Henry J. Bean (November 13, 1853 – May 8, 1941) was an American politician and judge in

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 ...

. He was the 24th Chief Justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, he also served in the

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 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

Early life

Henry Bean was born in

Bethel, Maine Bethel is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,504 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Bethel and West Bethel. The town is home to Gould Academy, a private preparatory school, and is near the Sun ...

, on November 13, 1853,Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. to Elizabeth E. Bean (née Swift) and Timothy Bean.Colmer, Montagu, and

Charles Erskine Scott Wood Charles Erskine Scott Wood or C.E.S. Wood (February 20, 1852January 22, 1944) was an American author, civil liberties advocate, artist, soldier, attorney, and Georgist. He is best known as the author of the 1927 satirical bestseller, ''Heavenly D ...

. ''History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon''. Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co, 1910. p. 87. There he attended Gould, Hebron, and North Yarmouth Academies for his primary education. Bean attended

Gould Academy Gould Academy is a private, co-ed, college preparatory boarding and day school founded in 1836 and located in the small town of Bethel, Maine, United States. History In 1835 citizens of Bethel, Maine, formed an organization as trustees of the ...

from 1874 to 1878 before spending six years as a teacher. Later he studied law under

Maine Supreme Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

justice

Enoch Foster Enoch Foster (May 10, 1839 – November 15, 1913) was a justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine. Biography Enoch Foster was born in Newry, Maine on May 10, 1839 and was of Puritan Yankee ancestry. He attended Bates College (then called t ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1881. He then moved to

where he set up a law practice in

Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Pendleton ...

, in 1882. In private practice, Bean formed a partnership with James A. Fee from 1885 to 1886. In that

Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...

town, he served as the

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city at ...

in 1883 and then as city recorder from 1885 to 1886. Bean then served a term in the Oregon State House in 1889.1889 Regular Session.
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on February 29, 2008. He represented

Umatilla County Umatilla County () is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,075. Hermiston is the largest city in Umatilla County, but Pendleton remains the county seat. Umatilla County is part of ...

in the lower chamber as a Republican. Bean married Mattie Magahey in Pendleton in 1896. They had two sons together.

Judicial career

After serving as district attorney from 1896 to 1900, Henry Bean then served as a county judge for Umatilla County from 1904 to 1906. Following that he was selected to be a circuit court judge from 1906 to 1910. In November 1910, Bean was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court where he would serve until his death.Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on February 29, 2008. He won re-election in 1914, 1920, 1926, 1932, and 1938. His thirty years on the bench made him the longest-serving justice on the court until co-worker George Rossman earned that distinction. Bean served as chief justice twice during his tenure. First from 1931 to 1933 and then from 1937 to 1939. He died in office on May 8, 1941, and was replaced by

James T. Brand James Tenney Brand (October 9, 1886 – February 28, 1964) was the 31st Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, serving in that role from 1951 to 1953. While serving on court from 1941 to 1958 his service was interrupted when he was chosen to ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bean, Henry J. 1853 births 1941 deaths People from Bethel, Maine Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Oregon state court judges Chief Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court County judges in Oregon District attorneys in Oregon Oregon city attorneys Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court