Author's Entries

• Abigail Scott Duniway (1834-1915)

  Outspoken and often controversial, Abigail Scott Duniway is remembered as Oregon's Mother of Equal Suffrage and "the pioneer Woman Suffragist of the great Northwest." As lecturer, organizer, writer, and editor, Duniway devoted over forty years to the cause of women's rights. For the election of 1872, Duniway joined other Republicans, …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Bethenia Owens-Adair (1840-1926)

  Bethenia Owens-Adair overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to become a social reformer and one of Oregon's first women doctors with a medical degree. Some Oregon women, such as Dr. Mary Thompson, called themselves "doctor" but had not attended medical school and did not possess degrees. A few others, such as …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• George Putnam Riley (1833–1905)

  Identified by the Oregonian as the “Fred[erick] Douglass of Oregon,” George P. Riley was a passionate advocate for equal rights and a leading figure in Portland's early African American community. With inspirational oratory, breadth of knowledge, and organizational skills, Riley helped advance political and economic opportunities for many.  Born …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• James William Beatty (1830–1914)

  From his arrival in Oregon in about 1864 until his death in 1914, James Beatty was a highly regarded member of Portland’s African American community. A businessman and respected property owner, he was a leader in community affairs, an activist and an advocate for civil rights. Born on October …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Lewis & Clark College

  Lewis & Clark College, a private and academically selective liberal arts college in Portland, is recognized nationally for its excellence in undergraduate teaching, its contributions to the public good, its environmental and sustainability efforts, and its overseas study programs. In 2017, when the college celebrates its sesquicentennial year, its …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Margaret Jewett Smith Bailey (1812-1882)

  Writing under the pen name Ruth Rover, Margaret Jewett Smith Bailey wrote one of the earliest works in Oregon, The Grains, or, Passages in the Life of Ruth Rover, with Occasional Pictures of Oregon, Natural and Moral, published in 1854 by Carter & Austin in Portland. The book appeared …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Mark A. Bell (1825–1897)

  Marcus "Mark" A. Bell was a visible and enterprising leader in Portland’s early Black community. His enduring commitment to "equality under the law for all" was a shared and inspirational goal for Black people and their allies in Portland and beyond. In addition to possessing considerable leadership skills, he …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Mary Anna Cooke Thompson (1825 - 1919)

  Honored in her lifetime as one of Oregon's pioneer doctors, Mary Anna Cooke Thompson practiced medicine in Portland for over forty years and was recognized as a leader for women’s rights. Although she held no degree, Thompson began advertising her practice in Portland newspapers in 1867 and was eventually known …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Mary H. Carr (1823?–1911)

  Mary H. Carr was an enterprising and respected member of Portland's early Black community. Known for her courage and resilience, she was a successful businesswoman, a leader in the Workingmen's Joint Stock Association of Portland, and a committed member of the city's first Black church. Except for two …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Mary Laurinda Jane Smith Beatty (1834–1899)

  Mary Beatty, one of the first Black women west of the Mississippi to advocate publicly for woman suffrage, attempted to vote in the 1872 presidential election and a year later addressed the organizing convention of the Oregon State Woman Suffrage Association. Known as “Mrs. Beatty (colored),” her full name …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Mary Priscilla Avery Sawtelle (1835-1894)

  Mary Sawtelle, one of the first women in Oregon to earn a medical degree, was born in New York in 1835, the daughter of Benjamin and Lucretia Avery. After the death of her father, a Methodist minister, her mother married John Stipp, a Primitive Baptist minister. In 1848, the family …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Minnie Myrtle Miller (Theresa Dyer) (1845-1882)

  Minnie Myrtle Miller, the "Poetess of the Coquille," was born Theresa Dyer in Brookville, Indiana, on May 2, 1845. She was the daughter of Aaron and Sarah A. Dyer, who journeyed with their children from Ohio to Oregon in 1859 and settled on a farm in Curry County, not …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• Tabitha Moffat Brown (1780-1858)

  Of the 158 names inscribed in the legislative chambers of the Oregon State Capitol, only six are women. One of those is Tabitha Moffat Brown, named by the 1987 Oregon legislature as "The Mother of Oregon." The legislature proclaimed that she “represents the distinctive pioneer heritage, and the charitable …

  Oregon Encyclopedia

• William Brown (1828?–1889)

  William Brown was a respected and influential citizen in Portland's early Black community. A staunch advocate of equal education for all children, he played a significant role in establishing educational opportunities for Black children in the city, first in a separate school and later in integrated public schools. As …

  Oregon Encyclopedia