Samuel T. Richardson

Samuel Thurston Richardson (July 8, 1857 – September 6, 1921) was an American attorney and educator in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he was the third dean of the Willamette University College of Law, his alma mater. He also founded the Oregon Law School (not the University of Oregon School of Law) that existed from 1902 until 1922.

Samuel T. Richardson
Richardson circa 1910
3rd Dean of Willamette Law School
In office 1891–1902
Preceded by	George G. Bingham
Succeeded by	John W. Reynolds
Personal details
Born	July 8, 1857 Linn County, Oregon
Died	September 6, 1921(1921-09-06) (aged 64) Portland, Oregon
Spouse(s)	Sarah I. Barnes
Alma mater	Willamette University College of Law
Profession	professor of law attorney

Early life

Samuel Richardson was born on July 8, 1857, to Lewis Clarke and Eliza Ann (née Whitely) Richardson.[1] Born on a farm near the community of Scio in the Willamette Valley, he was educated at the local public schools of Scio.[1] Richardson enrolled at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, in 1873 and graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in 1892.[1] On November 19, 1879, he married Sarah I. Barnes, and they had a three sons and one daughter.[1][2] While still in school, he was admitted to the Oregon bar in October 1884.[1]

From 1882 to 1884 he was the county clerk for Crook County in Central Oregon.[1] While in the county seat of Prineville, he served as justice of the peace for that town.[1] After earning his undergraduate degree he then continued at Willamette's law school and earned a bachelor of laws degree two years after his bachelor's degree.[1] In 1889, he was hired by the Oregon Secretary of State to examine the title for land the state was preparing to buy for a reform school,[3] and also had worked as a special investigator for the legislature.[4] In 1895, he received a master of arts degree from the university, followed by a doctorate of laws from the law school in 1898.[1]

Legal career

Richardson joined the faculty at the Willamette University College of Law in 1887.[1] In 1891, he became the third dean of the law school, succeeding George G. Bingham.[1] As dean, he continued to teach constitutional law and real property law and admitted the first women to the school that was founded in 1883.[4][5] Richardson was given a lifetime certificate to allow him to teach in the state in 1898 by the Oregon State Board of Education.[1] He left Willamette's law school in 1902 and was succeeded by John W. Reynolds.[4]

In 1902, he founded the Oregon Law School in Salem, later adding a branch in Portland.[1][6] Serving as dean of the new law school, he also was the editor of the school's journal, the Oregon Law School Journal that began in 1902 as well.[6] By 1908 the school had grown to two teachers and 27 students, and by 1910 to 47 students.[7][8] While still operating the law school he also was in private legal practice, including with the Portland firm of Richardson, Dimick & Morehead starting in 1906.[1]

Later years

A Republican, he was also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias.[1] He served as the chairman of a state commission that studied judicial reform in 1911.[9] This commission made several recommendations to the State Assembly, including expanding the Oregon Supreme Court from five to seven justices.[9] The state did add two more seats to the court, and in 1914 Richardson ran for one of the new positions as a Republican, losing in the primary.[10][11] He continued practicing law with clients such as the Wentworth Lumber Company into the 1920s.[12] Samuel Thurston Richardson died on September 6, 1921, of a stroke at the age of 64 in Portland, and was buried in Salem.[2][13] After his death, the Oregon Law School closed.[14]

References

1. Colmer, Montagu, and Charles Erskine Scott Wood. (1910). History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon. Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co. p. 211.
2. "Pioneer Attorney Dead". The Oregonian. September 7, 1921.
3. Baker, Frank C. (1891). Journal of the House of the Legislative Assembly of the State of Oregon for the Sixteenth Regular Session 1891. State of Oregon. p. 901.
4. Celebrating 125 Years of Outstanding Legal Education and Bar Leadership. Editor Anne Marie Becka, Willamette University College of Law, 2008. pp. 6-7, 12.
5. Leeds, W.H. (1898). Thirteenth Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Oregon to the Legislative Assembly Regular Session 1898. State of Oregon. p. 105.
6. Richardson, S. T. (1902). Oregon Law School Journal. Oregon Law School, Vol. 1, No. 1.
7. Hoff, O. P. (1906). Second Biennial Report. Oregon Bureau of Labor. p. 97.
8. Hoff, O. P. (1910). Fourth Biennial Report. Oregon Bureau of Labor. p. 102.
9. Oregon Commission on Revision of Judicial System. (1912). Report of Committee Appointed by the Governor in Accordance with the Provisions of Chapter 228 of General Laws of 1911: To Make Recommendations as to the Revision of Our Judicial System. State of Oregon.
10. Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Supreme Court Justices of Oregon. Oregon Blue Book, Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on March 28, 2009.
11. Olcott, Ben W. (1915) Biennial Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Oregon to the Twenty-Eighth Legislative Assembly. Office of the Oregon Secretary of State. p. 90.
12. Scandinavian-American Bank v. Wentworth Lumber Company, 101 Or. 158, 199 P. 626 (Or. 1921), West Publishing Company.
13. “News of the Profession”, Law Notes, Vol. 25, November 1921. Edward Thompson Co., p. 156.
14. Mason, Alfred Findlay and Samuel Epes Turner. 5 American Law School Review 52 (1922), West Pub. Company.

Academic offices
Preceded by George G. Bingham	Dean of Willamette University College of Law 1891–1902	Succeeded by John W. Reynolds