Charles Sumner Moore (January 8, 1857 – July 20, 1915) 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 Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. A native of the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

state, he held several elected offices in Klamath County in the southern part of the state, including county judge. A Republican, he served as

Oregon State Treasurer The Oregon State Treasurer is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon, elected by statewide vote to serve a four-year term. As chief financial officer for the state, the office holder heads ...

from 1899 to 1907.

Early life

Charles Moore was born in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...

Marion County, Oregon Marion County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. The population was 345,920 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth-most populous county in Oregon. The county seat is Salem, which is also the state capital of Oregon. The ...

, on January 8, 1857, to William S. and Margaret Octavia Moore (née Meldrum).Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 169.Gaston, Joseph. (1912)
''The Centennial History of Oregon, 1811-1912''.
Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. pp. 960-961. He received his primary education at the public schools of

Oregon City ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

and

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

before enrolling in college. Moore attended

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

in Salem from 1872 to 1874. In 1874, he began working at the Klamath Indian Reservation in

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, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oreg ...

, remaining until 1877. That year Moore worked for his father in

Klamath Falls Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was ...

assisting in the construction of the first saw mill in that community. After briefly studying law in Portland, he returned to Southern Oregon. In 1878, he entered the retail industry as a store clerk, keeping that position until 1886. He married Mary L. Langell of

Jacksonville, Oregon Jacksonville is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, approximately west of Medford. It was named for Jackson Creek, which flows through the community and was the site of one of the first placer gold claims in the area. It includes J ...

, in 1884, and they had two sons. From 1886 to 1899 Moore managed and was part owner of a mercantile. He also helped build the first electricity plant in Klamath Falls during the 1890s with his brother Rufus."Newsmakers during the 1900s, Klamath County”
''

Herald and News The ''Herald and News'' is a daily newspaper serving the city of Klamath Falls and Klamath County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It also distributes east into Lake County. The General Manager is Joe Hudon and the editor is Gene Warnick.. The ''H ...

'', December 31, 1999.

Political career

In 1880, Moore earned his first elected office as a school clerk for the Linkville School District (now Klamath Falls). He then served as a school director before winning a seat on the first board of trustees for the town of Klamath Falls. Moore served as county judge of Klamath County from 1894 to 1898. His father had been the first county judge when the county was created in 1882. He was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

in 1896. In 1898, he was elected to the office of

.Treasurers of Oregon.
''Oregon Blue Book'', Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on December 21, 2008. Elected as a Republican, he replaced fellow Republican Phil Metschan who had served two terms. Moore won re-election in 1902 and served in office from January 9, 1899, until January 14, 1907, when George A. Steel took office. Politically he was against the initiative and referendum, but for the gold standard.

Later years

After leaving office he returned to his business pursuits which included timber and banking. He also served on the board of directors for insurance company Oregon Life.''The Insurance Year Book''. Life and Miscellaneous. New York: The Spectator Co, 1909. p. 224. He and his brother Rufus were large land owners in Klamath County. Charles Moore died in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

on July 20, 1915, at the age of 58.

References

External links

Oregon State Treasury Administrative Overview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Charles Sumner 1857 births 1915 deaths People from Marion County, Oregon Politicians from Klamath Falls, Oregon Willamette University alumni State treasurers of Oregon Oregon Republicans County judges in Oregon 19th-century American politicians 20th-century Oregon politicians