Henry Heppner

Henry Heppner (c. 1831 – February 16, 1905) was a prominent Jewish-American civil leader and entrepreneur in eastern Oregon. Heppner, Oregon, was named in his honor.

Early life Heppner was born near Zerkow, Prussia, in present-day Żerków, Poland. Sources differ on his precise birth year with at least three dates given—1825, 1831, and 1843. Heppner's headstone in the Beth Israel Cemetery in Portland, Oregon, lists his birth year as 1831. Conversely, the 1880 U.S. Census lists him as 38 at the time of the census, suggesting he was born c. 1842–43. Yet still, a final source states that Heppner himself didn't know his birth year. At least two siblings—Kaskel Heppner and Fanny Blackman (née Heppner)—are recorded as having emigrated separately via Hamburg, Germany in June 1851 and May 1873, respectively.

Adulthood Ad for Henry Heppner's Warehouse in Heppner, Oregon in the Heppner gazette. (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892–1912, April 19, 1900, Image 3; Image provided by Morrow County Museum; Heppner, OR; University of Oregon Libraries. Heppner and other family members first settled in New York and later in California. In California, Heppner clerked a store and eventually began his own mercantile business. Heppner eventually relocated from California to Oregon where he spent time in Corvallis and The Dalles. The 1860 U.S. Census listed his occupation as a pack train operator in Wasco County. Circa 1862, Heppner joined hundreds seeking profits from recent gold discoveries in eastern Oregon and western Idaho. Heppner found opportunity and success in freighting supplies to the mining districts for over ten years.

Heppner and his brother-in-law, Henry Blackman, were successful business partners in several early enterprises in and around Heppner. Among their pursuits were building and managing a warehouse and a general trading store. These businesses were so successful in the early 1880s that they reportedly influenced the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company to bring rail transportation to Heppner as early as December 7, 1889. He and his nephew, Phill Cohn, provided substantial contributions to the construction of the first Catholic church in Heppner. Heppner did not wed or have children. He was characterized as "an unpretentious man, [who] dressed simply, and lived simply." In a 1971 history of the County of Morrow, Heppner was described as a "5' 6", 150-pound bundle of mental energy, always planning the next move. More than anyone else, he shaped the destin of Heppner."

Heppner died on February 16, 1905 in Heppner following at least two years of complications from several illnesses. Sources again conflict on the date, though one newspaper assures readers that Heppner passed on the same day that the County of Morrow was founded. A few days after his death, a Portland-based newspaper stated that with Heppner's passing "goes...a prominent landmark in the history of Heppner and Morrow County. In times of need he has helped many." He was buried in the Beth Israel Cemetery in Portland, Oregon. Photograph of Henry Heppner as published on June 16, 1903, in the Morning Oregonian newspaper. The caption states, "Honorable Henry Heppner - town named in his honor."