Thomas A. Livesley (December 8, 1863 – July 22, 1947) was an American businessman and politician in the 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 ...

. A successful

hop A hop is a type of jump. Hop or hops may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hop'' (film), a 2011 film * Hop! Channel, an Israeli TV channel * ''House of Payne'', or ''HOP'', an American sitcom * Lindy Hop, a swing dance of the 1920s and ...

farmer and broker, Livesley was known as the "Hop King" of Oregon.Index to Politicians: Little-smith to Livings.
The Political Graveyard. Retrieved on December 1, 2007. Livesley served as mayor of

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 ...

and as a state representative. He was the original builder and owner of what is still considered to be the tallest commercial building in Salem. The mansion he had built for his family,

Mahonia Hall Mahonia Hall is the official residence of the governor of Oregon, located in Oregon's capital city, Salem. The building was acquired by the state in 1988 with private donations. It is also known as the T. A. Livesley House or Thomas and Ed ...

, now serves as the Governor's official residence for the State of Oregon.Oregon Department of Transportation

Early life and career

Thomas Livesley was born in

Ironton, Wisconsin Ironton is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Little Baraboo River. The population was 253 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Ironton. Like the Town of Ironton, the village was named for dep ...

, on December 8, 1863, to Samuel Livesley and Margaret "Ellen" Maddock Livesley. Samuel Livesley was a hop farmer in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

. Thomas moved to Salem, Oregon, in 1894. Shortly after arriving in the city he bought the first of several hop farms that would become known as the T.A. Livesley Co. In 1915, the company produced as many as a million pounds of hops, one tenth of all hops produced in Oregon at the time and one thirtieth of all hops produced worldwide.Morrison, Suzann
''Thomas A. Livesley''
Mission Mill Museum. 1973-01-13 retrieved 2007-11-30 In 1924, his Lakebrook Farms was one of the first in the state to provide day care, a school, playgrounds and medical facilities for seasonal workers on its grounds. During

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

, the company was large enough to sell its product overseas and it survived the downturn suffered by many hop farmers. Livesley would also expand into

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, and at one time he was the President of the Canadian Hop Growers Association. In time Livesley would expand into other business ventures. He was vice president of Oregon Linen Mills and in 1927 he erected the 11-story First National Bank Building, later known as the Livesley Building following his death in 1947 and now known as the Capitol Center.Kim, Eunic
building's 80th birthday is reason to party''
''

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

''. November 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-30 The building, designed by architect L.L. Dougan, is incorrectly claimed by some to have been the tallest in Oregon at the time but other buildings 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 ...

were older and taller. The Capitol Center is the tallest commercial building in Salem. Earlier, Livesley had commissioned

Ellis F. Lawrence Ellis Fuller Lawrence (November 13, 1879 – February 27, 1946) was an American architect who worked primarily in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 1914, he became the co-founder and first dean of the University of Oregon's School of Architecture an ...

, later founder of 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 ...

School of Architecture This is a list of architecture schools at colleges and universities around the world. An architecture school (also known as a school of architecture or college of architecture), is an institution specializing in architectural education. Africa ...

, to design and build a personal home. The Tudor-style mansion is now on 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 ...

(as the T. A. Livesley House) and in 1988 was purchased by citizens with private donations and donated to the state; it now serves as the official residence of the governor and their family, renamed

Political career

Elected Mayor of Salem in 1927, he presided over a number of public works in the city that included bridge building, paving of major streets, the installation of street lights and traffic signals and the construction of the Salem Municipal Airport (McNary Field). He became known as the "Good Roads Mayor". Livesley was also an advocate of a city council-city manager form of government which the city adopted before his death and still uses today. In 1936, he was elected to 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 served in the 1937 legislative session. Livesley was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

from District 12, representing Salem and Marion County. He was not re-elected in 1938.Oregon Legislative Assembly (40th) 1939 Regular Session.
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on December 1, 2007.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Livesley, Thomas 1863 births 1947 deaths Mayors of Salem, Oregon People from Sauk County, Wisconsin Members of the Oregon House of Representatives