Thomas A. Livesley (December 8, 1863 – July 22, 1947) was an American businessman 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 successful hop farmer and broker, Livesley was known as the "Hop King" of Oregon.Index to Politicians: Little-smith to Livings.
The Political Graveyard. Retrieved on December 1, 2007. Livesley served as mayor of Salem and as a state representative. He was the original builder and owner of what is still considered to be the tallest commercial building in Salem. The mansion he had built for his family, Mahonia Hall, now serves as the Governor's official residence for the State of Oregon.Oregon Department of Transportation

Early life and career

Thomas Livesley was born in Ironton, Wisconsin, on December 8, 1863, to Samuel Livesley and Margaret "Ellen" Maddock Livesley. Samuel Livesley was a hop farmer in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. Thomas moved to Salem, Oregon, in 1894. Shortly after arriving in the city he bought the first of several hop farms that would become known as the T.A. Livesley Co. In 1915, the company produced as many as a million pounds of hops, one tenth of all hops produced in Oregon at the time and one thirtieth of all hops produced worldwide.Morrison, Suzann
''Thomas A. Livesley''
Mission Mill Museum. 1973-01-13 retrieved 2007-11-30 In 1924, his Lakebrook Farms was one of the first in the state to provide day care, a school, playgrounds and medical facilities for seasonal workers on its grounds. During

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

, the company was large enough to sell its product overseas and it survived the downturn suffered by many hop farmers. Livesley would also expand into

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, and at one time he was the President of the Canadian Hop Growers Association. In time Livesley would expand into other business ventures. He was vice president of Oregon Linen Mills and in 1927 he erected the 11-story First National Bank Building, later known as the Livesley Building following his death in 1947 and now known as the Capitol Center.Kim, Eunic
"building's 80th birthday is reason to party"
'

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

''. November 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-30 The building, designed by architect L.L. Dougan, is incorrectly claimed by some to have been the tallest in Oregon at the time but other buildings 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 ...

were older and taller. The Capitol Center is the tallest commercial building in Salem. Earlier, Livesley had commissioned Ellis F. Lawrence, later founder of the

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, to design and build a personal home. The Tudor-style mansion is now on the

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(as the T. A. Livesley House) and in 1988 was purchased by citizens with private donations and donated to the state; it now serves as the official residence of the governor and their family, renamed Mahonia Hall.

Political career

Elected Mayor of Salem in 1927, he presided over a number of public works in the city that included bridge building, paving of major streets, the installation of street lights and traffic signals and the construction of the Salem Municipal Airport (McNary Field). He became known as the "Good Roads Mayor". Livesley was also an advocate of a city council-city manager form of government which the city adopted before his death and still uses today. In 1936, he was elected to 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 ...

and served in the 1937 legislative session. Livesley was a Democrat from District 12, representing Salem and Marion County. He was not re-elected in 1938.Oregon Legislative Assembly (40th) 1939 Regular Session.
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on December 1, 2007.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Livesley, Thomas 1863 births 1947 deaths Mayors of Salem, Oregon Politicians from Sauk County, Wisconsin Members of the Oregon House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly