Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Hiller, James A. 1877 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com July 4, 2010, 6:36 pm

Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 478 - 481
Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company

     JAMES A. HILLER.  An enterprising business man of keen discernment and 
sound judgment, James A. Hiller has become a dominant figure in Portland's 
development and enjoys an enviable reputation as a realtor and home builder. A 
native of Union county, Illinois, he was born in 1877 and is a son of Simon 
and Ruth (Coleman) Hiller. His father became a teacher, successfully following 
the profession for several years. He died in the spring of 1928. He had long 
survived the mother, who passed away in 1898.

     James A. Hiller was reared in his native state and supplemented his 
public school training by attendance at the University of Southern Illinois. 
His start in the business world was gained with the Illinois Central Railroad 
Company, with which he spent five years, and for four years thereafter he was 
employed by the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Company. During that 
period he decided to invest his savings in the dairy business and was thus 
engaged in Oklahoma from 1908 to 1912. In 1913 he came to Oregon and opened a 
real estate office in Portland, remaining alone until 1921. At that time he 
admitted his brother Gus as a partner and the style of Hiller Brothers, Inc., 
was then adopted. In the intervening period the business has grown at a rapid 
rate and this is now rated among Portland's foremost real estate firms. The 
partners specialize in development work and are responsible for the opening up 
and improvement of the Grant Park, Ventura Park, Garthwick and Roslyn 
districts and the Beaumont annex. In addition they are engaged in general 
contracting and building on an extensive scale and have erected and sold over 
four hundred homes. The first dwellings which they constructed cost from five 
to eight thousand dollars but in recent years the residences have become more 
pretentious, varying in price from twelve to thirty thousand dollars. The best 
material is used in these homes, which are built with thoroughness and skill, 
and the firm of Hiller Brothers now has more than one hundred and fifty-five 
thousand dollars worth of construction work under way. Another feature of the 
business is the department devoted to the repairing and remodeling of office 
buildings and in the matter of service and efficiency of operation the firm 
has set a high standard. Its offices are situated in the Pacific building and 
employment is furnished to more than fifty persons.

     In 1901 James A. Hiller was united in marriage to Miss Sarah A. Hileman, 
also a native of Illinois, and in addition to their fine residence in Portland 
they have a beautiful summer home on Loon lake. Mr. Hiller is a Royal Arch 
Mason and a member of the Chamber of Commerce. In politics he is a stanch 
republican and his favorite sports are hunting and fishing. Upon the enduring 
foundation of commercial integrity and honor he has erected the superstructure 
of success and belongs to that desirable class of citizens who are essential 
to public growth and progress, constituting the strength and motive power of 
every community in which they are found.

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