James A. Chapman (September 4, 1821 – December 12, 1885) was a physician in the U.S. state of Oregon who served three non-consecutive terms as mayor of Portland, Oregon.

Early life

Chapman was born in

Friendship, New York Friendship is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2020 census. The town's name was adopted to mark the resolution of earlier conflicts. Friendship is near the center of Allegany County and is nort ...

. He studied medicine and graduated from

Geneva Medical College Geneva Medical College was founded on September 15, 1834, in Geneva, New York, as a separate department (college) of Geneva College, currently known as Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In 1871, the medical school was transferred to Syracuse ...

in 1846. He set up a medical practice in Cuba, New York, and after a few years, moved to Dundee, New York, where he began another practice.

Travel to Oregon

In 1861, with the onset of the American Civil War, Chapman volunteered for service and was appointed surgeon with the 50th New York Regiment. He remained with the regiment as it moved south until 1862, when he was transferred to an overland expedition under Captain

Medorem Crawford Medorem Crawford (June 24, 1819 – December 26, 1891) was an American soldier and politician in what became the state of Oregon. A native of the state of New York (state), New York, he emigrated to the Oregon Country in 1842 where he participated ...

to assist emigrants to Oregon. After the expedition arrived in Portland, Oregon, in late 1862, Chapman joined

James C. Hawthorne James C. Hawthorne (March 12, 1819 – February 15, 1881, commonly known as J.C. Hawthorne) was an American physician and politician in the states of California and Oregon. A native of Pennsylvania, he was the co-founder of the Oregon Hospital fo ...

's medical practice, but Hawthorne left shortly after to run the newly established

Oregon Hospital for the Insane :''This is about the privately-owned facility in Portland (1859-1883), not to be confused with Oregon State Hospital in Salem (established 1883).'' Oregon Hospital for the Insane was a facility constructed in the city of Portland, Oregon, USA b ...

. Chapman began a new practice with William H. Watkins.

Mayor of Portland

In June 1867, mayor

Thomas J. Holmes Thomas J. Holmes (c. 1819 – June 18, 1867) was the mayor of Portland, Oregon, United States from 1866 to 1867. He was born in Suffolk, England, and emigrated to the United States in 1837. He lived in New Jersey until 1852, when he moved we ...

, who had been appointed the previous year after the resignation of Henry Failing, was elected to a full term, and then died the following morning. Judge Aaron E. Waite was first chosen by the City Council to replace Holmes, but declined due to ill health. Chapman was appointed mayor on July 31, 1867, and served until the following June, when a special election to complete Holmes' term was won by Hamilton Boyd. In the early 1870s, Chapman was appointed surgeon-general to the Oregon militia by Governor La Fayette Grover. In 1875, he sought election as mayor against incumbent Henry Failing. Chapman defeated Failing, who had been criticized for a number of his ordinances and his response to a massive 1872 fire that consumed 22 blocks of the Portland waterfront. Chapman served one two-year term, and then ran again in 1882, defeating another incumbent,

David P. Thompson David Preston Thompson (November 8, 1834 – December 14, 1901) was an American businessman and politician in the Pacific Northwest. He was governor of the Idaho Territory from 1875 to 1876. A native of Ohio, he immigrated to the Oregon Territor ...

Death

Late in 1885, Chapman suffered serious injuries after being thrown from his buggy when he drove it into a low-hanging telephone wire. A few weeks later, he suffered a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and died from his injuries. He is buried in Lone Fir Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chapman, J. A. 1821 births 1885 deaths People from Friendship, New York Mayors of Portland, Oregon Oregon Democrats Physicians from Portland, Oregon Burials at Lone Fir Cemetery Geneva Medical College alumni 19th-century American politicians