Joseph Simon (February 7, 1851February 14, 1935) was a German-born politician and attorney in the U.S. 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 born in Bechtheim, Hesse, and his family immigrated to the United States when he was one year old, settling in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Simon served on the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

before election to 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 ...

. He was later elected to 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 ...

for one partial term, 1898 to 1903. He later served as mayor of Portland for one term, 1909 to 1911. He was also the first Jewish Republican senator.

Early life

Joseph Simon was born in

Bechtheim Bechtheim is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Wonnegau, who ...

, today a part of Germany, on February 7, 1851, to David Simon (1819–1901) and Elise née Leopold (1829–1890). He immigrated to the United States in 1852 with his parents, and in 1857 the family settled in Portland, Oregon.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. pp. 224. In Portland, Simon attended the local Portland Public Schools before studying law. He

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

at the Portland law firm owned by Joseph N. Dolph and

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 ...

, and passed the bar in 1872. After passing the bar he entered private legal practice at Mitchell and Dolph’s firm. In 1873, he formed a partnership with Dolph and Dolph's brother

Cyrus Cyrus ( Persian: کوروش) is a male given name. It is the given name of a number of Persian kings. Most notably it refers to Cyrus the Great ( BC). Cyrus is also the name of Cyrus I of Anshan ( BC), King of Persia and the grandfather of Cyrus ...

Political career

He entered politics as a member of the Portland City Council serving from 1877 to 1880. In 1880, he was elected to and served in the

as a Republican. Simon represented

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland–Vancouver– Hillsboro, OR–WA Metropolitan Statistical Area. Th ...

in several districts during his tenure due to reapportionment, and served through the 1891 legislative session. During both the 1889 and 1891 sessions he served as the President of the Senate. Simon did not serve in the 1893 session, but returned to the state senate in 1895 and was again the President. During this time he was a member of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. political committee that assists the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican brand and political platform, as well as assisting in fu ...

from 1892 to 1896. In 1897, Simon was again President of the Senate; the 19th Oregon Legislative Assembly, however, did not organize for its 1897 regular session (due to a dispute over leadership in the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

), and no legislation was passed. Due to this inability, a special legislative session was held in 1898 where Simon served as President, and where he served for the final time in the Oregon Senate.1898 Special Session (19th).
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on June 30, 2018. As 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 ...

failed to fully organize in 1897, they did not elect a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

, and Simon was then elected during the 1898 session, replacing incumbent and former employer

. Simon served from October 8, 1898, until the term expired on March 3, 1903, and did not seek re-election. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands during the Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh Congresses.

Later years

After serving in Congress, Simon returned to Portland and the practice of law at the firm of Dolph,

Mallory Mallory is an Irish surname derived from the Gaelic ''Ó Mallairígh''. Spelling variants include Mallary, Mallery, Malorie, Mallorie, Mallerie and Mallorey. Mallory and Mallerie are also given names derived from the surname. Surname * Arenia ...

, Simon & Gearin. He held political office one final time, serving as Portland Mayor from 1909 to 1911. He was never married. Joseph Simon died on February 14, 1935, at the age of 84 in Portland, and was buried at Beth Israel Cemetery in that city.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Joseph 1851 births 1935 deaths German emigrants to the United States American people of German-Jewish descent Republican Party United States senators from Oregon Mayors of Portland, Oregon Presidents of the Oregon State Senate Republican Party Oregon state senators Portland City Council members (Oregon) Jewish United States senators Jewish mayors of places in the United States Jews and Judaism in Portland, Oregon American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Jewish American people in Oregon politics

Early life

Political career

Later years

See also

References

External links