James K. Weatherford

James K. Weatherford was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives while still in his 20s. James Knox Weatherford, Sr., (March 3, 1850 – July 30, 1935) was an attorney, judge, and politician in the American state of Oregon. Weatherford served one term in the Oregon House of Representatives, gaining the position of Speaker of the House in 1876, before serving three terms in the Oregon State Senate.

A successful attorney, Weatherford was for more than five decades a member of the school board in his hometown of Albany, Oregon, elected mayor of that city in 1886 and 1887, and served for more than two decades as chair of the Board of Trustees of Oregon State University, known at the time as Oregon Agricultural College.

Weatherford is the namesake of Weatherford Residential College, formerly Weatherford Hall, a prominent building on the campus of Oregon State University. The law firm which he established in Albany in 1875 remains in existence today. Weatherford is also remembered for his unsuccessful campaigns as a Democrat for United States Congress in 1894 and 1902.

Biography

Early years Weatherford was born March 3, 1850, at Unionville, Putnam County, Missouri. His father, Alfred H. Weatherford, was a native of the state of Virginia and his mother, the former Sophia Smith, was born in Ohio. His father moved to Illinois early in his life and it was in that state that the couple met and married, soon purchasing land in Putnam County, Missouri,

Weatherford worked for a time in Eastern Oregon as a driver of ox teams before moving to the small town of Brownsville in Western Oregon to take a position as an operative in a woolen mill. a position which he retained for an additional two years. His timber holdings were particularly vast, with one obituary at the time of his death indicating that Weatherford was "at one time perhaps the largest individual timber owner in Oregon."

Weatherford then moved to the Oregon State Senate, winning election for the first time in 1878 and ultimately serving a total of three four-year terms of office, albeit not in succession. He was defeated by Republican incumbent R.P. Earhart in the June general election, however.

Weatherford was elected mayor of Albany, Oregon, and served two terms, heading the city government in 1886 and 1887.

Weatherford returned to the Oregon State Senate in 1890, with Linn County voters sending the Democrat back to Salem. With his term coming to a close in 1894, rather than seek re-election Weatherford's name was put forward by the Democratic Party as its nominee for United States Congress. He was soundly defeated by Republican Binger Hermann in a crowded field that included candidates of the People's Party and Prohibition Party.

Weatherford was recognized for having played an instrumental role during his tenure as an Oregon legislator in the passage of a law compensating the counties of Western Oregon for millions of dollars in lost tax revenues related to land grants to the Oregon and California Railroad. He was unsuccessful in this campaign, falling to defeat at the hands of incumbent Thomas H. Tongue, who died before the start of the 58th Congress to which he had been elected.

Later years

Following the end of his partisan political career Weatherford continued to be an active member of the Albany School Board, serving continuously on that body for a total of 52 years. Construction began in March of that year and took a period of six months, with some $460,000 being expended upon the project. He was 85 years old at the time of his death.

Weatherford was married in 1877 to the former Annette Cottle, a native of Linn County, and the couple had two sons, named Realto and Alfred.

Weatherford is the namesake of Weatherford Hall, a dormitory built at Oregon State Agricultural College in 1928 and still in use on the Oregon State University campus. Construction began in March of that year and took a period of six months, with some $460,000 being expended upon the project. The building remained in use as a residence hall until a deteriorating roof and dangerous wiring forced its closure in 1994. An extensive remodel followed together with a rechristening in 2004 as Weatherford Residential College.

The law practice which Weatherford established in Albany, Oregon in 1875 continues in operation today as Weatherford Thompson, Attorneys at Law.

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