History of Portland, (Multnomah County) Oregon United States of America

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Biographies:

Francis Norbert Blanchet, R.C. archbishop, was born in the parish of St. Pierre, Rivi?re du S?d, Province of Quebec, Sept. 30, 1795; brother of Augustin Magliore Alexander Blanchet. He was educated in the little seminary of Sulpicians at Quebec, and made his theological course at the great seminary of the same order. He was ordained priest by Archbishop Plessis of Quebec in 1819, and until 1827 had charge of the mission of Richibucto in New Brunswick, meanwhile building three churches in the wilderness. He was then assigned to the church of St. Joseph de Soulanges at the Cedars, in the district of Montreal. Here he remained until 1826. After the establishment of the Hudson Bay company in Oregon there was a large influx of Canadian Catholics into the territory, and the archbishop of Quebec sent Fathers Blanchet and Demers to take pastoral charge. Father Blanchet was stationed at Vancouver. On May 4, 1844, he was made vicar-apostolic of Oregon, being consecrated by Mgr. Bourget, assisted by Mgr. Flavien and Bishop Power at Montreal, July 25, 1845. The vicarate of Oregon became an ecclesiastical province in 1846, and Bishop Blanchet was made archbishop July 24, 1846. He retired from active life in 1880, and died at Portland, Ore., June 18, 1883.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Matthew Paul Deady, jurist, was born in Easton, Md., May 12, 1824. He removed to Virginia and thence to Ohio. He was self educated, beginning life as a forge tender and blacksmith and becoming successively farmer, student and teacher. He gained admission to the Ohio bar in 1847 and settled in Oregon Territory in 1849. He opened the first school in Lafayette, Ore., and in 1850 began to practise law. He was elected to the Oregon house of representatives in 1850 and to the territorial senate in 1851. He compiled the first local laws published, and in 1852 was president of the council. He was appointed judge of the supreme court in 1853 and organized courts in the five counties of the territory. In 1857 he presided over the state constitutional convention. He was U.S. district judge from Oregon, 1859-93. In 1862 he was appointed a commissioner to prepare a civil cede and code of criminal procedure, completing the task in 1864. He also compiled the laws of the state and in 1874 made further codifications. In connection with Dr. George H. Atkinson, he organized the school system of the state and was president of the board of regents of the University of Oregon and also of the Portland library association. He died at Portland, Ore., March 24, 1893.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor