whether or not Mac was really sick, or if he ran in 2006 knowing he would have to resign in order that the Democrat couldn't win the seat.


Obviously, Mac was very sick. No doubt some of the leftoids are going to hatch conspiracy theories like "Karl Rove actually captured Mac, he isn't really dead, he is just living at Camp David".


And why did Mac run? Because he thought he would beat the cancer, and he so desperately wanted to continue to serve the people of his district. Unfortunately God had other plans for Mac, plans that did not include the Oregon Legislature.


Mac, we are going to miss you. You were one in a million.
******************
As I've been traveling a good deal, the above post is from NWRepublican.. and authored by 1001ST FIEND.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Oregon Republican League: History 104 Biographies

Oregon Republican League: History 104 Biographies

Every Wednesday, the Oregon Republican League will post the biographies of important figures, in the League's/State of Oregon's history. Feel free to comment or share stories of your family's Republican affiliation.

BUTLER, Robert Reyburn, (1881 - 1933)

BUTLER, Robert Reyburn, (grandson of Roderick Randum Butler), a Representative from Oregon; born in Butler, Johnson County, Tenn., September 24, 1881; attended the public schools and Holly Springs College; was graduated from the law department of Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tenn., in 1903; was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Mountain City, Tenn.; moved to Condon, Oreg., in 1906 and resumed the practice of law; mayor of Condon, Oreg.; appointed circuit judge for the eleventh judicial district of Oregon and served from February 1909 until his retirement in January 1911; moved to The Dalles in 1911 and resumed the practice of law; member of the State senate 1913-1917 and 1925-1929; elected on November 6, 1928, as a Republican to the Seventieth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Nicholas J. Sinnott and on the same day was elected to the Seventy-first Congress; reelected to the Seventy-second Congress and served until his death; unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1932 to the Seventy-third Congress; died in Washington, D.C., January 7, 1933; interment in the Odd Fellows Cemetery, The Dalles, Oreg.