History of the District Attorney's Office
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[The following history is adapted from Your District Attorney's Office: 1855-1977, as compiled in 1977 by Dorothea Anderson.]
Dear Fellow Citizens:
As Multnomah County's thirty-third District Attorney, it is my pleasure to dedicate the gallery of portraits of our past district attorneys who have served Oregon citizens since 1855.
Compiling this brochure with significant historical facts about the office and our state was no small task. It is only appropriate that the person who completed much of the work is an individual who is devoted to the service of Oregonians through the District Attorney's Office. Dorothea Anderson has served 22 years in our office and has worked with seven district attorneys. Because of her devotion to the Office of District Attorney and her loyalty to the people of Oregon, I most respectfully dedicate this history to her.
Sincerely yours,
Harl Haas
History
In the days of the Oregon country, the provisional government appointed a circuit attorney in 1844, who probably rode the "circuit" in much the same manner as the well-known judges of that era, and upon creation of the Oregon Territory in 1848, a territorial attorney was appointed by the President of the United States. (In essence this was the predecessor of the present state office of Attorney General, which was created by the legislature in 1891, and to which office George Earle Chamberlain, one of the District Attorneys in our gallery, was appointed by then Governor Pennoyer.)
As the population grew, the territory was divided in 1849 into two judicial districts, at the same time provision being made for the election of a prosecuting attorney by vote of the legislature.
New counties were being created with the growth, of the territory, and upon the demand of the people of Portland and vicinity who found it inconvenient to travel to Hillsboro in Washington County to conduct court business, Multnomah County was created on December 22, 1854 by the Territorial Legislature, the 16th of Oregon's 36 counties to be established, being made up of a slice of the eastern part of Washington County and another slice of the northern part of Clackamas County. In accordance with the wishes of the petitioners, the seat of the new county was located in Portland, and rooms were rented for a courthouse in the building of Coleman Barrell on the corner of First and Salmon, the first county officers being appointed to hold office until the first election which occurred in June, 1855. Multnomah County joined other counties in the Fourth Judicial District, and T. S. Brandon, listed in our gallery as the first District Attorney representing Multnomah County, in 1855 would also have represented the other counties in that district as well.
With the passage of time the number of Oregon's judicial districts continued to grow, in 1868 totalling five with the Fourth District being comprised of the Counties of Washington, Clackamas, Multnomah, Columbia and Clatsop. In 1882 Multnomah County officially became the only county in the Fourth Judicial District. In viewing our gallery it should be remembered that along with Mr. Brandon the District Attorneys prior to 1882 represented other counties in addition to Multnomah.
For uniformity we have given the title "District Attorney" to all the gentlemen in the gallery, even though a number of them were officially titled "Prosecuting Attorney."
Biographies and Terms of Office of Multnomah County's District Attorneys
Research has failed to produce photographs of or any personal information concerning several of the District Attorneys of Multnomah County, in some cases their names and years served constituting the only information obtained to date. However, research will continue and it is hoped that at some time in the near future such information will be forthcoming.
In those instances where personal information was lacking, we have provided information pertinent to the particular era in order that you might have "word pictures" of the Portland area contemporary with the service of the District Attorney.
The Statutes of Oregon for 1855 show that on January 26, 1853 "an act to create and regulate the office of prosecuting attorney" was passed, which was the statute in effect when Multnomah County was created and our first "District Attorney" was in office. The statute was amended within a few days (January 30, 1853), to include the term of office as three years. On October 24, 1864 another statute came into being, specifying the title of the office as "district attorney" and the term of office as two years, commencing the first Monday of July following the general election. In 1899 the term of office was changed to four years. Over the early years the titles "prosecuting attorney" and "district attorney" were both used, regardless of what the statutes said.
A number of the gentlemen in our gallery have served in other positions of note, three having been City Attorneys of Portland, six having served as Multnomah County circuit court judge, two as Governor of Oregon and two as United States Senators from Oregon. One District Attorney was appointed by the President of the United States as U.S. Consul to Chile.
T. S. BRANDON (served 1855)
Whether or not Mr. Brandon was the incumbent in the office of prosecuting attorney for
the Fourth Judicial District when Multnomah County was created on December 22, 1854
is not known. Multnomah County joined several other counties in the Fourth District,
and the responsibilities of the office of prosecuting attorney may have been merely
added to the incumbent officeholder at that time. This may be a reasonable assumption
since Multnomah County was made up of slices from both Clackamas and Washington
Counties, and the voters in the area comprising the new county would have had a voice
in the election of the incumbent prosecuting attorney. If Mr. Brandon came into office
by election in 1855, such action would have been taken by the Territorial Government's
Legislative Assembly, since the next general election would not have taken place until
June of 1855. Regardless of the time or method of entry into office, Mr. Brandon was
nevertheless the first District Attorney to represent Multnomah County, and the first
county court in the new county commenced its term on January 17, 1855. The first
Grand Jury was comprised of 18 members.
W. G. LANGFORD (served 1858)
As with Mr. Brandon, nothing has been found regarding Multnomah County's second
District Attorney. But picture if you will the bustling community named Portland at
that time. There were three daily newspapers, delivered to town subscribers at 25¢ per
week, the oldest being The Oregonian, which published its first issue in the fall of 1850.
