Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Le Fever, O. L. September 5, 1880 - 
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com and   July 12, 2006, 12:13 am

Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company

History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Volume II, 
Pages 147 - 148

            O. L. LE FEVER.  An electrical engineer of broad experience and 
superior ability, O. L. Le Fever has been prominently identified with much 
important construction work of this character in various parts of the country 
and is therefore exceptionally well qualified for the office of general 
superintendent of the Northwestern Electric Company, with headquarters in the 
Public Service building in Portland.  He was born September 5, 1880, in 
Hampton, Iowa, and his father, J. M. Le Fever, was a prosperous lumberman and 
agriculturist, who afterward migrated to the Columbia River valley, settling 
in Portland, Oregon.  Subsequently he went to Alhambra, California, where he 
lived retired until his death in 1926, and his widow, Mrs. Clara A. (Carroll) 
Le Fever, is still a resident of that place.
	In the public schools of the Hawkeye state O. L. Le Fever acquired his 
early education, afterward attending the University of Minnesota for two 
years, and then matriculated in Iowa State College from which he received the 
degree of Electrical Engineer in 1906.    At Minneapolis, Minnesota, he became 
connected with the engineering department of the Northwestern Bell Telephone 
Company, with which he spent one and a half years, and then accepted a 
position with the Western Electric Company, installing telephone switchboards 
in various towns.  He was next in the employ of the Westinghouse Electric & 
Manufacturing Company, with which he remained for a year, and installed 
machinery for the firm in various sections of the United States.  For two 
years he was engaged in the task of installing train-lighting apparatus for 
the Northern Pacific Railroad and about 1909 came to Portland with W. S. 
Barstow & Company, which had the contract for installing an underground system 
for the Portland Light & Power Company.  Mr. Le Fever was general foreman of 
outside work and afterward became assistant underground engineer for the 
Portland Railway, Light & Power Company.  He designed an underground system 
for the Mt. Hood Electric Company and in 1913 entered the service of the 
Northwestern Electric Company as superintendent of underground construction.  
In this connection he had charge of all the work throughout the down-town 
district of Portland and installed both steam and electrical apparatus.  For 
about five years he supervised the operation and maintenance of the steam and 
electrical systems of the company and in 1918 was promoted to the position of 
chief engineer.  In that capacity he also made a notable record and in 1923 
was chosen general superintendent of the company, thus becoming an outstanding 
figure in the control of a great public utility, essential to the development 
and prosperity of this region.  He has worked earnestly, systematically and 
effectively to perfect the service and to the many difficult problems 
constantly presented to him for solution brings to bear comprehensive 
technical knowledge, combined with the wisdom, resourcefulness and foresight 
of the true executive.
	In 1914 Mr. Le Fever married Miss A. Bird Pruden, of Portland, and 
their attractive and hospitable home is a center of the social and cultural 
life of the city.  Mr. Le Fever casts his ballot for the candidates of the 
republican party but is not active in politics.  He is a thirty-second degree 
Mason and Shriner and his interest in Portland’s welfare and advancement is 
expressed through his affiliation with the Chamber of Commerce and the City 
Club.  Mr. Le Fever is a member of the Automobile Association of America, the 
American  Institute of Electrical Engineers and chairman of the northwestern 
geographical division of the National Electric Light Association.  Throughout 
life he has been a tireless worker, giving his best efforts to every task that 
he has undertaken.  In the steps of an orderly progression he has reached a 
field of broad influence and usefulness and is esteemed for the qualities that 
have made possible his success.
      

Additional Comments:
History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Volume II, 
Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1928

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