Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Jeffery, Oliver K. January 9, 1888 - ************************************************ 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 Wakley iwakley@msn.com January 16, 2011, 10:02 pm Source: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. III, Published 1928, Pages 661 - 662 Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company OLIVER K. JEFFERY. Marked enterprise, high ideals and executive force have combined in making Portland an outstanding city in its progressiveness, its business activity, its educational and art advantages and in its beauty. Men of business ability have controlled its commercial, industrial and financial interests, but above and beyond this there has towered their civic spirit and their pride in the municipality. Oliver K. Jeffery is classed with the substantial business men of Portland because of his far-reaching activity in real estate, building and financial circles, but is even more widely known because of his service in behalf of the Portland Rose Festival, annually attracting thousands to the city, and his cooperation in other projects which have added to Portland's beauty and culture. In both paternal and maternal lines he is a representative of old and honored families of the city, his parents being E. J. and Nautilla A. (King) Jeffery, mentioned elsewhere in this work. Oliver K. Jeffery was born in Portland, January 9, 1888, and early became familiar with the best traditions and the highest ideals of the city, so that his interest in and work for Portland has been a natural sequence. He passed through consecutive grades in the public schools until graduated from the high school and then entered the real estate and financial field, in which he has since operated. He is a keen and sagacious business man, possesses a wide and accurate knowledge of property values and has been more than ordinarily successful, having handled a vast amount of city real estate and business projects. His financial operations have likewise been extensive and in connection with this branch of the business he also maintains an office at 149 Broadway, New York. He is also a stockholder in and director of a number of other important business enterprises and in his own business specializes in handling large industrial and construction bond issues. Mr. Jeffery has long been actively interested in the annual Rose Festival, for which Portland has a national reputation. In 1908 he was made marshal of the horse and buggy parade in connection with that event, and in 1911 was chairman of the floral parade, filling that position during the two following years, while for five years he was director of the festival. He originated the great automobile parade, for which he worked out the judging system and he succeeded in one very essential and appreciated phase of the parade, namely, its starting on time. He was also the first person to secure the presence of the city schools in the parade, which has always since been a very popular feature. He served as grand marshal of the parade from 1911 to 1915. He won prizes on his automobile five years in succession and won the grand prize in 1914 and several other years. Mr. Jeffery is an active member of the Multnomah Athletic Club, in which he is chairman of the entertainment committee. A stanch republican in his political views, he has shown keen interest in everything calculated to promote the progress and prosperity of Portland, and throughout his life he has labored just as earnestly and consistently to further the general welfare and development of the city as to advance his individual business interests. Because of his lifelong residence here and his activity in public affairs he is most widely known and has long been accounted one of the prominent and honored residents of the Rose City. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/jeffery1344gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 4.2 Kb