Rufus Mallory (January or June 10, 1831 – April 30, 1914) was an American educator, lawyer, and politician in the state of

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 ...

. A native of New York, he was a teacher in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

before moving to Oregon where he became an attorney. He was a district attorney before he served in the Oregon House of Representatives in the early 1860s. A Republican, he served as

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 for a single term from 1867 to 1869 and then returned to the state house where he was Speaker of the Oregon House. Later he worked for the U.S. Treasury Department, while the Hotel Mallory 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 ...

was commissioned by him. Portland has additionally honored his memory via Mallory Avenue in the Albina District.Snyder, Eugene E. Portland Names and Neighborhoods: Their Historic Origin. Portland: Binford & Mort, 1979. Print.

Early life

Rufus Mallory was born in

Coventry, New York Coventry is a town in Chenango County, New York, United States. The population was 1,655 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Coventry, Connecticut, by settlers from New England. Coventry is in the southern part of Chenango County and is no ...

, 1831 on either June 10Gaston, Joseph. 1911
Portland, Oregon, its history and builders: in connection with the antecedent explorations, discoveries, and movements of the pioneers that selected the site for the great city of the Pacific
Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co., p. 5-6. or January 10 to Samuel and Lucretia Mallory (née Davis).Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 156.Colmer, Montagu, and Charles Erskine Scott Wood. 1910. ''History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon''. Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co. p. 182-183. One of nine children, he attended the local schools in Allegany and Steuben counties, first at Scio from 1835 to 1837, followed by school in Greenwood from 1837 to 1845. In 1845 he started at Alfred Academy (now Alfred University) in New York, spending a single term each year in 1845, 1846, and 1848. Mallory left at age 16 to begin teaching and

reading 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 th ...

. He moved to

New London, Iowa New London is a city in Henry County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,910 at the time of the 2020 census. History New London was originally called Dover, after its founder Abraham C. Dover, who came to the area from Illinois in 1833. ...

, where he taught school from 1855 to 1858.

Oregon

In 1858, he left Iowa to move to the then

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. O ...

by way of the Isthmus of Panama route. He arrived on the first day of 1859 and settled in the

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 Jackson may refer to: People and fictional charac ...

town of Roseburg in Douglas County where he continued teaching for 15 months. He studied law, was admitted to 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 1860, and was selected as the district attorney for Douglas, Jackson, and Josephine counties. Mallory married Lucy A. Rose, the daughter of Roseburg founder Aaron Rose, on June 24, 1860, and they had one son. In 1862, he was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives as a Republican. Mallory represented Douglas County and continued in office until 1864. Late in 1862 he moved to Salem along with his law partner James M. Pyle. There he was again selected as a district attorney, for Oregon's third district, in office from 1862 to 1866. As a prosecutor in Salem, he gained fame for securing the conviction of George Beale and George Baker for the murder of farmer Daniel Delaney in one of Oregon's first sensational trials. The convicted men were hanged in front of thousands of onlookers in downtown Salem on May 17, 1865.

Congress

A year later, Mallory's fame led him to win election as Oregon's representative 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 ...

. Mallory defeated his opponent James D. Fay by 600 votes. His term in Congress coincided with the

impeachment of Andrew Johnson The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was initiated on February 24, 1868, when the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution to impeach Andrew Johnson, the 17th president of the United States, for "high crimes and misdemeanors". T ...

. Mallory, 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 ...

, voted against the first failed attempt at impeachment in the fall of 1867, but in the second attempt in February 1868, gave an impassioned speech on the House floor, and voted with his party to impeach the President. He would serve one term, from March 4, 1867 to March 3, 1869, and did not seek re-election in 1868.

Later years

After serving in Congress, Mallory resumed his Salem law practice. In 1872, he was again elected to the Oregon House of Representatives from Marion County, and served as Speaker of the House. After one two-year term, he was appointed as United States district attorney in 1874 and served until 1882. He was then appointed as a special agent of the Treasury Department in

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British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ms, Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. U ...

, and after completing the necessary business, continued around the world in 78 days to Portland, where he resumed his law practice. Mallory joined the firm 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 ...

, Bellinger, Mallory &

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in November 1883. In 1887, Mallory was one of the incorporators of the Willamette Bridge Railway Company. The first Morrison Street Bridge was completed in April 1887 and Mallory's company operated a steam-powered streetcar across the bridge, expanding into the Sunnyside neighborhood in 1888 and then to Mt. Tabor in 1889. In 1890, he became one of the founding members of the Oregon Bar Association. Rufus Mallory died in Portland on April 30, 1914, at the age of 83, with his cremated remains placed in the vaults of the Portland Cremation Association. The Hotel Mallory in

, built in 1912, was commissioned by Mallory. The structure was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2004, was thoroughly renovated, and reopened as the Hotel deLuxe in 2006.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mallory, Rufus 1831 births 1914 deaths Burials at Portland Memorial Mausoleum Speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives Alfred University alumni Politicians from Salem, Oregon United States Attorneys for the District of Oregon History of Portland, Oregon District attorneys in Oregon Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon People from Coventry, New York 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Salem, Oregon American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers