Upton, Jay
HON. JAY H. UPTON
The name of Upton has long been a distinguished one in
connection with the judicial history of Oregon, members of
the family having risen to positions of eminence at the bar
of the state, and Hon. Jay H. Upton, a leading attorney of
Prineville, is ably sustaining the traditions of the family
in this regard. He is likewise a prominent figure in public
affairs, representing the seventeenth district in the state
senate, this being the largest senatorial district in
Oregon. In public office he has ever stood for development
and for constructive measures and he is leaving the impress
of his individuality upon the legislative history of the
state. He is also engaged in farming on an extensive scale
and his labors in behalf of irrigation interests have been
most effective and beneficial.
Senator Upton is a native of the northwest and comes of
honorable and distinguished ancestry, the family having been
established in America as early as 1640. and representatives
of the name have since figured prominently in the public
life of the nation. He was born in Colfax. Washington, April
28, 1879, and when but six weeks old was taken by his
parents to Portland, which was the family home at that
period, so that practically his entire life has been passed
within the borders of this state. He is a direct descendant
of John Upton, who emigrated from England to Plymouth,
Massachusetts, in 1640, and another representative of the
family served on the staff of Washington at Valley Forge.
The paternal grandfather, W. W. Upton, occupied a prominent
position in public affairs, becoming one of the first
Justices of the supreme court of Oregon. In 1876 he was
appointed comptroller of the United States treasury and
served through the administrations of President Hayes.
Cleveland and Harrison. He also stood high in Masonic
circles, receiving the honorary thirty-third degree and his
life was guided by the beneficent teachings of the order. He
had five sons: James B.. Charles B.. William H.. George W.
and Ralph R., all of whom became prominent members of the
bar, Charles B. practicing his profession in Oregon during
its territorial days and after its admission to statehood.
He is now deceased. William H. Upton, who has also passed
away, became an eminent jurist of Washington, serving as
superior judge at Walla Walla. He was also a well known
Mason, serving as assistant grand secretary for the state of
Washington. George W. Upton, now a resident of Warren, Ohio,
married Harriet Taylor, who for twenty-five years has been
active in the cause of woman's suffrage, serving as national
treasurer of the organization. At the last election she
acted as vice chairman of the national executive committee
of the republican party and she is a woman of superior
mental attainments. James B. Upton, the father of Senator
Upton, was admitted to the bar in California and in 1866
came to Oregon, becoming one of the pioneer lawyers of the
state. He opened an office in Portland and there continued
in practice until his retirement in 1884. In 1888 he removed
to Tillamook county, taking up a homestead on Nestucca bay,
and was one of the first to locate in that section after the
Nestucca Indian reservation was opened up for settlement. He
was one of the players on the old Pioneers, a famous
baseball team of the early days, of which Frank Warren,
William Wadhams, V. Cook. Joe Buchtel and others were also
members. At Oregon City. Oregon, in 1869, he married Amanda
Shaw, a native of Missouri, who crossed the plains to Oregon
in 1852, settling in the Tualatin valley. She was a daughter
of Jefferson Shaw and her demise occurred at Portland in
1910, while Mr. Upton there passed away in 1919. They were
widely known and highly respected pioneer residents of the
state. The five surviving members of their family are: Jay
H. and Charles S. Upton, who are residents of Prineville;
Mrs. Anna Maude Scott, of Moro, Oregon; Mrs. Marietta
Ostrander and George E. Upton, whose homes are in Portland.
In the grammar and high schools of Portland Jay H. Upton
acquired his education, subsequently entering the law
department of the University of Oregon, from which he was
graduated in 1902. In 1898. while attending high school, he
enlisted for service in the Spanish-American war, becoming a
private of Company H. of the Second Oregon Volunteer
Infantry, with which he was sent to the Philippines. He
served throughout the period of hostilities and also during
the insurrection on the islands, making a most creditable
military record. Following his graduation he opened an
office in Portland, where he continued to reside until 1913,
building up a good clientage. Subsequently he removed to
Prineville, where he has since remained, being accorded a
large and distinctively representative clientage connecting
him with much important litigation tried in the courts of
the district. He has much natural ability but is withal a
hard student and is never content until he has mastered
every detail of his cases. He believes in the maxim "There
is no excellence without labor," and follows it closely. His
legal learning, his analytical mind, the readiness with
which he grasps the points in an argument, all combine to
make him one of the most able lawyers of his section of the
state and his upright policy has gained for him the
confidence and admiration of his professional colleagues.
