Loyal B. Stearns (May 2, 1853 – June 2, 1936) was an American politician, attorney, and jurist in

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 ...

. Born in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and raised in Oregon, he became a lawyer and practiced 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 ...

. 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 ...

, he was a member of the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

and later a judge for several courts.

Early life

Loyal Stearns was born to Daniel W. Stearns and Almira Stearns (

nee Nee or NEE may refer to: Names * Née (lit. "born"), a woman's family name at birth before the adoption of another surname usually after marriage **The male equivalent "né" is used to indicate what a man was originally known as before the adopt ...

Fay) on May 2, 1853.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. pp. 233–234. One of five children, he was born in

Swanzey, New Hampshire Swanzey is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 7,270 at the 2020 census. In addition to the town center, Swanzey includes the villages of East Swanzey, West Swanzey, North Swanzey and Westport. History ...

, and sailed with his family that year via 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 ...

route 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 ...

, California. In 1854, they continued north to the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...

. There they settled in

Southern Oregon Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oreg ...

in Scottsburg. The younger Stearns was educated in Roseburg at the local schools and at

Umpqua Academy Umpqua or Umqua may refer to: People * Umpqua people, an indigenous people of present-day Oregon **Upper Umpqua language, the language of the Upper Umpqua people Places * Fort Umpqua, the name of two former military installations in Oregon * Umpqu ...

. He also traveled around the state and into Idaho while working with his merchant father. In 1871, Stearns relocated north to Portland where he attended

Bishop Scott Academy Bishop Scott Academy was a school located in Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. Affiliated with the Episcopal Church, the school was named for the Bishop Thomas Fielding Scott. The school opened in 1870 to educate young men in good citizenship ...

until 1872. Stearns then enrolled at the

Willamette University College of Medicine Willamette University College of Medicine is a former school of medicine that was part of Willamette University. Founded in 1867 as the first medical school in Oregon, the school relocated between Portland and the main university campus in Salem se ...

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

, for one term before leaving to study 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 ...

under the guidance of

A. C. Gibbs Addison Crandall Gibbs (July 9, 1825December 29, 1886) was an American politician. He was the second Governor of Oregon from 1862 until 1866, and previously served in the Oregon Territory's legislative body and later the state legislature. Ear ...

and William Ball Gilbert at their law firm in Portland beginning in 1873. In December 1876, he passed the bar and began practicing law in Portland. Stearns started as a partner of Gibbs before practicing on his own.

Political career

Stearns was elected to the

in 1878 as a Republican.Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1878 Regular Session (10th).
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on November 29, 2008. He represented District 38 which at that time was located entirely within Multnomah County, and included Portland. His father Daniel Stearns served in the House previously, and then served in the state senate following Loyal's one session in 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 ...

. Loyal Stearns then served as Portland’s police judge from January 1879 to 1882 followed by election to the office of city attorney. After a short time in that position, he was elected to a seat on Multnomah County’s court, and served from June 1882 to 1885. In 1885, he became a judge for the

Oregon circuit court Oregon's circuit courts are general jurisdiction trial courts of the U.S. state of Oregon. These courts hear civil and criminal court cases. The state has 27 circuit court districts, most of which correspond to the boundaries of Oregon's 36 coun ...

where he remained until 1898. Governor

Zenas Ferry Moody Zenas Ferry Moody (May 27, 1832 – March 14, 1917) was the seventh Governor of Oregon from 1882 to 1887. Early life Zenas Ferry Moody was born on May 27, 1832, in Granby, Massachusetts, to Thomas Hovey and Hannah Ferry.Corning, Howard M. ...

appointed him to the position, and Stearns won election to a full-term and then re-election until retiring from the bench.

Later years and family

On June 19, 1883, he married Mary Frances Hoyt, and they had one daughter together. Stearns worked in the real estate business following his judicial career. Mary, the daughter of Captain Richard Hoyt, died in 1933. Loyal Stearns died on June 2, 1936, at the age of 83.

References

External links

Loyal B. Stearns Memorial FountainThe Bench and Bar The Story of Oregon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stearns, Loyal B. Members of the Oregon House of Representatives 1853 births 1936 deaths Portland, Oregon Republicans Oregon state court judges Politicians from Roseburg, Oregon Willamette University alumni American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Oregon city attorneys People from Cheshire County, New Hampshire People from Scottsburg, Oregon Willamette University College of Medicine alumni

Early life

Political career

Later years and family

See also

References

External links