Chamberlain, George E. (George Earle), 1854-1928

George Earle Chamberlain (b.1913), grandson and namesake of the former governor and senator of Oregon, son of otolaryngologist Dr. Charles Thomson Chamberlain. He received a BA from the University of Oregon in 1936, and an MD from the University of Oregon Medical School in 1938. Chamberlain served as captain and resident physician in the U.S. Army Medical Corps during WWII. He began serving in 1941, when he was stationed in New York, N. Y.,at the New York Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Infirmary. He returned to Portland, Oregon after the war and began to practice otolaryngology in 1947, both in private practice and on faculty at the Medical School. He married Dorothy McCall of Redmond,Or., herself a grand-daughter of a governor of Massachussetts and sister of future Oregon Governor Tom McCall.

From the guide to the George E. Chamberlain Papers, circa 1942, (Oregon Health & Science University Historical Collections & Archives)

The law firm of (John Knox) Weatherford and (John Russell) Wyatt was located in Albany, Oregon, in the upper Willamette Valley. It was counsel for the Southern Pacific Railroad, Thomas Kay Woolen Mills, and many valley towns and corporations. J. K. Weatherford was personally interested in several woolen mills, the Willamette Valley and Coast Railroad, and assorted timber lands. He was a member of the Board of Regents of Oregon Agricultural College, Corvallis, 1897-1923.

From the guide to the Weatherford and Wyatt records, 1890-1924, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)

George Earle Chamberlain was born in Natchez, Mississippi in 1854 and attended Washington and Lee University. Upon graduation in 1876, Chamberlain migrated to Oregon where he taught school briefly in Linn County. Before becoming governor (Democrat) of Oregon in 1903, Chamberlain served in a number of political positions inside Oregon from 1877 to 1903, including Deputy clerk of Linn County, district attorney of the third judicial district, the first attorney general of the state, and district attorney of Multnomah County. After six years in the gubernatorial office, Chamberlain entered the national political realm as U.S. Senator from Oregon. As a senator, Chamberlain played a key role in the government's preparation for World War I as chair of the Senate Military Affairs Committee, which presided over such issues as the selective service draft bill and food control measures. Chamberlain served as senator until he was defeated in a re-election attempt in 1920. Chamberlain's last government post was as a member of the U.S. Shipping Board, serving from 1921 to 1923. Married twice in his life, Chamberlain had seven children with his first wife, Sallie N. Welch, whom he wed in 1879. Carolyn B. Shelton, Chamberlain's second wife, was married to the ex-senator two years before his death in 1928.

From the description of George Earle Chamberlain papers, 1900-1908. (Oregon Historical Society Research Library). WorldCat record id: 35619575

George Earle Chamberlain was born in Natchez, Mississippi in 1854. He worked there as a clerk in a general goods store for 2 years before entering Washington and Lee University. Upon graduation in 1876, he migrated to Oregon where he taught school briefly in Linn County. His political career began with his appointment as deputy clerk of Linn County, Oregon, a position he held from 1877 to 1879. After studying law in Albany, Oregon, he was elected to the state legislature in 1880, serving there until he was elected district attorney of the third judicial district of Oregon in 1884. Retiring to his law practice after one two-year term, Chamberlain was named as the State's first attorney general by Governor Sylvester Pennoyer in 1891, an office he held until 1895.

From 1900 to 1903, Chamberlain served as Multnomah County's District attorney, and was then elected governor of Oregon, serving until 1909. In that year he entered the national political arena as senator to Oregon. In Washington he was a key player in the government's preparation for World War I, serving as chair of the Senate Military Affairs Committee, which presided over such issues as the selective service draft bill and food control measures. His speech of January 24, 1918 regarding War Department inefficiency received widespread notice, although it contributed to his alienation from President Wilson and the Democratic Party establishment.

Chamberlain was defeated for re-election in 1920, in part because of his progressive Democratic allegience in a year when conservative Republicans were in favor nationally. His last government post was as a member of the U.S. Shipping Board, serving from 1921 to 1923. Married twice in his life, Chamberlain had seven children with his first wife, Sallie N. Welch, whom he wed in 1879. Carolyn B. Shelton, Chamberlain's second wife, was married to the ex-senator two years before his death in 1928.

From the guide to the George Earle Chamberlain papers, 1900-1928, (Oregon Historical Society)