Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Autzen, Thomas June 30, 1888 - 
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Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Page 604 - 605
Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company

     THOMAS AUTZEN.  Among the outstanding industries of Portland, one which has
attracted much attention is the Portland Manufacturing Company, at St. Johns,
which for over a quarter of a century has enjoyed a steady and continuous growth
and has greatly contributed to the reputation and prestige of Portland as a
manufacturing center. Thomas Autzen, the president of the company for the past
ten years, is one of this city's best known business men and has ably and
successfully directed the affairs of this important concern, a very interesting
description of which was printed in the Portland Daily Journal of March 1, 1916,
as follows:

     "This Portland factory, established in 1901, and completely wiped out by
fire nine years later, has a business now that employs from sixty to
seventy-five people, has a payroll of from five thousand to six thousand dollars
a month, and does a business of from one hundred and seventy-five thousand to
two hundred thousand dollars a year. Its buildings cover two of its five acres
of ground fronting on the Willamette at St. Johns, Portland's northern suburb,
and it has seven hundred feet on the tracks of the Oregon-Washington Railroad
and Navigation line, as well as on the river. Its principal business is the
manufacture of Oregon veneered fir panels for doors, and these are shipped to
nearly every state in the Union. A car was loading destined for Cincinnati at
the time the Journal representative made his call upon the management. The name
of the concern is the Portland Manufacturing Company, and Peter Autzen is its
president and Thomas Autzen, secretary, treasurer and manager.

     "Its veneered fir panels are made by the hundred thousand and its berry and
fruit boxes by the million. The company makes tons of cottonwood excelsior,
also, and it is so finely shaven that it is soft as floss or cotton. This,
likewise, has a broad territory for a market, going to shippers of glassware in
all parts of the country. It is valuable for packers of bottles filled with
fluids, and is suitable for mattress making.  Great quantities are turned out
and baled in one hundred pound bundles for shipping. The wood from which it is
manufactured requires from two and a half to three years for seasoning, and with
one thousand cords or so on hand at all times considerable capital is required
to handle this branch of the industry. The berry and fruit boxes are made of
spruce, shaved to a thinness of thirty to the inch, and the veneer for the door
panels seven to the inch. Three thicknesses of these panels are glued together,
the grain of the center piece crossing the others, so that strength which would
bear a weight of two hundred to three hundred pounds is secured.

     "The beauty of the grain of this fir veneer is carrying the fame of
Oregon's forests to the homes of the people, especially the well-to-do, of
nearly all parts of the United States, as well as our island possessions. There
is almost no boundary to the market for this product, for the reason that its
equal for beauty cannot be had elsewhere than on the Pacific coast. It excels,
in the estimation of competent judges, the attractions of even birdseye maple or
the grain of Pennsylvania chestnut. Sandpapered and varnished, it makes a most
delightful indoor finish for door and window casings, bathroom ornamentation, or
for anything made of wood and exposed to view.

     "It is interesting to watch the manufacture of this veneer. The writer was
present when a log ten or twelve feet long and as much as five feet in diameter
was being shaved into veneering. It was handled by the machinery, as it was
being placed into position, as if it were a piece of firewood. When it has been
securely fastened in the turning lathe and the monster machinery put in motion,
a great knife, the length of the log, peeled it as if it were a sugar beet, and
these peelings are the veneer. The wood is not sawed lengthwise as lumber, but
turned off from the log as shavings from furniture material are turned, and of
the uniform thickness of one-seventh of an inch.

     "Think of a log five feet in diameter being steamed until it is hot to the
very center. Not merely warmed, but so hot one can scarcely bear his hand upon
it. This is done with every log made into veneer. This makes the wood both
pliable and tough, so it will not easily split or break. After being cut it is
run through a dryer heated to about two hundred and twenty-five degrees. The
dryer is one hundred feet long, and as the thin strips slowly journey from one
end to the other, between hot rollers, every atom of moisture disappears, and
they come forth ready for the saws that cut them into lengths for the gluers. It
requires three men to operate one of these glueing machines. The thin boards are
here run between two steel rollers, which distribute the glue evenly upon them,
and now they are ready for the sander and to be worked into door panels, or to
be used, the less valuable, in the manufacture of trunks and similar uses.

     "Knotty or 'shaky' logs are not made into veneering. Neither can the hearts
of the trees be worked into this material, for the reason that there is no grain
in them. Only the most expensive fir is bought, and at best there is great waste
to it. Much of the outside, next to the bark, is not suitable, and this is
consumed in making steam, of which a large volume is used aside from that
necessary to operate the machinery.

     "'We sell our veneer to nearly all stock door factories on the Pacific
coast,' Thomas Autzen stated, 'and these make the doors for their local trade
and the eastern market. They go away by the carload to clients of the door
manufacturers, and in addition we ship great quantities of the veneer ourselves.
We do not manufacture doors, however. This we leave to those engaged in that
business. We also do a large business in the manufacture of coffee containers —
those wooden barrels used by coffee grinders for shipping their products.'
Millions of feet of Oregon fir pass through this big factory annually. It is a
valuable adjunct to the city's industries."

     Supplementing the foregoing, the Portland Manufacturing Company was
established in 1901 by G. H. Carlson, F. S. Doernbecher and M. L. Holbrook. In
1906 Peter Autzen bought an interest in the company, of which he became manager,
and was later made president, in which capacity he served until his death, in
1918. The present officers are Thomas Autzen, president and treasurer, and J.
Lingaas, manager. The plant has been greatly enlarged, now having five acres
under roof, and one hundred and seventy-five people are employed. The trade name
for its veneer product is "Plywood," which is used not only for door panels, but
also for automobile bodies and for wallboard interior finish, and in the making
of furniture, nothing but Oregon fir is used. The annual sales now amount to
about one million dollars a year. The plant is electrified and the machinery is
driven by individual motors. A blower system keeps the air of the factory free
from dust and a complete automatic sprinkler system reduces the fire hazard to a
minimum. In every respect the plant is modern and the company takes a
justifiable pride in the fact that throughout its history it has steadfastly
maintained the highest possible standard in its products, through which it has
gained its enviable position in the business world.

     Thomas Autzen was born at Grays Harbor, Washington, on the 30th of June,
1888, a son of Peter and Anna (Wegner) Autzen. The former was born in
Copenhagen, Denmark, and the latter in Germany and they were married in San
Francisco, to which city they had gone in a very early day. Subsequently they
located at Grays Harbor, Washington, where Mr. Autzen became connected with the
Simpson Lumber Company. He was appointed and served as collector of customs at
Grays Harbor, and later was in the mill and logging business. In 1906 he came to
Portland and was identified with the Portland Manufacturing Company during the
remaining active years of his life. He is survived by his widow, who still
resides in this city.

     Thomas Autzen attended the public schools and graduated from Oregon
Agricultural College in 1909. He then became connected with the Portland
Manufacturing Company, of which he was made secretary and later treasurer and
manager, and on the death of his father he became the executive head of the
organization.

     He is financially interested in a number of other business enterprises,
being vice president of the Nicolai Door Company, of Portland, one of the
largest concerns in its line in the west; a director of the West Coast National
Bank and a director of the Grays Harbor Lumber Company. On March 15, 1916, Mr.
Autzen was united in marriage to Miss Marvel Shields, of Tacoma, Washington, and
to them have been born five children, Elizabeth, Thomas, Anabel, Peter and
Duane. Mr. Autzen is a stanch republican in his political views and has shown a
deep interest in public affairs. He is a member of the Benevolent Protective
Order of Elks, the Multnomah Athletic Club, the Arlington Club, the Columbia
Country Club and the Portland Chamber of Commerce. The Autzen family has done
its full part in conserving the material and civic welfare of the communities
with which it has been identified. Peter Autzen, who was affiliated with the
democratic party, served as mayor of Hoquiam, Washington, and was held in high
regard for his ability and sterling character, and the prestige of the family
has been ably sustained by his son Thomas, who commands the uniform confidence
and respect of his fellowmen.

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