The telegraph had arrived on November 16, 1855 at 5:00 p.m., the first telegraphy flash
from Oregon City to the Oregonian in Portland reading: "The weather is cold at
Corvallis and the hills are covered with snow." A business census taken that same year
found that Portland had 4 churches, 1 public school, 1 academy, 4 printing offices, a
bookstore, 2 express offices, 5 livery stables, 6 tobacco shops, 6 saloons, 2 pool halls and
bowling alleys, 12 hotels and boarding houses, 7 grocery stores, 3 bakeries, 3 butcher
shops, a drugstore, a candy factory, 2 tailor shops, a shoe store, 25 general stores,
5 furniture stores, 2 jewelry stores, 2 hardware stores, 4 stove and tin stores, a foundry
and a mechanic shop, 2 sawmills, 4 blacksmiths, 3 wagonmakers, 2 boatbuilders,
6 painters, 4 doctors, 7 dentists and 6 lawyers. Yet the streets were in a primitive
condition, many of the gnarled and blackened stumps of the first forest which covered
the site being still in the ground. The town was governed by a Mayor and Common
Council and divided into three wards, each of which elected three members of the
Council for one-year terms. The town ordinances were enforced by a recorder and
marshall also elected annually.
DAVID W. DOUTHITT (served 1860)
Admitted to practice before Supreme Court of the State of Oregon, December Term,
1859. Volume 1 of the Oregon Reports shows Mr. Douthitt as the attorney for the State
of Oregon (Multnomah County) in one case and the attorney for the City of Portland in
another. Possibly he served as City Attorney for Portland for a term also, as did several
other District Attorneys. The population of Multnomah County in 1860 was 4,150.
WILLIAM WILMER PAGE (served 1861)
Admitted to practice before Supreme Court of the Territory of Oregon, August Term,
1857. Served as judge of the Supreme Court of Oregon from May to September, 1862,
upon resignation of Aaron E. Wait on May 1st. The salary of Supreme Court justices was
$2,000 yearly at that time. In 1868 Mr. Page is listed as one of the four judges from the
Fourth Judicial District, serving for a brief term. Gaston's History of Portland (1911)
states that he "was an able lawyer and a very dangerous opponent in the trial of a cause.
If there ever was a man at the Portland bar who could make 'the worst appear the better
cause,' it was W. W. Page. His best client was the Bank of British Columbia, and when
Edwin Russell, the manager of the bank, laid out the town of Albina in 1874 ; he named
it in honor of Page's wife, the most estimable lady-'Albina V. Page.' "
WILLIAM CAREY JOHNSON (served 1862-64)
Born October 27, 1833, Old Town, Ross County, Ohio, coming to Oregon in 1845 at the
age of 12, his father, Rev. Hezekiah Johnson, having been sent by the American Baptist
Home Mission Society to organize Baptist churches on the coast. (Rev. Johnson traveled
all over the Willamette Valley preaching the gospel and establishing churches and on
July 4, 1847 started the Baptist church at Oregon City.) Attended public schools and a
Baptist school in Oregon City and later read law with the prominent law firm of Wait
and Kelly. (Aaron Wait later became an Oregon Supreme Court judge and Kelly, a U.S.
Senator.) Admitted to the bar in 1857 and commenced his law practice in Oregon City.
In 1858 elected District Attorney, serving one term. In 1859 elected City Recorder for
Oregon City. In 1860 admitted to practice before Supreme Court of the State of Oregon,
July Term, 1860. In 1862 elected prosecuting attorney tor the Fourth Judicial District.
"In 1865 and 66 he held the responsible position of Special Attorney, under the
Hon. Caleb Cushing, to investigate and settle the affairs of the Hudson's Bay and Puget
Sound Companies. In 1866 he was elected a State Senator to fill a vacancy. While in the
Senate he had the privilege and power to vote upon the amendment of the Constitution
of the United States which abolished slavery ." (Quote from Hines' History of Oregon,
1893.)
E. W. HODGKINSON (served 1864-66)
Admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the State of Oregon , September
Term, 1864. During Mr. Hodgkinson's term as prosecuting attorney of the Fourth
Judicial District, the Grand Jury returned a large number of indictments against various
individuals, charging them with the crime of "Doing Secular Labor on Sunday."
Included among the defendants, their indictments having been returned on Saturday,
June 17, 1865, were Henry L. Pittock, Henry Failing and W. S. and R. I. Ladd. The
records of these old matters, still on file in the courthouse, are interesting to view, since
there were no separate case files and all matters heard before the court were recorded
daily in a large journal, in a beautiful old script handwriting, in the order in which the
matters were heard. The judge would enter his signature at the end of the listing of each
day's proceedings. Mr. Hodgkinson's name, of course, appears in all these entries as the
prosecuting attorney. The well-known Portland citizens named above were, incidentally,
cleared of the charges, the indictments being dismissed because "a conviction cannot be
had."
MARION FRANCIS MULKEY (served 1866-68)
Born November 14, 1836 in Missouri, and came to Oregon with his parents in 1846
where they farmed in Benton County, and he attended school in the typical log schoolhouse
of the day . Fought in the Indian War, enlisting in 1856, and attended college at
Forest Grove and at Yale, graduating in 1862 . Elected prosecuting attorney for Fourth
Judicial District in 1866, and the following year was a member of the Portland City
Council representing the third ward. In 1872 elected City Attorney of Portland, holding
that office for two years. Subsequently served as Deputy District Attorney for Multnomah
County under District Attorney John F. Caples (his law partner) for three terms.
Died February 25, 1889. His son, Frederick William Mulkey, became a United States
Senator from Oregon in 1907.
ADDISON C. GIBBS (served 1868-72)
Second Governor of Oregon (1862-66), Mr. Gibbs was born July 9, 1825 in Cattaraugus
County, New York. Graduated from a state normal school in New York and became a
school teacher and in 1849, a lawyer. Came to Oregon via California in 1849 (the gold
rush days) and settled in the Umpqua Valley area. He laid out the townsite of the City of
Gardiner, and was the first representative to the Territorial Legislature from the County
of Umpqua (now Douglas) in 1852. Nicknamed "Guts," he fought in the Rogue River
Indian War in 1853. Moved to Portland in 1858 where he practiced law and was elected
to the state legislature before becoming governor. Served as District Attorney for the
Fourth Judicial District in 1869, and as City Attorney for Portland 1874-75. Died in
London, England in January of 1887 while on a business trip to Europe, and as a special
honor the Oregon legislature had his remains returned to Oregon and committed to
Riverview Cemetery at the expense of the state he had faithfully served. The population
of Multnomah County for 1870 was 11,510, and for Portland, 6,717.
