Melvin Clark (or ''Clarke'') George (May 13, 1849 – February 22, 1933) was an American politician who served two terms as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

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 ...

from 1881 to 1885.

Early life

He was born near

Caldwell, Ohio Caldwell is a village and the county seat of Noble County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the West Fork of Duck Creek 23 miles north of Marietta. The population was 1,748 at the 2010 census. History Caldwell was founded in 1857, and ...

to Presley and Mahala Nickerson George. He moved with his parents 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 ...

in 1851 and settled on a homestead near

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Linn County, Oregon Linn County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 128,610. The county seat is Albany. The county is named in honor of Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the ...

. In Oregon he attended country schools, then

Santiam Academy Santiam Academy was an early primary and secondary school in Lebanon, Oregon, United States, run by the Methodist Episcopal Church. History The predecessor of the school was founded by pioneers in 1852 in a log cabin. Santiam Academy was created ...

, and finally

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

. He served as principal of the Albany schools and the Jefferson Institute in what would become

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

. He studied law, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice 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 ...

in 1875. In 1873, he married Mary Eckler, with whom he had three children.

Political career

George served as member of 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 ...

from

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. Thou ...

from 1876 to 1880. In 1880, he was elected as 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 ...

to Oregon's At-large congressional district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

, defeating incumbent

John Whiteaker John Whiteaker (May 4, 1820October 2, 1902) was an American politician, soldier, and judge. A native of Indiana, he joined the army during the Mexican–American War and then prospected during the California Gold Rush. After moving to the Oregon ...

by 1,397 votes. In 1882, he defeated Democrat William D. Fenton by 3,365 votes to become the first Oregon congressman to be re-elected to a second term. During his term in Congress, George promoted construction of jetties at the mouth of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. He did not seek a third term in 1884.

After Congress

Following his term in Congress, George served as a professor of

medical jurisprudence Medical jurisprudence or legal medicine is the branch of science and medicine involving the study and application of scientific and medical knowledge to legal problems, such as inquests, and in the field of law. As modern medicine is a legal c ...

at Willamette University from 1885 to 1889. He then served on the Portland Public Schools board from 1889-1894, and in 1891 was appointed chairman of the Portland bridge commission, which sought to provide free bridges throughout the city. In this capacity, George oversaw the construction of the

Burnside Bridge The Burnside Bridge is a 1926-built bascule bridge that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, carrying Burnside Street. It is the second bridge at the same site to carry that name. It was added to the National Register of ...

. George Park in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland is named in his honor, as is George Middle School.Oregon Historic Site Form
/ref> George also served as a state circuit court judge for Multnomah County from 1897 to 1905, and then practiced law in Portland until his death in Portland on February 22, 1933. He is interred at

Lone Fir Cemetery Lone Fir Cemetery in the southeast section of Portland, Oregon, United States is a cemetery owned and maintained by Metro, a regional government entity. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first burial was in 1846 with the ceme ...

References

External links

* Political History of Oregon from 1876-1898 Inclusive, an article by George published in the ''Oregon Historical Quarterly'' {{DEFAULTSORT:George, Melvin Clark 1849 births 1933 deaths Willamette University alumni Republican Party Oregon state senators People from Caldwell, Ohio Burials at Lone Fir Cemetery Educators from Oregon Oregon state court judges Willamette University faculty Medical jurisprudence School board members in Oregon Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon