Lewis Linn McArthur (March 18, 1843 – May 10, 1897) was known as an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

newspaper publisher, attorney, and state judge in

Oregon 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 ...

. He served as a 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.Clifton Nesmith McArthur Clifton Nesmith McArthur (June 10, 1879 – December 9, 1923) was a U.S. Representative from Oregon, and grandson of Senator James Willis Nesmith. His father was a member of the Oregon Supreme Court, and Clifton twice served as Speaker of the ...

also became an attorney and served in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

. His second son,

Lewis A. McArthur Lewis Ankeny McArthur (April 27, 1883 – November 8, 1951), known as "Tam" McArthur, was an executive for Pacific Power and Light Company. He was also the secretary for the Oregon Geographic Board for many years and the author of ''Oregon ...

, was the first editor of the '' Oregon Geographic Names'' publications.

Early life

Lewis McArthur was born on March 18, 1843, in Portsmouth, Virginia.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. His father was a US naval officer and

hydrologist Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

William Pope McArthur William Pope McArthur (April 2, 1814 – December 23, 1850) was an American naval officer and hydrologist who was involved in the first surveys of the Pacific Coast for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. Early life McArthur was born in Ste. ...

, and his mother was Mary Stone (Young) McArthur.Lewis Linn McArthur (1843–1897).
Dickinson College. Retrieved April 27, 2014. McArthur's father died at sea in 1850 while returning from a

U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is a United States federal agency that defines and manages a national coordinate system, providing the foundation for transportation and communication; mapping and charting; and a large number of applications ...

mission to survey the

Oregon Coast The Oregon Coast is a coastal region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Oregon Coast Range to the east, and stretches approximately from the California state border in the south to the Columbia ...

. His father was the nephew of

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

Senator Lewis F. Linn.A Liberating History of Oregon And Its Coast: Volume I.
Sovereigns of Themselves. Retrieved January 13, 2008. Lewis McArthur grew up in Portsmouth and

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He attended Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but did not graduate. He transferred and completed his degree at Brown University in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

. In Rhode Island he passed the bar in 1864; he moved to

to set up a practice in the developing state. Once in Oregon, Mcarthur began working for various newspapers in

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 ...

before founding the ''Bedrock Democrat'' in 1870 at

Baker City Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker, the only U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The population was 10,099 at the time of the 2020 census. History Pla ...

. He was the first city recorder for

Umatilla, Oregon Umatilla (, ) is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. The population in 2010 was 6,906, but the city's population includes approximately 2,000 inmates incarcerated at Two Rivers Correctional Institution. Umatilla is part of the ...

, after its incorporation. During this time, McArthur conducted some mining and also practiced law.

Judicial career

In 1870, McArthur won election to 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. He was re-elected in 1876 to the state’s high court, but the term ended in 1878. That year the legislature reduced the number of sitting justices from five to three. Prior to 1878, Supreme Court justices rode circuit and sat on the Supreme Court bench. In 1878, the legislature split off the circuit court, and Supreme Court justices were given separate responsibilities. McArthur returned to the bench as a circuit court judge in 1883, serving until 1886. In 1886, he was appointed as the United States Attorney for the state of Oregon, serving until 1890.

Later life

McArthur married Harriet K. Nesmith in 1878. Harriet was the daughter of Oregon Senator

James W. Nesmith James Willis Nesmith (July 23, 1820 – June 17, 1885) was an American politician and lawyer from Oregon. Born in New Brunswick to American parents, he grew up in New Hampshire and Maine. A Democrat, he moved to Oregon Country in 1843 where he ...

. They had two sons,

Clifton Nesmith McArthur Clifton Nesmith McArthur (June 10, 1879 – December 9, 1923) was a U.S. Representative from Oregon, and grandson of Senator James Willis Nesmith. His father was a member of the Oregon Supreme Court, and Clifton twice served as Speaker of the ...

and

. From 1890 until his death, Lewis Linn McArthur practiced law in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. He died in Portland on May 10, 1897. Clifton McArthur became an attorney and a politician, being elected to the US Congress from Oregon. He was the namesake for

McArthur Court McArthur Court is a basketball arena located on the campus of the University of Oregon in Eugene and the former home of the Oregon Ducks men's and women's basketball teams, replaced in 2011 by Matthew Knight Arena. Also known as "The Pit" or " ...

at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

. Lewis A. McArthur started the '' Oregon Geographic Names'' series.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McArthur, Lewis Linn Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Oregon state court judges Dickinson College alumni 1843 births 1897 deaths United States Attorneys for the District of Oregon Politicians from Baker City, Oregon Politicians from Portsmouth, Virginia People from Umatilla, Oregon 19th-century American judges