GEORGE HANNIBAL DURHAM (served 1872-76)
Born December 4, 1843, in Springfield, Illinois, coming to Oregon four years later.
Educated at Bishop Scott Aademy, then of Oswego, Oregon, and in 1858 entered
Willamette University at Salem, leaving in 1861 to enlist in the first Oregon Cavalry.
Returned to school the following year, at Pacific University in Forest Grove, from where
he graduated in 1866. Read law in the office of Judge Lansing Stout of Portland for three
years and admitted to the bar at Salem in 1869. In 1870 he was head Deputy Sheriff of
Multnomah County , and in 1871 was appointed Registrar in Bankruptcy by the United
States District Court. In 1872 he was elected District Attorney of Multnomah County,
serving four years. Returned to private practice afterwards and in 1903 moved to Grants
Pass, Oregon, continuing his law practice there.
RALEIGH STOTT (served 1876-78)
Born in Indiana in 1845, coming to Oregon six years later with his parents, who located
in Washington County. He graduated from Pacific University in 1869 and was admitted
to the bar the following year. In 1873 he moved to Portland and entered private practice,
attaining an immediate place in the front rank of the lawyers of the state, being at the
time of his death senior partner of the firm of Stott & Stout. In 1874 he was elected to
the legislature from Multnomah County. In 1876 he was elected District Attorney of the
Fourth Judicial District and in 1880 was made judge of the same district. He died
suddenly of heart disease October 26, 1901, in Portland.
JOHN F. CAPLES (served 1878-84)
Born January 12, 1832 in what is now Ashland County, Ohio, Mr. Caples received
his college education at Ohio Wesleyan University . He studied law in Logan County,
Ohio, being admitted to the bar of that county in 1853. In 1855 he transferred his
practice to Findlay, Ohio and later to Warsaw, Indiana, leaving there to enter the
government recruiting service in Northwestern Ohio and Northern Indiana. In 1865 he
came to the Northwest with his family via the Isthmus and San Francisco, to Vancouver,
Washington where he acted as City Attorney and practiced law until 1866 when he
moved to Portland. In 1872 he was elected to the legislature from Multnomah County.
He was elected District Attorney for the Fourth Judicial District in 1878 and held the
position for a period of six years (three terms)-an honor hitherto accorded no district
attorney in the state. President McKinley appointed Mr. Caples United States Consul to
Valparaiso, Chile in 1897. He resigned in 1901 to return to Portland and again take up
his practice. Died July 17, 1908, age 76. The 1880 census for Portland shows a population
of 17,600.
JOHN M. GEARIN (served 1884-86)
Born August 16, 1857 in Umatilla County , Oregon, and educated at St. Mary's
Academy, San Francisco, 1863-67. Graduated from Notre Dame University , Indiana,
1871, receiving LL.D. degree in 1873, and admitted to the bar in Salem, Oregon in
1874. He was a member of the Oregon legislature in 1873, City Attorney of Portland,
1875, District Attorney of Multnomah County, 1884-86. Appointed Special Prosecutor
for the government in opium fraud cases, 1893. Appointed United States Senator for
Oregon, December 15, 1905 by Governor Chamberlain, serving from January, 1906 to
March 3, 1907. Died in 1930, age 79.
HENRY E. McGINN (served 1886-90)
Born in 1859 in Portland, Oregon (the first Portland native son in the gallery). Graduate
of the old Harrison Street Grade School, Portland, in 1871. Attended the University of
Oregon and subsequently admitted to practice after which he entered private law
practice before being elected District Attorney of Multnomah County in 1886. In 1892
was elected a member of the state legislature as a representative from Multnomah
County. In 1895 appointed circuit court judge for Multnomah County by Governor Lord
to succeed Judge Hurley upon the latter's death. In 1901 elected to the State Senate,
resigning before completing his term. In 1911 elected circuit court judge for Multnomah
County, serving one term (6 years), after which he returned to the private practice of
law. Died in 1923.
THOMAS G. STEVENS (served 1890-92)
Because of erroneous information as to dates served. previous listings of Multnomah
County's District Attorneys did not include Mr. Stevens, and his tenure recently came
to light through our research. His dates of service have been verified and personal information
about him will hopefully be obtained in the future. Obviously, he appointed
Mr. Hume. his successor in office. as his deputy. and several cases in the Oregon Reports
show both Mr. Stevens and Mr. Hume appearing on the argument for the State.
Mr. Stevens being listed, of course, as "District Attorney." In 1891 East Portland and
Albina, which had previously existed as separate municipalities. were incorporated in to
Portland. Portland's population being 57,182, East Portland's 11,457, and Albina's 6,897. A big issue in Portland at the time was free bridges.
WILSON T. HUME (served 1892-96)
Born October 21, 1859, Placerville, California, after his father's death, living with
relatives at New Haven, Connecticut; Lima. Indiana, as well as Placerville, attending
Placerville Academy and Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. From 1880 to 1884
worked as a stenographer in the office of J. N. Dolph, a prominent lawyer. and admitted
to the bar in the latter year. In 1885 entered private law practice in the firm of Watson,
Hume and Watson. In 1889 elected to the legislature, and in 1890 appointed Deputy
District Attorney. In 1892 he was nominated and elected District Attorney of Multnomah
and re-elected in 1894. When the Klondike excitement swept the coast,
Mr. Hume was among the Portlanders who early joined the stampede for the north, and
in 1899 he went to Nome where he became City Attorney and then Deputy United
States Attorney. After About five years he went to San Francisco where he practiced law
from 1904-12, returning to Portland the latter year. In April of 1915 he was shot and
seriously wounded by a man involved in a lawsuit, but recovered satisfactorily. Elected
state representative from Multnomah County in 1920. Died in Portland, in October
of 1921.
