William Lair Hill

William Lair Hill (August 20, 1838 – February 24, 1924), also referred to as W. Lair Hill, was an American attorney, historian, and newspaper editor in Portland, Oregon. He worked to codify Oregon's and Washington's laws. He briefly owned property in the Portland neighborhood later named after him, Lair Hill, and is the namesake of Lair Hill Park.

Early life William Hill was born on August 20, 1838, to Reuben Coleman and Margaret Graham (née Lair) Hill in Tennessee. His father was a doctor and Baptist preacher at their home along the Tennessee River in the southwestern portion of the state. The home in McNairy County was near the site of the 1862 Battle of Shiloh. In 1853, he moved to the Oregon Territory with his parents, with the family settling in Benton County in the Willamette Valley.

Later years Hill served as a director of the new Columbia River Railway & Navigation Company in 1892. After a time in Seattle he moved south to Oakland, California, where he continued to practice law. William Lair Hill died there at the age of 83 on February 24, 1924.

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