History of Washington County Pennsylvania United States of America

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John H. Mitchell, senator, was born in Washington county, Pa., June 22, 1835; son of John and Jemima Mitchell, and grandson of John Mitchell of Scotch-German ancestry. His parents moved to Butler county in 1837, where he attended a private school and the Witherspoon institute. He was admitted to the bar in 1856, and removing to California practised in San Luis Obispo and San Francisco until 1860, when he went to Portland, Ore. He was corporation attorney for the city of Portland, 1861-62. At this time there was a strong sentiment in the Pacific states in favor of tire establishment of a Pacific Coast Republic. The scheme gained considerable headway, and Mr. Mitchell's eloquence and influence were employed in support of the Union. On this issue he was elected to the state senate in 1862, and in 1864, serving as chairman of the judiciary committee and the last three terms as presiding officer of the senate. He was married Feb. 25, 1862, to Mattie E. Price of Portland, Ore. He was commissioned lieutenant-colonel of the Home Guards in 1865. He was a candidate for the caucus nomination for U.S. senator in 1865, when bat thirty-one years of age, but was defeated in the caucus by one vote. He was professor of medical jurisprudence in the Willamette university, Salem, Ore., 1867-71; was a Republican U.S. senator from Oregon, 1873-1879, and was defeated for re-election in 1878, the legislature being Democratic. In 1882 he was the caucus nominee of his party but was defeated by a bolt. He was again elected to the U.S. senate in 1885, and re-elected in 1891, serving continuously, 1885-97. In the caucus of the Republican members of the legislature, Jan. 10, 1897, there being forty-eight members present, two more than a majority of the whole legislature, he was unanimously declared the nominee of the Republican party for U.S. senator to succeed himself; twenty-eight members of the House, however, refused to take the oath of office during the entire session, thus destroying a quorum and preventing a vote for senator, and also preventing the passage of any appropriation or other acts during the entire session. During his service of three terms he was chairman at different times of the committees on privileges and elections, claims, mines and mining, and transportation routes to the seaboard, and a member of the judiciary, joint library and other committees. He succeeded in obtaining appropriations of nearly $3,000,000 for the construction of a system of canal and locks at the Cascades on the Columbia and secured the passage of a bill through the senate making an appropriation of $2,600,000 to build a ship railway at The Dalles of the Columbia, which failed in the house. After March 3, 1897, he continued his law practice as counsel for large railroads and other corporations in Portland, Ore. He was, on Feb. 23, 1901, elected for the fourth time to the U.S. senate for a full term, to succeed George W. McBride, his name being first presented on the fifty-third ballot, when he was elected.

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

William Baker, representative, was born in Washington county, Pa., April 29, 1831. He was graduated at Waynesbury college in 1856; was principal of the public schools at Council Bluffs, 1858-66; engaged in mercantile pursuits in Pennsylvania, 1866-77; removed to Kansas in 1878, and became a stockraiser. In 1890 he was elected to represent the 6th Kansas district in the 52d congress, the first candidate supported by the People's party in opposition to both Republican and Democratic nominees. He was returned to the 53d and 54th congresses.

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

Hiram Price, representative, was born in Washington county, Pa., Jan. 10, 1814. He attended the common schools; was a merchant's clerk; engaged in farming for a time; was married in 1834 to Susan Bette, and in 1844 removed to Davenport, Iowa, where he established himself as a merchant. He served as school-fund commissioner of Scott county for eight years; collector, treasurer and recorder of the county for seven years, and was president of the state bank of Iowa, 1859-66, during which time the thirteen branches of that bank were changed to national banks without the less of a dollar. He was paymaster-general of Iowa in 1861, and as the state had no public funds, he quartered and subsisted about 5,000 infantry and cavalry for several months from his individual means and also advanced $5,000 to pay off the 1st, 2d and 3d Iowa regiments. He was a Republican representative from Iowa in the 38th, 39th, 40th congresses, 1863-69, serving in the 39th congress as chairman of the committee on the Pacific railroad and as a member of the committee on Revolutionary pensions. He subsequently spent some time in Europe; was re-elected to the 45th and 46th congresses, serving, 1877-81, and in 1880 declined re-nomination. He was U.S. commissioner of Indian affairs, 1881-85. He died in Washington, D.C., May 30, 1901.

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

William Holmes McGuffey, educator, was born in Washington county, Pa., Sept. 23, 1800; son of Alexander and Anna (Holmes) McGuffey. His parents removed to Trumbull county, Ohio, about 1810, and he was graduated from Washington college, Pa., in 1826. He was professor of Latin, Greek and Hebrew at Miami university, Ohio, 1826-32; was licensed to preach by the presbytery of Oxford in 1829; was professor of mental philosophy, philology and general criticism at Miami university, 1834-36; president of Cincinnati college, 1836-39, and of Ohio university, 1839-43; professor in the Woodward High school, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1843-45, and professor of mental and moral philosophy in the University of Virginia, 1845-73. He was twice married, first in April, 1827, to Harriet Speninty of Dayton, Ohio, and secondly, in 1851, to Laura Howard. He received the degree of D.D. from Washington college in 1842, and that of LL.D. elsewhere. He is the author of McGuffey's eclectic readers and spelling books. He died at the University of Virginia, Charlotteville, Va., May 4, 1873.

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

History of Washington County Pennsylvania

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