CHARLES F. LORD (served 1896-98)
Born September 3, 1866, in Alfred, York County, Maine, and graduated in the class of
1888 from Bowdoin College in Maine. As reflected in his application for admission to
practice law in Oregon. Mr. Lord migrated from the State of Maine (where he was
admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of that state in 1890), to the State of
Washington, being admitted to practice at Chehalis on December 15, 1890. He moved
to Portland. Oregon on August 6, 1891 and was admitted to practice law on December
12, 1891. In the private practice of law from 1892 until he was elected District Attorney
for Multnomah County, serving for one term, after which he returned to his private
law practice.
RUSSELL ELGIN SEWALL (served 1898-1900)
Birthdate and place unknown. Detailed information regarding Mr. Sewall has been
unobtainable to date. However, it is known that he served as Assistant City Attorney for
Portland, 1894-96, as well as District Attorney of Multnomah County from 1898 to
1900. In politics he was a Republican, as were most of the District Attorneys in the gallery.
In 1899, during Mr. Sewall's tenure, the term of the prosecuting attorney was changed
to four years, and the yearly salary increased to $4,150.
GEORGE EARLE CHAMBERLAIN (served 1900-02)
Born January 1, 1854, near Natchez, Mississippi. In 1876 graduated from Washington
and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia. Came to Oregon in December of that year,
first teaching school, and starting in 1877 served as deputy clerk, Linn County, for two
years. In 1880 elected to two-year term in legislature. In 1884 elected District Attorney
for Third Judicial District. Appointed first Attorney General of Oregon by Governor
Pennoyer, that office having been created in 1891 by the legislature, and was later
elected to the office. In 1900 elected District Attorney of Multnomah County, serving
until 1902 when he was elected Governor. Served as Governor of the State of Oregon
from January 15, 1903 to February 28, 1909 (two terms). In 1909 he was elected to the
United States Senate, serving from March 4, 1909 to March 3, 1921.
JOHN M. MANNING (served 1902-07)
Born May 1, 1866, Boscobel, Wisconsin. Received his early education in the public
schools of Harlan County, Nebraska, where he subsequently read law until 1887, the
year he was admitted to the bar of Nebraska. He commenced the practice of law in
Orleans, Nebraska, and in 1890 moved to Woodburn, Oregon, and in 1891, to Portland,
continuing his profession, until in 1900 he was appointed Chief Deputy District
Attorney for Multnomah County under George E, Chamberlain. In 1902, when
Chamberlain was elected Governor, Mr. Manning was appointed District Attorney of
Multnomah County, and subsequently elected to that position "by the largest majority
ever received by any Democrat in this county. It was owing to Mr. Manning's activity
that the saloons were closed on Sunday in Multnomah County." (Quoted excerpt from
History of the Bench & Bar in Oregon, 1910)
GEORGE JAMES CAMERON (served 1908-August 1912)
Born May 1, 1864, Symington Parish, Scotland. Educated at Symington Parish School,
at Princess Street Academy and at Kilmarnoch Academy, all in Kilmarnoch, Scotland,
and at Glasgow University in Glasgow. Came to Oregon in 1890, was admitted to the
bar on June 12, 1893, and practiced law in Portland until he became District Attorney
of Multnomah County in 1908. He was a member of the City Council 1898-1900;
Municipal Judge 1900-02, 1905-08.
WALTER HOWARD EVANS (served November 1912-October 1921)
Born April 17, 1870, Harrison County, Indiana. He began teaching school at the age
of 16 years, and alternately taught and studied until 1896, when he entered Valparaiso
College, supporting himself in college by teaching. In 1898 entered Quartermaster
Department, U.S. Army, serving in Georgia and Tennessee, then being transferred to
Puerto Rico and later to Portland, arriving in April, 1903. Resuming his law studies, he
subsequently graduated from University of Oregon Law School. In 1907 appointed
Assistant U .S. Attorney, serving until 1912, in November of which year he was
appointed District Attorney for Multnomah County by Governor West. Twice elected
to that office, resigning October 8, 1921 to accept appointment as circuit court judge for
Multnomah County. Subsequently appointed judge of the United States Customs Court
(New York), in which position he remained until he retired. Died at the age of 87.
According to his family, Me. Evans took pride in the fact that while he was District
Attorney an arson ring had been broken up and the Chinese tong murders were
stopped.
STANLEY MYERS (served October 8, 1921-30)
Birthplace and date unknown. Graduate of the University of Kansas. Admitted to the
Oregon State Bar in 1913. Appointed District Attorney of Multnomah County on
October 8, 1921, upon resignation of Walter H. Evans. Was elected twice to that office
for two successive terms, 1923-26 and 1927-30.
LOTUS L. LANGLEY (served 1931-34)
Born September 15, 1875, Scranton, Iowa, coming to Oregon in 1891. Attended Pacific
University, Forest Grove, Oregon, prior to studying law under his father , W. M. Langley,
for many years an attorney in Forest Grove. Admitted to the Oregon State Bar on
October 11, 1897 and practiced law with his father in Forest Grove until moving to
Portland in 1901. Elected District Attorney of Multnomah County, serving 1931-34.
Subsequently practiced law in Portland with his son, William M. Langley, commencing
in 1946, in the Board of Trade Building where the elder Langley had had his law
offices from 1901, until he died on February 6, 1955.
