James Henry Polhemus (1887-1965) graduated from Stanford University in 1910, and worked with his father, James S. Polhemus, as a civil engineer on The Dalles-Celilo Canal in Oregon. He was in charge of dredging and harbor improvements at Coos Bay, OR, 1914-1918, and from 1918 to 1920 was manager of the Coos Bay Shipbuilding Co. From 1920 to 1936 he was chief engineer of the Port of Portland, and from 1940 to 1949 president of Portland General Electric Co. After 1949 he became the owner of the Willamette Tug and Barge Company. Polhemus was also an inventor and designer of diesel electric dredges.
From the guide to the James Henry Polhemus papers, 1916-1964, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)
