Multnomah-Polk County OR Archives Biographies.....Barbur, Asbury Lincoln June 4, 1861 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/or/orfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com May 7, 2009, 6:02 pm Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company ASBURY LINCOLN BARBUR. No city official of Portland has performed more distinctive public service than has Asbury L. Barbur, who, as commissioner of public works, through his sound judgment and judicious management, has saved to the city thousands of dollars, at no loss of efficiency in service. Mr. Barbur was born in Polk county, Oregon, June 4, 1861, and is a son of James and Elizabeth Rachael (Robinson) Barbur, the former a native of Illinois They were pioneer settlers of Oregon, where the father followed the carpenter trade, being in the employ of the Southern Pacific railroad for many years. He owned a ranch in Polk county, and his wife owned a large property near Oregon City, to which the family moved about 1870. Both parents are deceased. Asbury L. Barbour received a good public school education and when eighteen years old came to Portland and attended the National Business College, from which he was graduated. He started to work as a general utility man in a wholesale grocery house, but later became bookkeeper for Whitter, Fuller & Company, dealers in paints and oils. His next position was that of bookkeeper for Page & Son, being later advanced to that of credit manager, and he remained with that concern eighteen years. He and Fred Page then established a wholesale produce business in Tacoma, Washington, under the name of Barbur, Tourville & Company, but at the end of three years Mr. Barbur sold his interest in the concern and returned to Portland. He became secretary for Webfoot Camp, W. O. W., which office he had previously held, and soon afterwards became a candidate for city auditor. During the campaign he walked all over the city, pressing his claims on all with whom he could get in contact, and, though he had two strong opponents, O. P. Miller and Samuel Louton, he was elected by a majority of one hundred and sixty-five votes. By subsequent reelections, he served in that office for ten years and in 1917 was elected commissioner of public works, in which position he has been retained to the present time, his record gaining for him the endorsement of the electors of the city. In the year following his first election as commissioner Mr. Barbur established the city paving plant, at an initial cost of ten thousand dollars, and, having demonstrated in an unmistakable manner the soundness of the proposition, the plant has gradually been enlarged and improved, including the acquisition of docks and equipment, until today it is one of the best plants of the kind in the country. As an example of the saving effected through the operation of this plant, Terwilliger boulevard was to be constructed at an estimated cost of forty thousand dollars, whereas the new city plant did the work, and did it well, for seventeen thousand dollars. In 1927 the department bought its own property and built a plant, at a cost of one hundred thousand dollars, all of which was paid from the revenues of the department. The department has turned back to the general fund of the city over two hundred and sixteen thousand dollars and has a surplus of sixty thousand dollars, while during Mr. Barbur's administration the cost of street paving has been reduced to one dollar a square yard. Portland now has over eight hundred miles of hard surfaced streets, over fifty-six million dollars has been expended on streets and sewers, and new buildings to the amount of over two hundred million dollars have been constructed in the city during the period of Mr. Barbur's incumbency. The record of the department of public works during the past eleven years is one of which Mr. Barbur is justifiably proud and he has proven well worthy of the approval of the people of his city. Mr. Barbur was married in 1887 to Miss Annie Wilhelm, who was born in Australia and came with her parents to Oregon in an early day. She died, leaving three children Herbert and Harold, twins, both of whom reside in Portland, and Lela, the wife of Ross Muir, who is in the employ of the Standard Oil Company in this city. In 1896 Mr. Barbur was married to Miss Catherine Wilhelm, a sister of his first wife, and to them have been born five children: Vera B., the wife of L. J. Tolinger, of Portland; Everett, of Portland, who is married and has three sons; Clarence, of Portland, who is married and has a son; Irene, who graduated in domestic science from the Oregon Agricultural College; and Arthur Donald, who lives in this city and is with the Allen Candy Company. Mr. Barbur has always given his political support to the republican party and has shown a helpful interest in everything pertaining to the welfare and advancement of the community. He is a charter member of Union Degree Camp, W. O. W., to which he has belonged for thirty-five years, has passed through all of the chairs, and is now president of the board of directors of the Woodmen of the World Building Association. He also belongs to the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which he is a past master; the Modern Woodmen of America, being a charter member of the first camp instituted in Portland; the Loyal Order of Moose; the Chamber of Commerce, in which he is serving on the industries committee; the Eastside Chamber of Commerce and the Brooklyn Improvement Club. He has proven true to every obligation of citizenship, stands as a man among men, and to a marked degree commands the confidence and esteem of all who know him. Additional Comments: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, Pages 647-648 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/barbur599gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 6.1 Kb