James A. Chapman (September 4, 1821 – December 12, 1885) was a physician in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

who served three non-consecutive terms as

mayor of Portland, Oregon The mayor of Portland, Oregon is the official head of the city of Portland, Oregon, United States. The officeholder is elected for a four-year term and has no term limits. By law, all elections in Portland are nonpartisan. The current mayor is K ...

Early life

Chapman was born in

Friendship, New York Friendship is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2020 census. The town's name was adopted to mark the resolution of earlier conflicts. Friendship is near the center of Allegany County and is nort ...

. He studied medicine and graduated from

Geneva Medical College Geneva Medical College was founded on September 15, 1834, in Geneva, New York, as a separate department (college) of Geneva College, currently known as Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In 1871, the medical school was transferred to Syracuse Un ...

in 1846. He set up a medical practice in

Cuba, New York Cuba is a town on the western border of Allegany County, New York, United States. The village of Cuba lies within its borders. The federally recognized tribe of Seneca Native Americans has a reservation on the western town line. As of the 20 ...

, and after a few years, moved to

Dundee, New York Dundee is a village in Yates County, New York, United States. The population was 1,725 at the 2010 census. The name was taken from Dundee, the city in Scotland with a population of 148,260. The Village of Dundee is in the Town of Starkey. The vi ...

, where he began another practice.

Travel to Oregon

In 1861, with the onset of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Chapman volunteered for service and was appointed surgeon with the 50th New York Regiment. He remained with the regiment as it moved south until 1862, when he was transferred to an overland expedition under Captain

Medorem Crawford Medorem Crawford (June 24, 1819 – December 26, 1891) was an American soldier and politician in what became the state of Oregon. A native of the state of New York (state), New York, he emigrated to the Oregon Country in 1842 where he participated ...

to assist emigrants to

. After the expedition arrived in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, in late 1862, Chapman joined James C. Hawthorne's medical practice, but Hawthorne left shortly after to run the newly established

Oregon Hospital for the Insane :''This is about the privately-owned facility in Portland (1859-1883), not to be confused with Oregon State Hospital in Salem (established 1883).'' Oregon Hospital for the Insane was a facility constructed in the city of Portland, Oregon, Portl ...

. Chapman began a new practice with William H. Watkins.

Mayor of Portland

In June 1867, mayor Thomas J. Holmes, who had been appointed the previous year after the resignation of

Henry Failing Henry Failing (January 17, 1834 – November 8, 1898) was a banker, and one of the leading businessmen of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He was one of Portland, Oregon's earliest residents, and served as that city's mayor in two ...

, was elected to a full term, and then died the following morning. Judge Aaron E. Waite was first chosen by the City Council to replace Holmes, but declined due to ill health. Chapman was appointed mayor on July 31, 1867, and served until the following June, when a special election to complete Holmes' term was won by Hamilton Boyd. In the early 1870s, Chapman was appointed surgeon-general to the Oregon militia by Governor

La Fayette Grover La Fayette Grover (November 29, 1823May 10, 1911) was a Democratic politician and lawyer from the U.S. state of Oregon. He was the fourth Governor of Oregon, represented Oregon in the United States House of Representatives, and served one ter ...

. In 1875, he sought election as mayor against incumbent

. Chapman defeated Failing, who had been criticized for a number of his ordinances and his response to a massive 1872 fire that consumed 22 blocks of the Portland waterfront. Chapman served one two-year term, and then ran again in 1882, defeating another incumbent, David P. Thompson.

Death

Late in 1885, Chapman suffered serious injuries after being thrown from his

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

when he drove it into a low-hanging telephone wire. A few weeks later, he suffered a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

and died from his injuries. He is buried in

Lone Fir Cemetery Lone Fir Cemetery, in the southeast section of Portland, Oregon, United States, is a cemetery owned and maintained by Metro, a regional government entity. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first burial was in 1846 with the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, J. A. 1821 births 1885 deaths 19th-century mayors of places in Oregon People from Friendship, New York Mayors of Portland, Oregon Oregon Democrats Physicians from Portland, Oregon Burials at Lone Fir Cemetery Geneva Medical College alumni