OREGON TRAIL US SENATOR CIVIL WAR PORTLAND CITY ATTORNEY DOLPH AUTOGRAPH SIGNED!

Description

JOSEPH NORTON DOLPH
(1835 - 1897)
US REPUBLICAN PARTY SENATOR FROM OREGON 1883-1895,
STATE SENATOR FROM OREGON FOR TEN YEARS
1866-1876,
CIVIL WAR CITY OF PORTLAND ATTORNEY 1864-1865
&
OREGON’S UNITED STATES DISTRICT ATTORNEY 1865-1868
A native of the State of New York, Dolph immigrated to Oregon over the Oregon Trail and settled in Portland, where he became the State’s Federal District Attorney, and US Senator.
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Here's a Rare Autograph Letter Signed by Dolph on a “
U. S. Senate Telegram
” Letterhead Form, 1p., dated Aug. 16
th
1894, to the Assistant Attorney General of the United States,
and
Department of the Interior concerning the status of the motion for re-hearing of the case of James C. Daly on Dec. 16
th
1895…
The document measures 8” x 5” and is in VF condition, mounted to another sheet.
A FINE ADDITION TO YOUR OREGON POLITICAL HISTORY AUTOGRAPH, MANUSCRIPT & EPHEMERA COLLECTION.
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BIOGRAPHY of the HONORABLE
JOSEPH N. DOLPH
Cartoonist Thomas Nast’s striking caricature of the United States senator from Oregon likely dates to 1894, the year that Dolph lost his bid for a third term. The image resembles a photograph published in a Congressional directory of 1893, but Nash exaggerated the nose and brows and suggested an outsized personality by giving the long beard and hair a wild energy. As an outspoken defender of principled politicians, the artist was likely sympathetic to his subject, who was a hardworking, well-respected litigator.
Joseph Norton Dolph
(October 19, 1835 – March 10, 1897) was an
American
politician and attorney in the state of
Oregon
. A native of the state of
New York
, he immigrated to Oregon over the
Oregon Trail
and settled in
Portland
where he became the state's
federal district attorney
. A
Republican
, he spent nine years in the
Oregon State Senate
before serving in the
United States Senate
from 1883 to 1895.
Early life
Joseph Dolph was born in
Dolphsburg
,
New York
, on October 19, 1835. The son of Elizabeth W. and Chester V. Dolph, his brother was
Cyrus A. Dolph
and his nephew was
Frederick W. Mulkey
. Dolph earned his education at local public and private schools and then attended the
Genesee Wesleyan Seminary
in
Lima
. He studied law and was admitted to practice law after passing the
bar
in 1861.
Law career
Dolph set up practice in
Schuyler County, New York
, and also taught school. He read about the Western United States and decided to move west.
In 1862, he and his brother Cyrus enlisted in the
Oregon Escort
, which protected settlers traveling to Oregon from
Native Americans
.
After being honorably discharged at
Fort Walla Walla
in
Washington Territory
, Dolph settled in
Portland
and resumed the practice of law. He became the city's attorney, serving from 1864 to 1865, and then Oregon's
United States district attorney
from 1865 to 1868. In 1864, he married Augusta E. Mulkey, and the couple had six children.
In 1873, Dolph co-founded the law firm of Dolph, Bronaugh, Dolph & Simon with his brother and with E. C. Bronaugh and
Joseph Simon
. He continued practicing with the firm until his election to the
U.S. Senate
almost a decade later.
Political career
In 1866, Dolph was elected to the
Oregon State Senate
as a Republican representing Multnomah County.
He returned to the legislature in 1872, and also served during the 1874 session, both times in the state senate. He gave a speech in
McMinnville, Oregon
, at McMinnville College (now
Linfield College
) on May 31, 1882 at the laying of the cornerstone for the first building on campus, which is known today as
Pioneer Hall
. He continued practicing law with Dolph, Bronaugh, Dolph & Simon when the Legislature was not in session.
In 1882, he was elected to the
United States Senate
by the
Oregon Legislative Assembly
in a contest that drew national attention. Dolph was not even considered a candidate when deliberations began at the state capital, but state Republican leaders elected him to the six-year term. He became the chairman of the
United States Senate Committee on Coast Defenses
in the Forty-ninth through Fifty-second Congresses and the
United States Senate Committee on Public Lands
in the
Fifty-second Congress
.
Dolph was re-elected in 1888 to a second six-year term, but did not win re-election in 1894 and in total he served in the Senate from March 4, 1883, to March 4, 1895.
Later years
Upon leaving the Senate, he moved back to Portland where he returned to the practice of law, and over the years had been partners with many high-profile Portland lawyers including
Joseph Simon
,
John H. Mitchell
,
Rufus Mallory
,
Charles B. Bellinger
, and even his brother Cyrus. He and his firms represented a variety of clients that included transportation magnates
Ben Holladay
and
Henry Villard
, the
Oregon Steam Navigation Company
, and the
Oregon and California Railroad
among others. Joseph Norton Dolph died on March 10, 1897, at the age of 61 in Portland. Dolph was interred there in
River View Cemetery
. The former town of
Dolph
, in
Tillamook County
in the
Northern Oregon Coast Range
was named after the Senator.
I am a proud member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club (UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Society and the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: John Lissandrello). I subscribe to each organizations' code of ethics and authenticity is guaranteed. ~Providing quality service and historical memorabilia online for over twenty years.~
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