JAMES R. BAIN (served 1935-March 1945)
Born June 18, 1890, Portland, Oregon, where he received his primary and secondary
education in the public schools. Received his legal education at the University of Oregon
Law School , being admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 1912. Served as Deputy City
Attorney for the City of Portland, 1925 to 1934. Elected District Attorney of Multnomah
County, serving from 1935 to March 1945, at which time he became a circuit court
judge, Dept. No.3, Fourth Judicial District, serving in the latter capacity until his
death.
THOMAS B. HANDLEY (served March 1945-September 1946)
Born April 19, 1882, Hillsboro, Oregon. Educated in public schools of Tillamook, and
studied law under his father, a pioneer lawyer of Oregon. Admitted to bar in 1907,
shortly thereafter being named Tillamook City Recorder, which office he held for five
years. Served one year as Deputy District Attorney for Tillamook County, after which he
served as a representative from that county to the legislature (1913-17) and in 1917 was
named state senator from that district. Resigned in 1920 to become State Corporation
Commissioner. In 1923 entered private law practice in Portland, in 1933 being
appointed Chief Deputy District Attorney under James R. Bain. In 1945, when Bain
became a circuit court judge, Mr. Handley was appointed District Attorney of Multnomah
County. In 1946 he ran for that office but died suddenly on September 16, 1946.
During his tenure as District Attorney, he was shot at by an unknown assailant, but the
bullet passed through his hat and he was unharmed. For some months thereafter he was
heavily guarded by the police, fear being prevalent that there was a vendetta against the
District Attorney.
JOHN B. McCOURT (served September 19, 1946-1954)
Born July 4, 1899, Salem, Oregon. Graduated from Willamette University Law School,
Salem, Oregon, and admitted to Oregon bar in 1924. Served five terms as state representative
from Multnomah County to the legislature, 1927-33 and 1939-43. Served as
Deputy District Attorney for Multnomah County from January of 1926 through 1930
(except during legislative sessions). Appointed District Attorney of Multnomah County
in 1946 upon the death of Mr. Handley, and was elected to that office for two successive
terms, 1947-1950 and 1951-54. Gained considerable arbitration experience both prior
to and after his tenure as District Attorney, having served as a hearing officer in
Portland for the National War Labor Board, as a member of the 12th Regional National
War Labor Board in Seattle, and as referee of the National Railroad Adjustment Board
in Chicago. In 1955 was appointed regional counsel for the Small Business Administration
in Seattle, which office he held until 1969 when he retired at the age of 70. Present
resident of the Portland area.
WILLIAM M. LANGLEY (served 1955-May 1957)
Born March 26, 1916, Portland, Oregon, and admitted to the Oregon State Bar in 1938.
In the private practice of law for two years with Joseph, Haney & Veatch, following
which he was a member of the Bonneville Power Administration's legal staff for two
years, and then Assistant United States Attorney in Portland for three years. In
1946 entered private law practice with his father, Lotus L. Langley, continuing until he
was elected District Attorney of Multnomah County in 1954. Subsequently returned to
private law practice in Portland. The Langleys (Lotus and William) are the only father
and son who both served as District Attorney in the history of Multnomah County.
F. LEO SMITH (served May 1957-58)
Born June 3, 1903, Portland, Oregon. Graduated from Georgetown University,
Washington, D.C. in 1928 and admitted to the Oregon State Bar the same year. In
private practice of law in Portland from 1928 until appointed District Attorney of
Multnomah County by Governor Holmes in May, 1957, at which time he publicly stated
he would not be a candidate for the office at the next election. At the request of his
elected successor, Charles E. Raymond, he remained on the District Attorney's staff as
a deputy in 1959 for several months. Served as state representative from Multnomah
County to the legislature from 1939 through 1943. Present resident of Portland.
CHARLES E. RAYMOND (served 1959-August 1962)
Born March 31.1895. State of Washington. Graduate of Northwestern College of Law,
Portland. and admitted to the bar in 1922. Served as Deputy District Attorney for
Multnomah County under the administrations of James R. Bain. Thomas B. Handley
and John B. McCourt. approximately 13 years. Elected District Attorney of Multnomah
County in 1958. serving from 1959 until his death on August 14, 1962. In 1961 the
Oregon District Attorneys' Association presented him an award which named him
"Mr. District Attorney." honoring Mr. Raymond's long service in the District
Attorney's Office of Multnomah County.
CHESTER W. PECORE (served August 17-November 19, 1962)
Born June 28. 1896. Port Angeles, Washington. Worked for a short period for the
U. S. Department of the Interior as a surveyor before serving in World War I, returning
to that position after the war. Subsequently the department transferred him to
Washington. D.C.. where he remained for 7 or 8 years and at the same time he
completed the educational requirements to become a lawyer and was admitted to the bar
in Washington, D.C. Admitted to Oregon bar September 15, 1931. Served as Deputy
District Attorney for Multnomah County for several years prior to his appointment as
District Attorney by Governor Hatfield after the death of Charles E. Raymond in
August 1962, choosing to serve only until the victor in the next election that fall had
been determined and certified. Retired in 1963 and died in Portland on June 28, 1969.
GEORGE VAN HOOMISSEN (served November 1962-70)
Born March 7, 1930, Portland, Oregon. Received B.A. degree from University of
Portland and J.D. and LL.M degrees from Georgetown University Law School,
Washington, D.C. Served as Deputy District Attorney for Multnomah County in the
administration of F. Leo Smith from June, 1957 through 1958, leaving to enter the
private practice of law. Served as state representative from Multnomah County for two
terms prior to his election as District Attorney in 1962. Appointed in November, 1962,
by Governor Hatfield to fill unfinished term of Charles E. Raymond before commencing
his elected term in 1963. Re-elected to the office of District Attorney twice, in 1966 and
1970, resigning in November of 1970 to become the first Dean of the National College
of District Attorneys at the University of Houston in Texas. Returning to Portland in
1973, he was named the first Director of Multnomah County's Department of Justice
Services, and in October of that year was appointed a circuit court judge by Governor
McCall.
