Rufus Mallory (January or June 10, 1831 – April 30, 1914) was an American educator, lawyer, and politician in the 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 ...

. A native of New York, he was a teacher in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

before moving to Oregon where he became an attorney. He was a district attorney before he served in the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

in the early 1860s. A Republican, he served as

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from Oregon for a single term from 1867 to 1869 and then returned to the state house where he was Speaker of the Oregon House. Later he worked for the U.S. Treasury Department, while the Hotel Mallory in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

was commissioned by him. Portland has additionally honored his memory via Mallory Avenue in the Albina District.Snyder, Eugene E. Portland Names and Neighborhoods: Their Historic Origin. Portland: Binford & Mort, 1979. Print.

Early life

Rufus Mallory was born in

Coventry, New York Coventry is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 1,655 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Coventry, Connecticut, by settlers from New England. Coventry is in the southern part of Chenango County and is no ...

, 1831 on either June 10Gaston, Joseph. 1911
Portland, Oregon, its history and builders: in connection with the antecedent explorations, discoveries, and movements of the pioneers that selected the site for the great city of the Pacific
Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., p. 5-6. or January 10 to Samuel and Lucretia Mallory (née Davis).Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 156.Colmer, Montagu, and Charles Erskine Scott Wood. 1910. ''History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon''. Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co. p. 182-183. One of nine children, he attended the local schools in Allegany and

Steuben Steuben or Von Steuben most commonly refers to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730–1794), Prussian-American military officer, or to a number of things named for him in the United States. It may also refer to: Places *Steuben Township, Marshall C ...

counties, first at Scio from 1835 to 1837, followed by school in Greenwood from 1837 to 1845. In 1845 he started at Alfred Academy (now

Alfred University Alfred University is a private university in Alfred, New York, United States. It has a total undergraduate population of approximately 1,600 students. The university hosts the statutory New York State College of Ceramics, which includes The In ...

) in New York, spending a single term each year in 1845, 1846, and 1848. Mallory left at age 16 to begin teaching and

reading law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship u ...

. He moved to New London, Iowa, where he taught school from 1855 to 1858.

Oregon

In 1858, he left Iowa to move to the then

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...

by way of the

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route. He arrived on the first day of 1859 and settled in the

Southern Oregon Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia thr ...

town of Roseburg in Douglas County where he continued teaching for 15 months. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1860, and was selected as the district attorney for Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties. Mallory married Lucy A. Rose, the daughter of Roseburg founder Aaron Rose, on June 24, 1860, and they had one son. In 1862, he was elected to the

as a Republican. Mallory represented Douglas County and continued in office until 1864. Late in 1862 he moved to Salem along with his law partner James M. Pyle. There he was again selected as a district attorney, for Oregon's third district, in office from 1862 to 1866. As a prosecutor in Salem, he gained fame for securing the conviction of George Beale and George Baker for the murder of farmer Daniel Delaney in one of Oregon's first sensational trials. The convicted men were hanged in front of thousands of onlookers in downtown Salem on May 17, 1865.

Congress

A year later, Mallory's fame led him to win election as Oregon's representative in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

. Mallory defeated his opponent James D. Fay by 600 votes. His term in Congress coincided with the

impeachment of Andrew Johnson The Federal impeachment in the United States, impeachment of Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors" was initiated by the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 1868. The alleged high crimes and misdemeanors were after ...

. Mallory, a Republican, voted against the first failed attempt at impeachment in the fall of 1867, but in the second attempt in February 1868, gave an impassioned speech on the House floor, and voted with his party to impeach the President. He would serve one term, from March 4, 1867, to March 3, 1869, and did not seek re-election in 1868.

Later years

After serving in Congress, Mallory resumed his Salem law practice. In 1872, he was again elected to the Oregon House of Representatives from Marion County, and served as Speaker of the House. After one two-year term, he was appointed as United States district attorney in 1874 and served until 1882. He was then appointed as a special agent of the Treasury Department in

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, and after completing the necessary business, continued around the world in 78 days to Portland, where he resumed his law practice. Mallory joined the firm of Dolph, Bellinger, Mallory & Simon in November 1883. In 1887, Mallory was one of the incorporators of the Willamette Bridge Railway Company. The first Morrison Street Bridge was completed in April 1887 and Mallory's company operated a steam-powered streetcar across the bridge, expanding into the Sunnyside neighborhood in 1888 and then to Mt. Tabor in 1889. In 1890, he became one of the founding members of the Oregon Bar Association.

Death and legacy

Rufus Mallory died in Portland on April 30, 1914, at the age of 83, with his cremated remains placed in the vaults of the Portland Cremation Association. The Hotel Mallory in

, built in 1912, was commissioned by Mallory. The structure was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2004, was thoroughly renovated, and reopened as the Hotel deLuxe in 2006.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mallory, Rufus 1831 births 1914 deaths People from Oregon Territory Burials at Portland Memorial Mausoleum Speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives Alfred University alumni Politicians from Salem, Oregon United States attorneys for the District of Oregon History of Portland, Oregon District attorneys in Oregon Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon People from Coventry, New York Lawyers from Salem, Oregon American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly