Van B. DeLashmutt
Van Banks DeLashmutt (July 27, 1842 – October 4, 1921) served as mayor of Portland, Oregon from 1888 to 1891.[1]
Van Banks. DeLashmutt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 27th Mayor of Portland, Oregon | |
| In office 1888–1891 | |
| Preceded by | John Gates |
| Succeeded by | William S. Mason |
| Constituency | Portland, Oregon |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 27, 1842 Burlington, Iowa |
| Died | October 4, 1921 (aged 79) Spokane, Washington |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
Early life
Van B. De Lashmutt was born on July 27, 1842, in Burlington, Iowa.[2] His family journeyed over the Oregon Trail in 1852 and settled in Polk County, Oregon.[2] He then worked as a printer in Salem, Oregon, for Asahel Bush before moving to California.[2] At the start of the American Civil War he was in California and joined the Union Army in 1861, serving in the Third California regiment guarding the mail routes.[2] After he left the Army he returned to Oregon and settled in Portland.[2]
Portland
In Portland, he joined The Oregonian newspaper in June 1865 as a compositor.[2] De Lashmutt married Maria Kelly in 1868, and they had four children, with their residence at Fourteenth and Columbia.[2] He established a farm near Hillsboro, the Witch Hazel Farm, which became famous for his horses and race tracks.[2] There he raised thoroughbreds and raced them on both a .5 miles (0.80 km) and 1 mile (1.6 km) track, which eventually became the community of Witch Hazel.[2] In business, he helped start the Oregon National Bank and the Metropolitan Savings Bank, and he served as president of both banks.[2]
On May 2, 1888, De Lashmutt was appointed as mayor of Portland after the death of Mayor John Gates.[3] He was then elected to the position on June 18, 1888, and served until 1891, when William S. Mason took office.[1] He became the Bank of Albina's first president in 1892.[4]
Later life
De Lashmutt left Portland for Spokane, Washington, to mine.[2] He died there on October 4, 1921, at the age of 79.[2] At the time of his death, he had been living in Spokane for more than 20 years.[4]
References
- "Directory of Current and Past Elected Officials". City of Portland, Oregon. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- "Van B. De Lashmutt Passes in Spokane". The Oregonian. October 5, 1921. p. 13.
- "Mayor Van B. De Lashmutt; The Council Chooses a Head to the City Government". The Morning Oregonian. May 3, 1888. p. 8.
- MacColl, E. Kimbark (1976). The Shaping of a City: Business and Politics in Portland, Oregon, 1885 to 1915. Portland, Oregon: The Georgian Press Company. p. 91. ISBN 0-89174-043-0.
Further reading
- Hines, Harvey K., An Illustrated History of Oregon (1873), Volume I, pages 430-432.
- Scott, Harvey W., History of Portland (1890), pages 533-535.
- Bancroft, Hubert Howe, Chronicles of Builders of the Commonwealth (1892), Volume II, pages 644-649.
- "The DeLashmutt Story: Elias DeLashmutt of Frederick County, Maryland and His Descendants"; Virgil Close, pg.82
| Preceded by John Gates |
Mayor of Portland, Oregon 1888–1891 |
Succeeded by William S. Mason |