Joseph Norton Dolph (October 19, 1835March 10, 1897) was an American politician and attorney 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 state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, he immigrated to Oregon over the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what ...

and settled 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 ...

where he became the state's federal district attorney. A Republican, he spent nine years in the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US 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 Sena ...

before serving in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

from 1883 to 1895.

Early life

Joseph Dolph was born in Dolphsburg,

, on October 19, 1835. The son of Elizabeth W. and Chester V. Dolph, his brother was Cyrus A. Dolph and his nephew was

Frederick W. Mulkey Frederick William Mulkey (January 6, 1874May 5, 1924) was an American attorney and politician from the state of Oregon. A native of Portland, he began his political career on the Portland City Council, serving one year as its president. A Repub ...

.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 74. Dolph earned his education at local public and private schools and then attended the

Genesee Wesleyan Seminary The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary was the name of two institutions located on the same site in Lima, New York. The Genesee Wesleyan Seminary (I) was founded in 1831 by the Genesee Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The plan for its ...

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

. He studied law and was admitted to practice law after passing the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1861.

Law career

Dolph set up practice in

Schuyler County, New York Schuyler County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,898, making it the second-least populous county in New York. The county seat is the village of Watkins Glen. The name is in honor of Gene ...

, and also taught school. He read about the Western United States and decided to move west. In 1862, he and his brother Cyrus enlisted in the

Oregon Escort Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, which protected settlers traveling to Oregon from Native Americans. After being honorably discharged at Fort Walla Walla in Washington Territory, Dolph settled in

and resumed the practice of law. He became the city's attorney, serving from 1864 to 1865, and then Oregon's

United States district attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

from 1865 to 1868. In 1864, he married Augusta E. Mulkey, and the couple had six children. He served on the Portland Public Schools board from 1870-1873. In 1873, Dolph co-founded the law firm of Dolph, Bronaugh, Dolph & Simon with his brother and with E. C. Bronaugh and Joseph Simon. He continued practicing with the firm until his election to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

almost a decade later.

Political career

Senator Dolph of Oregon by Thomas Nast ca 1894

In 1866, Dolph was elected to the

as a Republican representing Multnomah County. He returned to the legislature in 1872, and also served during the 1874 session, both times in the state senate. He gave a speech in McMinnville, Oregon, at McMinnville College (now

Linfield College Linfield University is a private university with campuses in McMinnville, and Portland, Oregon. Linfield Wildcats athletics participates in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference. Linfield reported a combined 1,755 students after the fall ...

) on May 31, 1882, at the laying of the cornerstone for the first building on campus, which is known today as Pioneer Hall. He continued practicing law with Dolph, Bronaugh, Dolph & Simon when the Legislature was not in session. In 1882, he was elected to the

by the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

in a contest that drew national attention. Dolph was not even considered a candidate when deliberations began at the state capital, but state Republican leaders elected him to the six-year term. He became the chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Coast Defenses in the Forty-ninth through Fifty-second Congresses and the

United States Senate Committee on Public Lands The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and mineral resources, including nuclear development; irrigation and recl ...

in the

Fifty-second Congress The 52nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1891, ...

. Dolph was re-elected in 1888 to a second six-year term, but did not win re-election in 1894 and in total he served in the Senate from March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1895.

Later years

Upon leaving the Senate, he moved back to Portland where he returned to the practice of law, and over the years had been partners with many high-profile Portland lawyers including Joseph Simon,

John H. Mitchell John Hipple Mitchell, also known as John Mitchell Hipple, John H. Mitchell, or J. H. Mitchell (June 22, 1835December 8, 1905) was an American lawyer, politician, and convicted criminal. He served as a Republican United States Senator from Oregon ...

, Rufus Mallory,

Charles B. Bellinger Charles Byron Bellinger (November 21, 1839 – May 12, 1905) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon in Portland, Oregon, Portland, Oregon. A native of Illinois ...

, and even his brother Cyrus. He and his firms represented a variety of clients that included transportation magnates

Ben Holladay Benjamin Holladay (October 14, 1819 – July 8, 1887) was an American transportation businessman responsible for creating the Overland Stage to California during the height of the 1849 California Gold Rush. Ben Holladay created a stagecoach ...

and Henry Villard, the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, and the Oregon and California Railroad among others. Joseph Norton Dolph died on March 10, 1897, at the age of 61 in Portland. Dolph was interred there in River View Cemetery. The former town of

Dolph Dolph may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Dolph Briscoe (1923–2010), Governor of Texas from 1973 to 1979 * Dolph Camilli (1907–1997), American Major League Baseball player * Dolph Eckstein (1902–1963), American football player ...

, in

Tillamook County Tillamook County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,390. The county seat is Tillamook. The county is named for the Tillamook or Killamook people, a Native American tribe who we ...

in the Northern Oregon Coast Range was named after the Senator.

References

External links

Classic Houses of Portland, Oregon, 1850–1950
, information on his mansion
Image of his mansion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dolph, Joseph Norton Republican Party Oregon state senators 1835 births 1897 deaths People from Schuyler County, New York Burials at River View Cemetery (Portland, Oregon) Oregon pioneers United States Attorneys for the District of Oregon Republican Party United States senators from Oregon 19th-century American politicians DeWolf family