DESMOND D. CONNALL (served November 1970-72)
Born September 3, 1930, New Bridge, Oregon. Graduated from Northwestern College
of Law in 1957 and admitted to bar the same year. Appointed Deputy District Attorney
for Multnomah County under F. Leo Smith in 1957, and continued to serve through the
administrations of Charles E. Raymond, Chester W. Pecore and George Van Hoomissen,
a total of 13 years. in the latter administration being Chief Criminal Deputy District
Attorney until his appointment as District Attorney in November, 1970 by Governor
McCall. Presently in private practice of law in Portland.
HARL HAAS (served 1973-)
Born December 24 , 1932, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, graduated in 1961 from
Willamette University Law School and engaged in the private practice of law for
12 years. Elected in 1969 as Multnomah County's East Central District Representative to
the state legislature, re-elected in 1971. Elected House Minority Leader in 1971 and
appointed to the State Senate in May of 1971. Elected District Attorney of Multnomah
County in 1972, re-elected in 1976. Served as National Democratic Charter Commission
member, member of the Governor's Commission on Organized Crime, Vice-Chairman
of the Oregon Law Enforcement Council, and as a commission member of the 1971
Criminal Law Revision Commission. During his tenure as District Attorney, he established
the first state programs assisting victims of crimes; limited the incidence of plea
bargaining in serious crimes; and developed specialized prosecutorial unit for repeat
offenders.
Historical Tidbits
Our research brought to light the following items, some of them pertaining to our District Attorneys and others to the locale, and are included in this brochure because of their historical interest.
- "Oregon's fathers held their first general election on May 14, 1844. The Oregon republic was composed of three legislative districts-Tualatin, Champoeg and Clackamas. The first named included what is now the Counties of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Columbia, Clatsop, Tillamook and Polk; the old Champoeg District now contains Marion, Linn, Jackson, Josephine, Lane, Curry, Coos, Benton and Douglas; the Clackamas District was an empire, including besides what is now the county of the same name, all of eastern Oregon, the states of Washington and Idaho and part of Montana." Oregon Historical Society Records
- In the early days court accommodations for lawyers were not always of the best nor the most convenient. "I remember," said Judge Reuben P. Boise (in a speech he gave in his later years), "that in the summer of 1854 the court at Eugene was held in the open air under a large oak tree, with a table and chair for the judge and some chairs and rude benches for the lawyers and other attendants, and when the court business got slack we adjourned to the racetrack which was nearby, and at one time had recess to listen to a Democratic speech by Hon. Delazon Smith, who was then a common figure in the politics of Oregon."
"Goose Hollow was for a long time a sort of 'no man's land,' being too far out to be salable for city lots, and not worth grubbing out to put in potatoes. In consequence of which a miscellaneous lot of people got in there who did not really go in the 'upper ten' class in 1862. And while the good husbands were busy digging stumps or catering to the thirst of the sturdy yeoman on Front street, their good wives were adding to family comforts by raising geese and plucking their feathers as far out as the Carter mansion.
In consequence of this goose industry it soon got to be that every woman in the little valley had a flock of geese. And in consequence of the numbers of them, they all mixed up together, and every good woman in the whole neighborhood claimed all the geese. And from pulling feathers they got to pulling other things, and some twenty, more or less, goose owners were cited to appear before Police Judge J. F. McCoy to receive justice at the August forum of Portland's first police court.
McCoy had a worse job of it than the judge who decided the case between the two women who claimed the same baby, two thousand years ago. But he was equal to the occasion and his decision was, that Marshal J. H. Lappeus and his two deputies should repair to the seat of war and round up every flock of geese that he could find, count them and then divide them equally among the contending owners; and that thereafter the first woman who complained about the geese should be 'incarcerated in the city bastile.' For that trip, Lappeus named it 'Goose Hollow,' and the name stuck. The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1911, Gaston, (1912)
Nominated by the voters at a Union (Republican) convention in April, 1862, William Carey Johnson of our gallery was elected to the office of prosecuting attorney for the Fourth Judicial District the following June, the' 'hottest" election held in Oregon to that date for it also determined whether Oregon would be a secession state or go with the Union. Although far removed from the Civil War, the people of Oregon were vitally interested and strongly divided on the issues. The Oregonian reported that on election day in Columbia County, there were recorded "40 fights, 67 shirts badly torn, 36 bloody noses, 24 black eyes, 18 backs dusted, 140 buttons lost, 12 pairs of suspenders bursted, 8 kegs of lager and 19 gallons of whiskey consumed, the ground considerably torn up, besides innumerable scratches, kicks, bites, etc." The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1911, Gaston, (1912)
"The ground being thickly covered with a fir forest, there was a long battle with this impediment to improvement, and for 20 years a portion of the townsite (Portland) was disfigured with the blackened shafts of immense trees denuded of their branches by fire." (Portland in 1862) History of Oregon, Bancroft, 1888
"In 1864 salmon sold to restaurants at $.25 for a big one. Other people purchased smaller ones for $. 10 each." City on the Willamette, Maddux, 1952
Eloquence was considered an important asset, especially to lawyers, in the 1800s. It was referred to in many biographies of the earlier District Attorneys and to others in the legal profession of their eras. Consider this excerpt from a resolution in memoriam, shown in 2 Or 195 (September Term, 1867):
"It having pleased the Almighty disposer of human events to remove from our midst by a sudden but peaceful death, our esteemed brother, Hon. R. E. Stratton, one of the justices of the Supreme Court of this State, therefore:
"RESOLVED, 1st. That by this afflictive dispensation of Providence, the community in which he lived has lost one of its most prominent and useful citizens; society, one of its brightest ornaments; his family and wide circle of relatives, a most affectionate husband and friend; and especially is it true, that an office of great public trust and honor has become vacant , that was being filled by the deceased with marked acceptance on behalf of the public, and with faithful discharge on the arduous and responsible duties of his office."
and another excerpt from 112 Or 713, regarding one of our District Attorneys, Henry E. McGinn, who died in 1923, not as dramatic perhaps but still eloquent:
"Judge McGinn was one of the most distinguished members of this bar. He was endowed by nature with a quick and vigorous mind, responsive to every subject of human interest. His remarkable memory enabled him to retain his learning as in a reservoir, whence to draw at his call the material for entertainment, instruction or persuasion. Thus equipped by nature, his wide reading added to his own experience the examples of history, which is the experience of mankind, and gave to his forensic efforts the charms of both learning and adornment."
