William Spencer Newbury

William Spencer Newbury (September 19, 1834 – November 19, 1915),[1] commonly known as W. S. Newbury, was an American businessman, politician, and lawyer active in the U.S. Midwest and Oregon who served as the mayor of Portland, Oregon from 1877 to 1879.[2]

William Spencer Newbury
Newbury in an undated photo published in 1915
23rd Mayor of Portland, Oregon
In office
1877–1879
Preceded byJ. A. Chapman
Succeeded byDavid P. Thompson
Mayor of Iola, Kansas
In office
1870
Personal details
Born(1834-09-19)September 19, 1834
Ripley, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 19, 1915(1915-11-19) (aged 81)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
EducationWisconsin Mercantile College
ProfessionLawyer, businessman, politician

Early life

Newbury was born in Ripley, New York, on September 19, 1834.[1] He graduated from the Wisconsin Mercantile College in Madison, Wisconsin, in the mid-1850s. After traveling around the U.S. South for several months, he lived for a time in St. Paul, Minnesota, and then in Sioux City, Iowa. In 1860, he married Alzina Taylor.[1]

Career

1860s

During the American Civil War, Newbury served in the 6th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, rising to the rank of first lieutenant. He later served in the Army of the Cumberland, fighting for the Union in the Battle of Chickamauga and the battles of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain.[1] After the war, Newbury was appointed Assistant Provost Marshal of the State of Kansas. He passed the bar in Kansas in 1865 and practiced law there for a time. He served as the elected mayor of Iola, Kansas, but resigned in 1870 after deciding to move to the West Coast, where he settled in Portland, Oregon, in August of that year.[1]

Business

In Oregon, Newbury worked as a buyer and shipper in the wheat business. He co-founded the Newbury-Chapman Company with J. A. Chapman and J. C. Hawthorne, and was its manager.[1] Located in Portland, the company sold implements and supplies for use in agriculture.

Politics

In May 1876, he was nominated to be a candidate for the Oregon Legislature "in his absence and without previous consultation with him",[3] The Morning Oregonian newspaper reported. He declined to run, saying that serving would take too much time away from his business activities.[3]

On June 18, 1877, Newbury was elected mayor of Portland.[2][4] He served a two-year term, from July 1877 to July 1879, during which time he maintained a good relationship with the city council.[1]

Later years

William Newbury moved to Eastern Oregon in 1900.[5] In the last "few years"[1] of his life, he practiced law in Baker County, Oregon, but he returned to Portland about one year before his death, which occurred on November 19, 1915, at his home in Portland, about two weeks after he had suffered a stroke.[1] He is buried at Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland.[6]

References
  1. "William Newbury, Ex-Mayor, Is Dead". The Morning Oregonian. November 20, 1915. p. 13. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  2. "Directory of Current and Past Elected Officials: Mayors of Portland". City of Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  3. "Mr. Newbury Declines To Be A Candidate" (May 22, 1876). The Morning Oregonian, p. 2.
  4. "Election Results" (June 19, 1877). The Morning Oregonian, p. 3, col. 2.
  5. "Mayor of 1878 Is Visitor". The Sunday Oregonian. April 18, 1915. Section 3, p. 7. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
  6. "Lieut. William Spencer Newbury". Find a Grave. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
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