Bean, Robert S. (Robert Sharp), 1854-1931

Robert Sharp Bean (1854-1931) was Chief Justice of Oregon, 1894-1896, 1900-1902 and 1905-1909, and Regent of the University of Oregon, 1882-1920.

Robert Sharp Bean (1854-1931) was born in 1854 to Obadiah Roberts and Julia Sharp Bean, and raised ten miles north of Eugene. He became a respected judge known for his impartiality. Bean served in circuit court from 1882-1890, in the Oregon Supreme Court from 1890-1909, and in U.S. District Court from 1909-1931.

A graduate of the University of Oregon in 1878, Bean became a UO regent in 1882, and received a law degree in 1895. In 1880 he married Ida Elizabeth Condon, daughter of Dr. Thomas Condon, the famous Oregon geologist. The couple had five sons, three of whom survived the judge.

In 1926, Bean became director of the Oregon Historical Society in Portland. During his life he served a total of 49 years on the bench and 21 years as a regent of the University of Oregon, and upon his death in 1931, was the University's oldest alumnus.