Mr. Upton has not confined his attention to the practice of
his profession but has also done notable work along
irrigation lines. He has been instrumental in securing the
passage of much beneficial legislation in this connection,
laboring untiringly for the promotion of irrigation
projects, and for two years he was president of the Oregon
Irrigation Congress, in which capacity he rendered most
valuable service, resulting in the splendid agricultural
development of the state today. It was through his efforts
that the Ochoco irrigation district was organized and
developed, whereby twenty-two thou sand acres of arid and
unproductive land at Prineville has been irrigated and
reclaimed. He is also extensively interested in agricultural
pursuits, successfully operating an irrigated farm in
central Oregon.
In his political views Mr. Upton is a republican and in 1913
he was elected representative from Multnomah county to the
state legislature, where he made a most creditable record.
In 1921 he was again called to public office, being elected
state senator from the seventeenth district, which includes
Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Klamath and Lake counties and
is the largest senatorial district of Oregon, comprising
nearly one-quarter of the area of the state. He has done
valuable work as a legislator and has been instrumental In
framing legislation which has been of great value to the
state. He gives to each question which comes up for
settlement his earnest consideration and his endorsement of
any measure is an indication of his honest belief in its
efficacy as a factor in good government or as an element in
the promotion of the best interests of the state. He
possesses exceptional aptitude for legislative activity and
is a forceful speaker who occasionally ascends gracefully to
high flights of oratory. He is a hard working member of the
senate and has never used his natural talents unworthily nor
supported a dishonorable cause.
In Portland, Oregon, on the 28th of April, 1909, Senator
Upton was united in marriage to Maude Joyce Cannon, a native
of Roseburg, this state. He is a member of the Protestant
Episcopal church and is prominent in fraternal circles,
belonging to Lodge No. 142, of the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks, of which he is a past exalted ruler; to Eyrie
No. 4, of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, of which he is past
president; and to the Knights of Pythias, of which he is a
past chancellor commander. He is also identified with the
United Spanish War Veterans, of which he is a past
department commander for Oregon. He has made a splendid
political record, characterized by marked devotion to duty
and the fearless defense of what he believes to be right.
His entire life has been spent in Oregon and he has taken a
most active and helpful part in promoting the work of
progress and improvement, leaving the impress of his
individuality for good upon many lines of the state's
development. He is a man of high ideals and exalted
standards of citizenship whose irreproachable character and
incorruptible integrity have won for him the high and
enduring regard of all who know him.
History of Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Wurzweiler, William
WILLIAM WURZWEILER
Any community would be proud to number among its citizens
William Wurzweiler, president of the First National Bank of
Prineville. His life record is another illustration of the
fact that when the enterprising spirit of the German finds
scope in the opportunities of the new world the result is
success. The birth of Mr. Wurzweiler occurred in that
country on the last day of August, 1855, the son of Lipman
and Mina (Gumbel) Wurzweiler. His father was an extensive
dealer in live stock and as a result our subject grew up
with a fondness for animals.
William Wurzweiler received his education in the schools of
his native country but in early life determined to come to
the new world where vast opportunities would be offered him.
After arriving in this country he located in Seymour,
Indiana, and there learned the American language. His
initial step into the business world was made as a clerk in
a mercantile establishment and he received the sum of two
dollars and fifty cents a week for his labors. After working
for some time in Indiana and having mastered the rules of
American merchandising with a corresponding increase in
salary, his health failed and he was advised to go west. In
1883 he located in Pendleton, Oregon, where for one year he
engaged in clerking and then removed to Joseph, where he
purchased a store and operated it successfully for twelve
years. At the termination of that time he disposed of the
business and removing to Prineville purchased a store and
since 1897 has been a factor in the business circles of
Crook county, although he retired from the mercantile
business in 1910. Shortly after going to Prineville he
purchased some stock in the First National Bank of that city
and in 1900 was elected its vice president, a position he
held until 1919 when he was elected president. Mr.
Wurzweiler has not confined himself to commercial and
financial interests since coming to Crook county but he has
had large ranching and stock interests, and is still active
along those lines with his two sons. Arthur and Max. though
less than a year ago he disposed of one place consisting of
two thousand five hundred acres. At one time he had a flock
of twelve thousand sheep and achieved quite a success with
them, although he later disposed of them. Among the two
thousand acres of land which he and his sons now own is a
ranch of six hundred and forty acres of meadow land, on
which he raises selected grade cattle and two hundred and
forty acres of alfalfa. This ranch is widely known as one of
the most beautiful places in Oregon. Mr. Wurzweiler's ranch
property is located in Jefferson, Crook and Deschutes
counties and in addition he has large real estate holdings
in Portland, among which may be noted the improved half
block at Fourth and Davis streets, in the heart of the
wholesale business district of Portland.
At Pendleton, Oregon, in 1S84, Mr. Wurzweiler was united in
marriage to Miss Bertha Alexander of that city. They are
parents of four sons: Arthur, the oldest member of the
family, is manager of the Powell Butte Ranch; Max manages
the Black Butte cattle ranch; and Earl and Nathan live in
Portland and are both in commercial business. The two
youngest sons are ex-service men. having served through the
World war in the Sixty-fourth Ambulance Corps, A. E. F., for
a period covering eighteen months. They are now active in
the affairs of the American Legion. The service of his sons
in the army is particularly pleasing to Mr. Wurzweiler who
says: "When I first came to America I took out my papers and
that day I forgot Germany and have since been as much of an
American as though born here."
Fraternally Mr. Wurzweller is a Mason, has attained the
thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite and is a Noble of
the Mystic Shrine. Along financial lines he is associated
with the State and National Banking Associations. He is now
serving for the fourth time as mayor of Prineville, his
sterling integrity and honor and the uprightness of his
character well fitting him for carrying out successfully the
duties of his office. The terms progress and patriotism
might be considered the keynote of his character, for
throughout his career he has labored for the improvement of
every line of business or public interest with which he has
been associated and at all times has been actuated by a
fidelity to his country and her welfare. "Will" Wurzweiler,
as he is affectionately known, is a citizen of whom any
community would be proud.
History of Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Slayton, Edgar
EDGAR TRUMAN SLAYTON
Crook county has been slow to take up diversified farming
for it has long been recognized as a typical cattle and
horse country, the mountains and foothills affording an
abundance of range and the irrigated lands producing the
native meadow and alfalfa hay for winter feeding. Edgar
Truman Slayton. however, owner of the Elderhurst Stock Farm,
located a few miles from the county seat of Prineville, has
been more than successful in raising beef, holding the
record of topping the market price every year for that
product. Elderhurst is one of the attractive places of Crook
county and consists of eight hundred acres of valuable land.
The residence is of simple though beautiful architecture and
is surrounded by a grove of wonderful shade trees. The house
and the barns contain all modern improvements and are
electrically lighted. The outhouses are large and built for
sanitation and the immense feed lots are models of
cleanliness, being supplied with fresh water daily. In
addition to securing water from the Ochoco irrigation
project, Mr. Slayton has had private irrigation ditches
constructed.
Edgar Truman Slayton is a native Oregonian. his birth having
occurred in Polk county in 1863. His father, Samuel R.
Slayton, came to Oregon in 1852 and for some time engaged in
mining, subsequently removing to Linn county, where he took
up land and operated a ranch. In 1869 he removed to Wasco,
now Crook county, and established the farm now conducted so
successfully by his son, Edgar Truman Slayton. The mother of
our subject was Eliza J. Savery, who was also a member of an
honored pioneer family.
In the acquirement of an education Edgar Truman Slayton
attended the schools of Crook county and later entered the
Portland Business College, from which he was graduated in
1884. After working on the home place for about eleven years
he purchased the homestead and with added acreage made it
the Elderhurst Stock Farm of today. He breeds only high
grade shorthorn cattle and in addition to the eight hundred
acres of the home farm has some four thousand acres for
range.
Mr. Slayton has been twice married. He was first married in
November, 1894, to Miss Jessie M. Welch, who passed away in
1899. They became the parents of two charming daughters:
Mildred, the eldest, is a graduate of the Oregon
Agricultural College and is now engaged in teaching at
Central Point; while the younger daughter, Mabel, also a
graduate of the Oregon Agricultural College, is taking a
postgraduate course at Pullman College, Washington. Both are
talented young women. On October 21, 1903, Mr. Slayton was
again wedded, taking Miss Sarah Jeanette Marks for his wife.
Mrs. Slayton is a native Oregonian of pioneer stock and is a
woman of much intellect and with a magnetic personality.
As the result of feeding cattle for the market and the
success he has attained along that line, Mr. Slayton says
that alfalfa is the cheapest and best teed for fattening.
The finish is good enough to put Crook county cattle at the
top of the market many times each year. Mr. Slayton grows
all of his hay and though his farm is modern in every
particular there is not a silo on the place, though he is
not opposed to silo feeding.
In political affairs Mr. Slayton takes an active part, being
an old line democrat, and his religious faith is that of the
Presbyterian church. He belongs to the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks, and is a member of the Crook County
Irrigators and holds the title of Duke of Baby Beet in that
live wire organization.
History of Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Skipworth, Marvin
MARVIN WILLITT SKIPWORTH
Marvin Willitt Skipworth, a veteran of the World war and
member of the Prineville bar, is a member of one of Oregon's
best known families. For many generations the family has
been represented in the three learned professions and have
won widespread prominence and success. His father, Eugene R.
Skipworth, was one of the best known lawyers in Oregon and
practiced in Eugene for a number of years, passing away in
1904, a most honored citizen. The mother of Mr. Skipworth
was Annie Willitt and she was a descendant of one of
Oregon's old pioneer families who came to this state in
1852. His paternal grandfather was a member of a
distinguished pioneer family of Georgia and came to Oregon
from Louisiana.
Marvin Willitt Skipworth is indebted to the schools of
Eugene for his education and in later life took up the study
of law in the office of his uncle. Circuit Judge G. F.
Skipworth, and completed the study of law and began the
practice in the office of A. C. Woodcock in Eugene, who is
one of Oregon's best known pioneer lawyers. He was admitted
to the bar in the spring of 1917 and soon afterward entered
the military service In the World war and was sent to Camp
Lewis, Washington, where he was assigned to office work and
was promoted to sergeant. Immediately after his discharge he
joined the legal staff of the Seattle chapter of the Red
Cross and there he remained for eleven months, the last
seven months of the time being in charge of the legal
department. In 1920 he went to Prineville and became
associated with Senator Jay H. Upton in the practice of law.
Mr. Skipworth is city attorney of Prineville and a member of
the American Legion and adjutant of the Crook County Post
and as a delegate represented his post at the 1921 state
convention. He is also former chairman of the Red Cross for
Crook county. He has no fraternal affiliations. Mr.
Skipworth is a young man of much ability, with keen
intellect and laudable ambition and before him lies a vast
and unlimited future and noteworthy success is assured him.
History of Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
Wallace, Nathan
NATHAN GREEN WALLACE
One of the most prominent men of Crook county, Oregon, is
Nathan Green Wallace, county judge, who resides in
Prineville. Judge Wallace has had a varied business career
and has won success as printer, book binder, newspaper
reporter, editor, school superintendent and lawyer. As a boy
he was ever ambitious, energetic, and untiring in his
efforts to secure for himself a good education, and these
characteristics have been dominant factors in his success.
Like many other prominent and successful men of Oregon,
Judge Wallace is not a native son, for his birth occurred in
Arkansas in 1875, his parents being William J. and Mary
(Booth) Wallace. He received his education in the public
schools of his native state and at an early day, feeling the
necessity of earning his own livelihood, took up the
printer's trade. At the same time he continued his studies,
for he was ambitious to accomplish better things. In
addition to the printer's trade he learned book-binding and
then finding that his native state did not offer him the
best field for expansion he moved to Oklahoma and became
associated with a newspaper there, doing office work. During
all that time he was studying law and in 1901 he was
admitted to the bar in Arkansas and later in Oklahoma. In
1913 he decided to come west and was told of the advantages
to be found in Crook county, Oregon, and as a result came to
this state, looked the county over and being favorably
impressed located here. He has remained a resident of Crook
county and has risen to a position of prominence and trust.
For some time he was in newspaper work and his experience as
a printer and as editor of the Marlow Review, Marlow,
Oklahoma, with which paper he was associated from 1906 to
1912, resulted in continued success in that venture. He did
not long engage in that line of work, however, for the call
of the legal profession proved too great and he soon
established offices in Prineville and for nearly ten years
has been one of the leading lawyers of central Oregon. Mr.
Wallace has been active in the political circles of Arkansas
and Oklahoma, as well as in Oregon. While a resident of
Arkansas he was for two terms deputy county clerk of Grant
county, served one term as superintendent of schools and
several terms as police judge, and in Oklahoma he was
likewise elected to fill the office of police judge. In 1917
he was appointed county judge of Crook county, this state,
and gave so much satisfaction that he was elected to succeed
himself and is still active in that office. Judge Wallace is
an enthusiast on public improvements, especially as concerns
good roads, and it is said of him that he has spent more of
his own money, as well as his time, on public improvements
than any man in this section of the country. As a lawyer he
is regarded as one of the best in the state and while at all
times courteous to court, jury, and witnesses he is known to
be aggressive and positive in the conduct of his cases.
Judge Wallace has become particularly well known in
connection with his fights before the state highway
commission for road improvements for Crook county.
In 1898 occurred the marriage of Judge Wallace to Lona L.
Sudduth and to their union three children were born: Herman
G.. who is in business in Oklahoma City, and who is a
veteran of the World war, having served in the navy; Myttie
Louise, the wife of E. R. Bradfield of Houston, Texas; and
Edwin T., in business in Oklahoma. In 1916 Judge Wallace was
again married, taking Addie Vanderpool Spalding of
Prineville, Oregon, as his wife. She is a member of a well
known pioneer family.
As one of the leading men of the community Judge Wallace is
active in the booster organization known as the Prineville
Irrigators, in which he holds the title of the Duke of
Highways. His only fraternal affiliation is with the Knights
of Pythias and in the line of his profession he is a member
of the Central Oregon and State Bar Associations.
History of Oregon: Volume II
The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company
Chicago - Portland; 1922
|
