Page:Pen Pictures of Representative Men of Oregon.djvu/103

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the offices of Deacon and Clerk in that organization for many years, and delegate to the State Association and Assistant Clerk for six years. Was made a Mason by Harmony Lodge No. 12, Portland, Oregon, in February, 1867, and has held the office of Secretary for two years. Holds member- ship in other organizations. Odd Fellows, Workmen, Knights of Honor, and has served as Secretary for many terms. Has decided views upon all lead- ing questions of the day, being an ardent Republican; has never sought political preferment but once, and that was the position of State Printer in 1878, While he had a strong support, he had not votes enough to secure nomination, and caused his followers, after the secon(i ballot, to throw theii- votes for W. B. Carter, who was nominated and elected. Has been ap- pointed by the Governor State printing expert twice, in 1879 and 1882. Mr. Himes' job printing establishment in this city is a very extensive one, and he has, by the correctness, dispatch and artistic appearance of all work done, acquired the name of being " the" printer of Portland. Personally. George is a fine-looking man, with just a tinge of pale delicacy in his com- plexion, caused, no doubt, by his constant application to business; is popu- lar among the printers and enjoys the esteem of a very large circle of warm personal friends.

WILLIAM S. JAMES, Of the Columbia Commercial College, Portland. This gentleman was born in Lee county, Iowa, August 3, 1843, and after attending school for a few years, entered a printing office at Albany, Gentry county, Missouri, where he served a regular apprenticeship and came out a thorough me- chanic. In the year 1860 young James came to the Pacific Coast, and in 1864, during the civil war, he joined Company I, Sixth Regiment Infantry, famous California volunteers, in which command he served with distinction to the end of the war. Mr. James came to Oregon in the fall of 1867, and his first situation was foremanship on the Corvallis " Gazette." Having by attentive study and assiduous application obtainea a thorough commercial education, and became an artistic penman, Mr. James gave most of his at- tention to self-cultivation and instruction of these studies, working at print- ing as a means of obtaining the funds necessary to perfect himself, and he soon acquired quite a repiitation as a master and became generally known. Since that time Mr. James has been connected with the foremost institu- tions of this State, and he was the first gentleman to inaugurate the Com- mercial Department of the Willamette University. The Professor was mar- ried December 29, 1869, to Miss Mary E. Bird, an estimable young lady of Portland. In the winter of 1872-'3 the Commercial College, with which he was connected, was burned to the ground and he lost all of his most valu- able specimens of penmanship. Misfortunes seemed to follow, and in the following year Mrs. James was called away from earth. This last calamity, coming as it did when he was in the midst of other troubles, induced him to give up teaching for awhile. He was then offered the control of the Baker City " Herald," and he retained the management of that journal from October, 1874, until October, 1875, and met with unqualified success. Al-


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