West, Oswald, 1873-1960

Oswald West served as Oregon's fourteenth governor. He was born in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, in 1873, and came to Oregon with his family in 1877. His father was a cattle dealer who took his son on many travels throughout the Willamette Valley and Central Oregon. Oswald worked as a clerk and teller for the Ladd and Bush bank of Salem, and later the First National Bank of Astoria. In 1897 he married Mabel Hutton of Salem, and the couple had three children. West served as a State Land Agent in Salem from 1903-1907, and he helped to recover hundreds of thousands of acres of property that had been illegally taken from the state. When Oregon created the State Railroad Commission in 1907, West was appointed to that body by Governor Chamberlain, and he served until 1910. In that year West was elected governor of Oregon, serving until 1915. He championed progressive legislation and gained nationwide notoriety for his efforts to close saloons and vice establishments in the town of Copperfield in 1913. After leaving office West conducted a private law practice and wrote extensively on Oregon politics and history.

From the guide to the Oswald West papers, 1856-1960, 1895-1960, (Oregon Historical Society)

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