John Wright Shute (February 17, 1840 – March 19, 1922) was an American banker 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 ...

. He was the founder of the first bank in

Washington County, Oregon Washington County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon and part of the Portland metropolitan area. The 2020 census recorded the population as 600,372, making it the second most populous county in the state and most populous "Wash ...

, and both

Shute Park Shute Park is a municipal park in the city of Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Acquired in 1906, the park is the oldest park in the city. Located at southeast Tenth and Maple streets along Tualatin Valley Highway, Shute Park includes an aquatic ...

and Shute Road in

Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro ( ) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, ...

, are his namesakes.

Early life

John Shute was born in

Montgomery County, New York Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,532. The county seat is Fonda. The county was named in honor of Richard Montgomery, an American Revolutionary War general killed in 17 ...

, to Lewis P. Shute and the former Eliza Jane Wright on February 17, 1840.''Portrait and Biographical Record of Portland and Vicinity Oregon. Containing original sketches of many well known citizens of the past and present''. Chicago: Chapman Pub. Co., 1903. p. 381-2. Of Dutch heritage, he grew up on the family farm and received a limited education in the family of eight children. In 1857, Shute moved to

Kankakee, Illinois Kankakee is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 24,052. Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area. It serves as an ...

, and then later that year began the journey to the Oregon Territory.

Oregon

In January 1858, he arrived in Oregon after traveling by ship from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to the

Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...

and then by steamer to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

and

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 ...

. After arriving he worked on a farm in Washington County and in Eastern Oregon in the Walla Walla Valley. Shute then moved to Multnomah County where he ran a warehouse and mercantile with several partners. After a year he sold his stake in the business and purchased an farm near Hillsboro, the county seat of Washington County. Shute married Elizabeth Constable in November 1867 in Washington County, and the couple had three children. From 1889 to 1890 he served on the Hillsboro city council. Over time he increased the size of his farm to and in 1888 founded the First National Bank in Hillsboro. Starting with $50,000, he operated the bank as president until 1897 when he closed it. This bank was the first in Washington County.Armer, Christine
Washington County Updates: 'Voices from the Past' brings pioneers alive.
''The Oregonian'', December 21, 2007. Retrieved February 3, 2008. In 1893, the bank survived the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

and a run on the bank. After closing First National, he opened a private bank and was a major land holder in Hillsboro and the surrounding area. He married a second time, to Mary E. Smith (1877 - 1968), and they had three children. After marrying his significantly younger second wife, local perception was that she married him for his money and that he only married her for her looks. In 1901, Shute donated land within the city limits for the creation of the first Catholic Church in Hillsboro.Our History.
St. Matthew Catholic Church. Retrieved on February 3, 2008. The following year the church was opened and named after St. Matthew. On December 21, 1906, the City of Hillsboro purchased a tract of land from Shute for $1,622, with the condition that the land be used as a park and named in his honor.Buan, Carolyn M. ''This Far-Off Sunset Land: A Pictorial History of Washington County, Oregon''. Donning Company Publishers, 1999. p. 106. The city passed a levy to finance the purchase of its first park at 1.8 mills per assessed valuation. At the time the total assessed value in the city was just over $600,000.Park site sold to city by banker Shute in ‘06. ''

Hillsboro Argus ''The Hillsboro Argus'' was a twice-weekly newspaper in the city of Hillsboro, Oregon, from 1894 to 2017, known as the ''Washington County Argus'' for its final year. The ''Argus'' was distributed in Washington County, Oregon, United States. First ...

'', October 19, 1976. In 1910, Shute was involved in a legal dispute over ownership of some land with John Foote, on old friend and former partner with Shute in a bank, and a third party. The third party claimed Shute and a brother of Foote were dominating Foote's life and exercising undue influence on his financial decisions. This third party, represented by

Samuel B. Huston Samuel Bruce Huston (March 16, 1858 – November 30, 1920) was an American politician and lawyer in Oregon. Originally a Democrat and later a Republican, he served in both chambers of the Oregon Legislative Assembly and was twice the mayor o ...

, was the children of a family that allowed Foote to stay on their farm rent free for many years, and to which Foote deeded land to. The issue in the legal case was if Foote had retained control and the property was only to pass at his death, or if the land passed immediately to the children. The dispute made headlines as Foote was worth about $100,000 and Shute about $250,000 at the time.

Later life and family

John W Shute - Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery Oregon

A Republican, Shute served as a county commissioner on several occasions. John Wright Shute died on March 19, 1922, at his home in Hillsboro at the age of 82 and was buried at Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery.Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery Inscriptions.
Cemeteries. Retrieved on June 12, 2008. Politician

William G. Hare William G. Hare (April 19, 1882 – November 25, 1971) 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 ...

served as one of the pallbearers at the funeral. Shute's son, Arthur C. Shute, was also in the banking business and was president of the Shute Savings Bank after his father's death. Other children included sons Edward A. and Tracy H., twin daughters Marian and Mary.

References

External links

Venetian Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shute, John W. People from Montgomery County, New York 1840 births 1922 deaths American bankers Burials at Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery Hillsboro City Council members (Oregon)