Payette County ID Archives Biographies.....Josephson, Leonard John  July 1, 1895 - June 17, 1986
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Patty Theurer seymour784@yahoo.com November 3, 2005, 11:53 pm

Author: Leonard John Josephson

Leonard John Josephson

I was born in Pueblo, Colo. on July 1, 1885. When I was 1 year old the family 
moved to Telluride, colo. where my father worked in the gold and silver mines.  
During that time an accident befell him and one of his legs had to be 
amputated.  In those early days Telluride was full of miners, many saloons 
and “houses of ill repute”, and was in general a “wild and wooley” town.  I was 
running wild and hard to control, so Father thought he should move his family 
to a better environment. I had two younger sisters now.

When I was nine years old in 1904, Father bought an 80 acre piece of sagebrush 
land 15 miles west of Blackfoot, Idaho. Our family and household furniture and 
other possessions went by train.  My parents were glad to get me out of the bad 
influence of Telluride.  My father used one crutch the rest of his life, farmed 
and cleared the land of sagebrush, and worked his 80 acres and raised 6 
children plus 3 boys whose mother and father had died.  

As I grew up I became a bronc-buster and wild horse roper, spending much of my 
time on the desert chasing wild horses, as there were many in these early days. 
I learned to do some fancy roping.  

In 1916 I married the local school teacher Lora Adele Currier.  We celebrated 
our 62nd anniversary 1978.  She past away in 1979.  We farmed and were in the 
sheep business for several years, then we farmed potatoes. In 1922 I began to 
buy and ship them to Eastern markets. In 1941 I started in the potato business 
here in Payette, later buying and shipping onions until I sold the business to 
Lynn, my son. 

I was elected Mayor of Payette in 1961 and held that office until 1969.  Then 
back to working in the onions; also ran a second had store. 

I have been a Mason for many years, also a Shriner, where I have always enjoyed 
being in the clown unit; was a great pleasure to appears in the parades and 
other activities of the Clows.  I was on the Board of Governors of the Shriners 
Hospital for Crippled Children for 14 years, serving from 1959-1973.  The 
Portland, Ore. Unit.  

For many years I was Santa Claus in Payette, I also took many children to the 
Shrine Circus each year; as many as 900 one year.  

In my retirement years, I still work some in the onions, travel a little and 
just enjoy life in general.  Work with the Senior Citizens as Chairman of the 
Board at the center here.  All this adds “spice to my life”.

My parents were Swedish, but lived in Finland, and I always had a great desire 
to go “back to my roots” so in 1982 Jackie and I went to Finland and Sweden.  
It was a great thrill to meet cousins I had never seen and didn’t even know 
existed.  It was a wonderful trip.  Am proud of my “roots” there. 

I have 2 children, Lynn in Payette and Lois Leavingood in Albany, Oregon.  Four 
grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, 3 great-great grandchildren.  


Additional Comments:
Transcribed from records at the Payette County Historical Society

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