Albert E. Tozier (March 7, 1860 – June 27, 1937) was an American newspaper editor and local historian in Oregon. A native of Nebraska, he moved to Oregon as a child with his parents, settling in Hillsboro. His father, Charles T. Tozier, served as mayor of the town and in the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

. Albert worked as editor of '' The Hillsboro Argus'' and curator of the museum at Champoeg.

Early life

Albert Tozier was born in Cass County, Nebraska, to Charles and Zerilda Tozier on March 7, 1860.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''.

Binfords & Mort Publishing Binford & Mort Publishing is a book publishing company located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1930, the company was previously known as Metropolitan Press and Binfords & Mort. At one time they were the largest book publisher in t ...

. p. 246. Of French descent, the Tozier family immigrated to North America and settled in Nova Scotia before moving to the United States. The family traveled overland with a team of oxen to Oregon via the Oregon Trail in 1863, settling in Washington County near Hillsboro.Tozier rang church bell for 64 years. '' The Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976. There Tozier attended Tualatin Academy preparatory school in neighboring

Forest Grove A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

where he graduated in 1881. In 1872, he rang the bell at the Hillsboro Methodist Church on New Year's Eve to announce the new year. He returned to do this for 64 consecutive years, traveling from as far away as New York City and South America to keep his streak alive.

Newspapers and historian

In 1883, he founded the ''Lewis County Nugget'' newspaper with his cousin. Based in Lewis County, Washington, in the town of

Chehalis Chehalis may refer to: People * Chehalis people, a Native American people of Washington state **Lower Chehalis language **Upper Chehalis language * Sts'Ailes people (Chehalis people), a First Nation in British Columbia * Chehalis First Nation, Bri ...

, the paper was later known as the ''Chehalis Nugget''. In 1885, Tozier became the editor and part owner of the ''Hillsboro Independent'' newspaper (now '' The Hillsboro Argus'') and remained until 1887.Turnbull, George Stanley. ''History of Oregon Newspapers''. Binfords & Mort: Portland, Or. (1939). pp. 212-218. Also in 1885, he helped to found the

National Editorial Association The National Newspaper Association (NNA) is a Pensacola, FL based non-profit newspaper trade association founded in 1885. The organization has over 2,300 members, making it the largest newspaper trade association in the United States. The organiza ...

, and later served one year as the organization's president. Tozier served as secretary of the Oregon Press Association for 15 years. By 1906, he was working for the ''Farmer'' paper based in Portland.What the Oregon editors saw at Hood River.
''The Hood River Glacier'', October 27, 1904, p. 6. He also collected many artifacts concerning Oregon's history in association with his sister Edith, and served as keeper of the historical artifacts at what became

Champoeg State Park Champoeg ( , historically Horner, John B. (1919). ''Oregon: Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature''. The J.K. Gill Co.: Portland. p. 398.) is a former town in the U.S. state of Oregon. Now a ghost town, it was an important settlement in the W ...

when it was a museum of the

Oregon Historical Society The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the Oregon Country, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, preser ...

.County journalism dates back to 1848. '' The Hillsboro Argus'', October 19, 1976.

Later years

In the early 1930s, Tozier donated his collection of historical items, which included books, pictures, maps, and other items to the county historical society. The collection was this basis for what became the

Washington County Museum Five Oaks Museum, formerly known as the Washington County Museum, is a history museum in Washington County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the Rock Creek campus of Portland Community College (PCC), north of Beaverton, Oregon. From 2012 t ...

.Buan, Carolyn M. ''This Far-Off Sunset Land: A Pictorial History of Washington County, Oregon''. Donning Company Publishers, 1999. p. 15. In 1936, poor health kept him from ringing the bell at the Methodist Church, ending the 64-year tradition. Tozier died on June 27, 1937, at the age of 77 and was buried at Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery.

References

External links

Guide to the Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair Records
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tozier, Albert E. People from Cass County, Nebraska People from Hillsboro, Oregon American newspaper editors 1860 births 1937 deaths Burials at Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery Oregon pioneers People from Chehalis, Washington American people of French descent