Multnomah-Benton-Marion County OR Archives Biographies.....Davisson, Ralph M. March 6, 1868 - ************************************************ 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 June 27, 2010, 8:26 pm Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 439 - 440 Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company RALPH M. DAVISSON, the capable and efficient factory manager for the Heywood-Wakefield Company of Portland, is a member of one of the old pioneer families of the Pacific northwest, members of which were prominent in territorial affairs, and he has spent practically his entire life in this section of the country, holding a high place in the esteem of all who know him. Mr. Davisson was born March 6, 1868, on his father's homestead, which was on the present site of Tacoma, Washington, at about what is now Thirteenth and N streets. He is a son of DeWitt Clinton and Margery (Mason) Davisson, the former of whom, in young manhood, having a desire to see the far west, left his home in Ohio when eighteen years of age and started westward all alone. Reaching Indiana, he hired out to George Mason to drive a team of oxen across the plains. George Mason's party consisted of himself, wife, children, brothers, sisters and parents. They joined the historic T. B. Connor train, T. B. Connor being the leader of a band of United Brethren people in their migration to the Pacific coast. They traveled over the old Oregon trail to Oregon, thence by the old Barlow trail to the Willamette valley. DeWitt Clinton Davisson first located in Benton county, in the Willamette valley, and at Corvallis he engaged in the building of houses for a few years. While living in that locality he was married to Miss Mason, who with her parents, brothers and sisters had come west with the Connor train and had also located in Benton county. Soon afterward Mr. Davisson removed to the Puget Sound country, locating in Pierce county, Washington, where he established his permanent home and where he continued to reside to the time of his death, which occurred in 1874. He took a leading part in the activities of those days and at the time of his death was sheriff of Pierce county. By virtue of having been elected sheriff of Pierce county, he had charge of the territorial prison at Steilacoom, which was an old stockade jail where territorial as well as United States prisoners were incarcerated until the McNeil Island penitentiary was completed about 1873. In his official capacity Mr. Davisson was de facto high sheriff of Washington territory. While living on his preemption, which later became a part of the city of Tacoma, he founded a small furniture factory at Steilacoom lake. After the father's death the family moved back to Benton county, Oregon, coming to Portland on the old steamer "Bonita" from Kalama, to which place they had traveled from Tacoma by railroad. They went up the Willamette river on the steamer "Willamette Chief," spending the night at Salem and arriving at their destination in January, 1876. Ralph M. Davisson received his early education in the public school at Philomath and attended Philomath College until 1889, when he laid aside his textbooks and engaged in the real estate and insurance business at Corvallis. He continued in that line of effort for a number of years and was then appointed to a state position at Salem, serving four years under Governor Geer, after which, in 1905, he came to Portland, of which city he has been a resident continuously since. For three years he was with Krause Brothers, wholesale shoe dealers, and in 1908 became connected with the Oregon Chair Company as director, secretary and plant superintendent. In 1915 he was made vice president and general manager, which positions he held until the Oregon Chair Company was dissolved, in 1923. The Heywood-Wakefield Company having acquired all of the stock, the plant was merged with that nationwide organization and Mr. Davisson appointed factory manager, which position he still holds. He is an alert, industrious and painstaking man in all of his affairs and has shown himself the right man for the place which he holds. In 1891, at Chico, California, Mr. Davisson was united in marriage to Miss Cora May Shonkwiler, and to them has been born a son, William Clinton, who is now twenty-two years of age and lives in Portland. Mr. Davisson is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. the Rotary Club, the Multnomah Athletic Club and other local organizations. and Mrs. Davisson is a member of the Art Club and the Women's Club. Because of his consistent and upright life and his stanch qualities of character, Mr. Davisson has long commanded the unqualified confidence and respect of all with whom he has been associated and has a large circle of loyal friends. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/davisson1174gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 5.2 Kb