Melvin Clark George

Melvin Clark George (May 13, 1849 – February 22, 1933) was an American politician and lawyer who served two terms as a U.S. Representative from Oregon from 1881 to 1885. He was born near Caldwell, Noble County, Ohio, to Presley and Mahala Nickerson George. In 1851 he moved with his parents over the Oregon Trail to the Oregon Territory, where the family settled on a homestead near Lebanon in Linn County. Growing up in this frontier environment, he attended local country schools and later pursued further study at Santiam Academy. He subsequently enrolled at Willamette University in Salem, reflecting an early commitment to higher education that would shape his later professional and public life.

After completing his studies, George embarked on a career in education. He served as principal of the public schools in Albany, Oregon, and later as principal of the Jefferson Institute in the community that would become the town of Jefferson. During this period he also began the study of law. He read law in the traditional manner, was admitted to the bar in 1875, and commenced the practice of law in Portland, Oregon. In 1873 he had married Mary Eckler, with whom he had three children, establishing a family life in parallel with his emerging professional and political career.

George entered public office as a member of the Oregon State Senate, representing Multnomah County from 1876 to 1880. As a Republican, he became part of the leadership of a rapidly developing state during a period of significant growth and change in the Pacific Northwest. His legislative service in Salem helped build his reputation as an able lawyer and public servant and positioned him for election to national office at the beginning of the 1880s.

In 1880, George was elected as a Republican to represent Oregon’s at-large congressional district in the United States House of Representatives, defeating incumbent Democrat John Whiteaker by 1,397 votes. He took his seat in the Forty-seventh Congress in 1881 and was re-elected in 1882, defeating Democrat William D. Fenton by 3,365 votes. This victory made him the first Oregon congressman to be re-elected to a second consecutive term, and he served in the Forty-eighth Congress as well, holding office from 1881 to 1885. As a member of the Republican Party representing Oregon, he contributed to the legislative process during two terms in office, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American history. Among his notable efforts in Congress was his promotion of the construction of jetties at the mouth of the Columbia River, a major project intended to improve navigation and commerce along one of the region’s most important waterways. He did not seek a third term in 1884 and left Congress at the close of his second term.

Following his service in the House of Representatives, George resumed and broadened his professional activities in Oregon. From 1885 to 1889 he served as a professor of medical jurisprudence at Willamette University, combining his legal expertise with the emerging needs of the medical profession. He also remained active in local civic affairs. From 1889 to 1894 he served on the Portland Public Schools board, helping to guide the city’s educational policies during a period of urban growth. In 1891 he was appointed chairman of the Portland bridge commission, which was charged with providing free bridges throughout the city to improve transportation and public access. In this capacity, he oversaw the construction of the Burnside Bridge, which became one of Portland’s principal crossings over the Willamette River.

George continued his public service on the bench. He served as a state circuit court judge for Multnomah County from 1897 to 1905, presiding over a wide range of civil and criminal matters in Oregon’s most populous county. After completing his judicial service, he returned to private law practice in Portland, where he remained professionally active into the early decades of the twentieth century. In addition to his legal and political work, he contributed to the historical record of the state; his article “Political History of Oregon from 1876 to 1898 Inclusive” was published in the Oregon Historical Quarterly, reflecting his long engagement with Oregon’s political development.

In his later years, George was recognized locally for his contributions to the city and state. George Park in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland is named in his honor, as is George Middle School, commemorating his long record of public service in education, infrastructure, and the law. He died in Portland, Oregon, on February 22, 1933, and was interred at Lone Fir Cemetery.