William D. Hare
Encyclopedia
William Davenport Hare was an American
politician in Oregon
. He served as a Republican
member of the Oregon Legislature and the 8th mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon
. His other duties included those of customs collector
and presidential elector. A native of what was Virginia
, his grandfather was a member of the United States Congress
, while several of his descendants would also serve in the Oregon Legislature.
(after 1863, West Virginia
), William Hare was born September 1, 1834, the eldest of nine children of the Reverend Joseph Hare and his wife, the former Frances Ellen Davenport. Hare’s paternal grandfather emigrated from England
and settled in Ohio
. His maternal grandfather was Congressman John Davenport
. In 1853, as he was turning 19, William embarked upon the transcontinental journey to the Oregon Territory
across the Oregon Trail
with Jesse Edwards, who would settle in Benton County
.
Hare first settled in Portland, Oregon
, where he worked as a purser on the steamship Fashion for three years. In that position he also spent time as the captain and pilot of the boat. In 1857, he moved to Hillsboro to take a job copying records for the county. The records were copied for parts of the county that were split-off from Washington County and added to Multnomah County. Hare completed the job in under a year and was subsequently made county auditor.
in 1864, and began private practice in his own office in Hillsboro. In 1870, he served in the Oregon House of Representatives
as a Republican representing Washington County, his only session in the House. Hare was a presidential elector in 1872, and received an appointment from President Grant
to be the customs collector for Astoria, Oregon
. He remained in that position for eight years, and when his term expired in 1881, returned to his law practice in Hillsboro.
In 1884, Hare was elected as a Republican to the Oregon State Senate
to represent District 28 in Washington County
—he also served in the 1885 special session of the legislature. Hare joined William N. Barrett
to form a legal firm in 1884, with the two remaining partners until 1886. After serving in the 1887 session he was replaced by fellow Republican Thomas H. Tongue
. Hare was also elected that year as the mayor of Hillsboro to replace Rodolph Crandall. After his one-year term ended on December 13, 1886, his successor was, once again, future Congressman and his senate replacement Thomas H. Tongue.
, Frances Ellen Hare, Martha G. Hare, Henrietta Hare, Ruth Hare, and William G. Hare
who also served in the legislature. Schofield, who died in 1890, was the sister of Illinois Supreme Court Justice John Schofield. After her death, Hare's second marriage was to Mary A. Anthony in 1893, and she died in 1908. She was a cousin of Susan B. Anthony
. He was a member of the Masonic Order and the Ancient Order of United Workmen
. As a Mason, he was selected as Grand Master of the Oregon chapter in 1871. William Davenport Hare died in his home in Hillsboro on February 6, 1910, at the age of 75 and was buried at the Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He served as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Oregon Legislature and the 8th mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
. His other duties included those of customs collector
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
and presidential elector. A native of what was Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, his grandfather was a member of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, while several of his descendants would also serve in the Oregon Legislature.
Early life
A native of Wheeling, VirginiaWheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
(after 1863, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
), William Hare was born September 1, 1834, the eldest of nine children of the Reverend Joseph Hare and his wife, the former Frances Ellen Davenport. Hare’s paternal grandfather emigrated from England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and settled in Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. His maternal grandfather was Congressman John Davenport
John Davenport (Ohio politician)
John Davenport was a U.S. Representative from Ohio.Born near Winchester, Virginia, Davenport attended the common schools. He moved to Ohio in 1818 and engaged in mercantile pursuits. Davenport settled in Belmont County, Ohio. There he served as member of the State house of representatives in 1824,...
. In 1853, as he was turning 19, William embarked upon the transcontinental journey to the Oregon Territory
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 Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
across the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
with Jesse Edwards, who would settle in Benton County
Benton County, Oregon
-National protected areas:*Siuslaw National Forest *William L. Finley National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 78,153 people, 30,145 households, and 18,237 families residing in the county. The population density was 116 people per square mile . There were 31,980...
.
Hare first settled in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, where he worked as a purser on the steamship Fashion for three years. In that position he also spent time as the captain and pilot of the boat. In 1857, he moved to Hillsboro to take a job copying records for the county. The records were copied for parts of the county that were split-off from Washington County and added to Multnomah County. Hare completed the job in under a year and was subsequently made county auditor.
Politics
In 1858, Hare started a long political career when he was elected county clerk for Washington County and won re-election in 1860 and 1862. During his time in office, he studied law, passed the barBar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
in 1864, and began private practice in his own office in Hillsboro. In 1870, he served in the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
as a Republican representing Washington County, his only session in the House. Hare was a presidential elector in 1872, and received an appointment from President Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
to be the customs collector for Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
. He remained in that position for eight years, and when his term expired in 1881, returned to his law practice in Hillsboro.
In 1884, Hare was elected as a Republican to the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
to represent District 28 in Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
—he also served in the 1885 special session of the legislature. Hare joined William N. Barrett
William N. Barrett
William Nathan Barrett was an American politician and lawyer in Oregon. A native of Washington County, he served in both chambers of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, including three different times in the Oregon House...
to form a legal firm in 1884, with the two remaining partners until 1886. After serving in the 1887 session he was replaced by fellow Republican Thomas H. Tongue
Thomas H. Tongue
Thomas H. Tongue was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in England, his family immigrated to Washington County, Oregon, in 1859. In Oregon, he would serve in the State Senate from 1889 to 1893 and was the seventh mayor of Hillsboro...
. Hare was also elected that year as the mayor of Hillsboro to replace Rodolph Crandall. After his one-year term ended on December 13, 1886, his successor was, once again, future Congressman and his senate replacement Thomas H. Tongue.
Family
In 1859, William D. Hare married Henrietta Schofield, and they had six children—Joseph C. HareJoseph C. Hare
Joseph Coulson Hare was an American politician and lumberman in Oregon. A native of Hillsboro, he was the son of William D. Hare, both of whom served as mayors of Hillsboro. Hares Canyon in Washington County is named in his honor....
, Frances Ellen Hare, Martha G. Hare, Henrietta Hare, Ruth Hare, and William G. Hare
William G. Hare
William G. Hare was an American lawyer and politician in the state of Oregon. A native Oregonian, he grew up in the Hillsboro area where he later practiced law. A Republican, he served in both houses of the Oregon Legislature, as had his father William D. Hare...
who also served in the legislature. Schofield, who died in 1890, was the sister of Illinois Supreme Court Justice John Schofield. After her death, Hare's second marriage was to Mary A. Anthony in 1893, and she died in 1908. She was a cousin of Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
. He was a member of the Masonic Order and the Ancient Order of United Workmen
Ancient Order of United Workmen
The Ancient Order of United Workmen was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the US Civil War. It was the beginning of the American network of fraternal benefit societies.-History:...
. As a Mason, he was selected as Grand Master of the Oregon chapter in 1871. William Davenport Hare died in his home in Hillsboro on February 6, 1910, at the age of 75 and was buried at the Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery
Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery
The Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery is in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Located at the west end of the town along the Tualatin Valley Highway and adjacent to Dairy Creek. The cemetery comprises three formerly private cemeteries...
.