"Courthouse hangers-on, reinforced by scores of other Portlanders, crowded on the morning of May 24, 1882, to listen to the testimony in the case of State of Oregon v. Carrie Bradley. The defendant was charged with having killed James N. Brown, a middle-aged farmer of Freeport, W. T. (Washington Territory) on Friday night, October 28, 1881. Up to that time the Bradley trial attracted more attention than any other murder case that had been tried in Portland, and for years afterwards was often referred to by reporters and lawyers when writing or speaking of other homicides.
"The woman conducted a dive on Third Street, near Yamhill. Here Brown had been robbed of $6, a few days before he was drugged. He made a complaint to District Attorney J. F. Caples, who urged the farmer to stay in the city to appear as a witness. There had been a number of complaints against this den, the keeper having been arrested several times.
"When she heard of Brown's action she set out to kill him before the case could be tried. With the help of male accomplices, Brown, while drunk, was lured back to the den. His body was found in the river below Weidler's Mill late in November. For a time it could not be identified, and then it was months before the various clues could be run down . At last, one of the accomplices told. Carrie Bradley left Portland and went to Victoria; from there she went to San Francisco, where she was arrested as she stepped from the Steamship Idaho.
"The trial lasted several days, a Sunday intervening. On Saturday night Judge Raleigh Stott allowed the jurors to attend a theater, the "Standard Minstrels & Charley Reid's Muldoon Picnic Party" were appearing at the New Market.
"On June 1st the defendant was found guilty of manslaughter. She was sentenced to 12 years in the penitentiary . One accomplice turned state's evidence, another pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to five years in prison." from Scrapbook Library (newspaper clipping, 1917)
Oregon Historical Society
(Judge Deady's Scrapbook)MARY E. LEONARD
"First woman lawyer admitted to practice before the bar of any court in Oregon was granted that privilege on Friday, March 27 , 1885, by U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Deady. (prior thereto Judge Deady had ruled that a woman was eligible to be admitted to the bar.) She was for many years afterward a well-known character about the various Portland courts.
"Mrs. Leonard had been admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Washington Territory, but a short while before Judge Deady's ruling she had been denied a like privilege by the Supreme Court of Oregon on the ground of unconstitutionality. When her application was sent to the federal court it was filed by J. M. Bower and M. F. Mulkey.
"Some years before Mrs. Leonard began the study of Blackstone, she was a resident of Wasco County. Her husband was found murdered in bed, and she was charged with the crime, arrested, tried and acquitted." Scrapbook Library
Oregon Historical SocietyThe Multnomah County District Attorney's Office has long had women lawyers on its staff-Olive Zimmerman, pictured in the photo of District Attorney Bain's staff, and Manche I. Langley (sister of District Attorney Lotus L. Langley and aunt of William M. Langley), both having served approximately 25 years in this office as deputies, Miss Zimmerman starting with the administration of James R. Bain and Miss Langley during that of her brother Lotus and commencing again in 1944 under Bain. Today there are 11 women lawyers on the staff.
Gaston's Centennial History of Oregon, 1811 -1911, included a section on "Suicide, Vice and Crime," from which the following excerpts are taken:
"In the year 1887 there were 27,419 divorces granted in the United States, 268 of them in Oregon. The rate for the nation was about 330 to the million population; the rate for Oregon was 50 percent above that. In 1911 the number' had grown to 85,000 in the nation and 1,800 in Oregon. The increase in the number of divorces in Oregon is greater than the increase in marriages. In Multnomah county the marriage licenses issued for January, 1911, were 245, and the divorces in the county for the same month were 36, while for January, 1912, the marriage licenses were 265 and the divorces 62."
"That wealth has increased in Oregon at a very rapid rate is evident from the reckless manner in which it is wasted. Public records show that there is now (1911) in the state of Oregon 2,000 retail liquor dealers (whiskey saloons); 54 wholesale liquor dealers; 60 cigar factories ; 10 tobacco factories, and 10,000 retail tobacco shops. There are 10,000 automobiles in the state , costing over 30 million dollars, and most of them used for pleasure rather than business. Not less than ten million dollars is annually wasted in Oregon for whiskey and tobacco.
"Associated with this waste and largely a result of it, is the insidious corruption of social vice. And on this point is copied the
REPORT OF THE VICE COMMISSION
"In response to a general demand from a large number of people having the interests of society at heart, a commission composed of the following citizens of Portland, Oregon, to-wit: Rev. Henry Russell Talbot, chairman; L. L. Levings, secretary; Rev. H.J. McDevitt, Rev. W. G. McLaren, David F. Morrison, John H. Stevenson, Dr. S. A. Brown, H. M. Patton, E. O. Sawyer, Jr., George A. Thacher, Rev. Delmer H. Trimble, Arthur E. Wood, Mrs. Millie R. Trumbull and William S. Biddle, was organized to investigate the haunts of vice in that city. This commission was provided with ample means and procured from New York and other cities persons familiar with the subject to be investigated, and took nine months of time to get to the bottom of the business. The following is a summary of their published report:
"That a person might stand on the roof of one of the principal churches of the city and throw a stone into anyone of 14 immoral places, ten of which are wholly immoral. "That nine places were investigated, immediately surrounding one of the principal department stores of the city, and only one of them was found to be moral. Four were wholly given up to prostitution or assignation and the remaining four were of the intermediate grades of immorality."The report classifies the 546 places visited into apartments, hotels, rooming and lodging houses and gives the following general analysis to their character morally:
APARTMENTS 1. Moral 22 2. Doubtful 9 3. Immoral (a) Wholly given up to prostitution or assignation 9 (b) Immoral tenants desired or preferred 10 (c) Immorality countenanced or ignored 30 Total 80
HOTELS 1. Moral 5 2. Doubtful 3 3. Immoral (a) Wholly given up to prostitution or assignation 6 (b) Immoral tenants desired or preferred 17 (c) Immorality countenanced or ignored 28 Total 59
ROOMING AND LODGING HOUSES 1. Moral 71 2. Doubtful 6 3. Immoral (a) Wholly given up to prostitution or assignation 107 (b) Immoral tenants desired or preferred 88 (c) Immorality countenanced or ignored 136 Total 408
VICE MONOPOLY REVEALED
"Discussing the subjects of vice monopoly, the members of the commission in their report, said:
"Closely allied to the element of profit in commercialized vice in relation to the conduct of hotels and rooming-houses, is an observed tendency on the part of individual and realty firms to acquire and either manage or control properties in which immorality contributes to the revenue. This tendency is manifested from instances where one person owns or controls two such properties, to that wherein a dozen or more such places are owned or controlled by one real estate firm.
"The insidiousness of this evil is evident. As commercialized vice spreads through houses of public accommodation, its demoralizing influence is exerted in a most insidious way. It tempts the cupidity of proprietors. It furnishes a convenient and comparatively safe field for the lecherous exploits of the libertine. It subjects the vanity of weak women to terrible temptation, which too often leads them, for the sake of gayety and good clothes, to take the plunge into the underworld . It opens new territory in which men and women who trade and barter in prostitution may conduct their business with greater profit and safety. It develops abnormal phases of viciousness and dangerous deceit, as this commission discovered and can show by its records-cases wherein apparently respectable lodging-houses and hotels have been converted into centers of activity for a wide circle of depraved people; where debauchery of almost unbelievable character is practiced; where blackmail is hatched against those who have money and social position. Even beyond all this, the evil of commercialized vice has been found by this commission flourishing virulently in a house of refined and respectable surroundings under the managerial control of a minister of the gospel who lives outside the city, and on the list of one of the city's benevolent institutions as an applicant for the patronage of young women who were seeking respectable rooming places.
POLICE COURT -A jury, judge and defendant in one of the old police courts at 2nd and Oak Streets."This shameful record of the one great city of the state was but the out cropping evidence of other and greater dangers and enemies to social order and the due execution of the laws. This demoralization of the public conscience soon passed beyond the phase of private immorality to that open defiance of the laws to protect the lives and liberties of decent and law-abiding people. Public officials were either bribed or cowed and bullied into silence in the presence of rape, robbery and murder. To such an extent were these outrages carried that the governor of the state, Oswald West, was compelled to invoke the last resort of his power and authority under the state constitution, and demand that the laws be honestly and vigorously enforced, or the officials set to do that duty must be removed from office. This demand was made upon the mayors of Huntington and Madras; and upon the sheriff and district attorney of Multnomah County. The sheriff failing to act, the governor issued a proclamation of martial law (under date of July 1, 1912). Under (this proclamation) a high and impassable fence surrounding the "roadhouse" was torn down by the national guardsmen, and the house taken possession of and held until the owner yielded obedience to the governor and entered into an agreement to conduct his place in a decent law abiding manner."
Present
The District Attorney is actually a state officer but is the legal representative of both the state and the county in which he is elected.
As an agent of the state charged with enforcing its laws, the District Attorney conducts all criminal prosecutions. Prior to 1972 when the Office of County Counsel for Multnomah County was created, the District Attorney for this county also acted as legal advisor to all county and state officials on county affairs, and served as prosecuting and defending attorney in all cases brought against the county or on its behalf.
From meager beginnings in 1855 when one district attorney handled all the criminal, civil and domestic relations affairs of the county, the position of District Attorney has grown to be one of the most important and the office one of the largest operations in the county.
For example, in 1956, the District Attorney of Multnomah County had a staff of 27, which included deputy district attorneys and clerical staff. Then the soaring crime rates in the sixties and seventies drastically increased the District Attorney's workload.
Presently the District Attorney's staff is composed of 152 deputies, investigators and other professional and clerical staff. New programs have been developed to aid victims of crime and to apply innovative techniques toward apprehending, prosecuting and convicting dangerous offenders, and in 1976 the District Attorney's caseload included over 3,100 felony arraignments and 7,500 misdemeanor complaints issued.
Credits
We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the individuals listed without whose cooperation and, in some instances, the furnishing of photographs, our gallery and the biographies would be seriously lacking. The assistance and cooperation also of staff members of the organizations and offices shown is equally acknowledged, and we take this opportunity to compliment both the Oregon Historical Society for the excellent collections in its reference, scrapbook and photograph libraries, and the Multnomah County Library for the fine Portland newspaper collection dating back to 1850.
Mrs. Thomas B. Handley
Mrs. Chester W. Pecore
Me. & Mrs. John B. McCourt
Mrs. Walter T. Gearin
Oregon Historical Society
Multnomah County Library
Multnomah County Law Library
Oregon State Bar
Coun Administrator's Office, Supreme Court, Salem
Secretary of State's Office, Salem
Court Administrator's Office, Circuit Court, Multnomah County
The Oregon Journal
The Oregonian
Clackamas County Bar Association