Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Bronaugh, Earl C. February 26, 1866 - ************************************************ 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 6, 2009, 11:28 pm Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company EARL C. BRONAUGH. The bench and bar of Multnomah county have been honored by the life and services of Earl C. Bronaugh, of Portland, who is held in high esteem. A man of vigorous mentality, and mature judgment who is accorded the unqualified confidence of his fellowmen, while among his professional colleagues his legal attainments and ability command uniform respect. Mr. Bronaugh was born in Cross county, Arkansas, on the 26th of February, 1866, and is a son of Earl C., Sr., and Araminta (Payne) Bronaugh. His father was born in Abingdon, Virginia, in 1831, and was descended from old colonial stock, his maternal grandfather, Robert Craig, having served in the war of the Revolution. Earl C. Bronaugh, Sr., moved to Arkansas, where he met and married Miss Payne, who was a native of Tennessee, and in 1868 they came to Oregon, locating in Portland, where he was long and successfully engaged in the practice of law, becoming one of the prominent members of the local bar. His death occurred March 6, 1899. He had served as circuit judge in Arkansas during the early '60s and was recognized as a man of ripe learning and incorruptible integrity. His wife died April 19, 1915. Earl C. Bronaugh, who was about two years old when brought to Oregon, received his elementary education in the public schools of Portland, after which he attended the College of the Pacific, at San Jose, California, from which he was graduated, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in 1888. Three years later the Master's degree was conferred on him by his alma mater. Having decided to devote his life to the legal profession, he took up the study of law in the office of Whalley, Bronaugh & Northup, after which he entered the law school of the University of Oregon, from which he received the Bachelor of Laws degree in 1890. In June of that year he was admitted to the bar and entered upon practice as a member of the firm of Bronaugh, McArthur, Fenton & Bronaugh. Following the death of Judge McArthur and the retirement of his father, the firm style was Fenton, Bronaugh & Muir, until the partnership was dissolved in February, 1900. Mr. Bronaugh then formed a partnership with his cousin, Jerry E. Bronaugh, under the firm name of Bronaugh & Bronaugh, which existed until January, 1908, when Earl C. Bronaugh was appointed judge of the circuit court to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge Arthur L. Frazer. He was reelected to that office in June, 1908, serving until June 1, 1910, when he resigned to resume private practice. During the last year of his service on the circuit bench he also served as judge of the juvenile court. On his retirement from the bench the Multnomah County Bar Association held a banquet in his honor, on which occasion he was presented with a loving cup, and in the presentation speech, Charles J. Schnabel, president of the association, said "It is a remarkable fact and perhaps rightfully appreciated that the highest honor that can be paid to Judge Bronaugh is to recall that in the history of Oregon's judiciary, notwithstanding the multitude of judges that have come and gone in that interval, this is the second occasion when by unanimous and spontaneous consent a testimonial of this character has been paid to a retiring judge. Certainly the highest encomium of a judge's success in the administration of his exalted and powerful office is not the plaudits of the multitude, but the respect and standing accorded him by the lawyers. Men at times who are elevated from the ranks to a position of power and influence degenerate into tyrants, but in Judge Bronaugh's case no man living and having experience with him would think of such an aspersion to his judicial career. He not only loved a square deal, but was himself a square dealer." On retiring from the bench Judge Bronaugh again became associated with his cousin, the partnership continuing until 1916, when the firm of Snow, McCamant & Bronaugh was formed, which continued until Mr. McCamant was appointed to the supreme court bench, after which it became Snow, Bronaugh & Thompson. In February, 1921, Mr. Bronaugh and his son, Earl C., Jr., formed a partnership, under the name of Bronaugh & Bronaugh, which has continued to the present time. Judge Bronaugh specializes in the law of real property, on which he is regarded as an authority, and he commands a large and remunerative practice. In addition to his professional activity, he is vice president and a director of the Title and Trust Company, a director of the Lumberman's Trust Company and vice president and a director of the Oregon-Washington Joint Stock Land Bank. On June 14, 1888, in San Jose, California, Judge Bronaugh was united in marriage to Miss Grace L. Huggins, a former classmate of his and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Asa G. Huggins. To them have been born four children, namely: Elizabeth who is the wife of Joseph E. Hall, of Portland; Lewis J., who married Miss Frances Bragg and is engaged in the automobile business in this city; Earl C., Jr., who graduated from the University of Oregon in 1917, married Miss Berneice Perkins, and is now associated with his father, and who is a member of the State Legislature; and Polly, who is the wife of Orin A. Cheney, of Portland. Judge Bronaugh is a member of Willamette Lodge, No. 2, A. F. & A. M., which he is a past master; Portland Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M.; Oregon Commandery, No. 1, K. T.; Portland Consistory, A. A. S. R.; Al Kader Temple, A. A. O. N. M. and is a past grand Master of the Masonic grand lodge of Oregon. He belongs to the Arlington Club, the Chamber of Commerce, the Young Men's Christian Association, of which he has been a director for thirty years, the Oregon Historical Society and the Phi Kappa Psi college fraternity. He maintains professional affiliation with the Multnomah County Bar Association, the Oregon State Bar Association and American Bar Association, and his religious membership is with the First Presbyterian church, of Portland, of which he is a trustee. His life has been one of activity and usefulness, actuated by honorable purposes and has been crowned with worthy success. Additional Comments: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, Pages 629-630 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/bronaugh589gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 6.9 Kb