Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Sheppard, Chester Arthur June 28, 1879 - ************************************************ 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 16, 2009, 11:46 am Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company CHESTER ARTHUR SHEPPARD. Liberally educated, Chester A. Sheppard has advanced far in his profession and is classed with Portland's leading lawyers and self-made men. His life from an early age has been one of unremitting industry and the exercise of effort has developed his latent talents and strength of character. He was born June 28, 1879, near Grand Forks, North Dakota, and his parents were William Edward and Orpha Esther (Pearson) Sheppard, the former of Irish descent, while the latter was of English and. Scotch descent. The father devoted his energies to the cultivation and improvement of his land and in later life came to Portland. He passed away in 1927 and his widow now resides in Michigan. During his childhood Chester A. Sheppard was assigned many tasks, which he faithfully performed, aiding his father to the extent of his ability, and thus had little opportunity to attend school. However, he was determined to secure an education and at the age of fourteen left the farm to enter the high school at Fremont, Michigan, completing his course in 1897. During 1896, 1897 and 1898 he was a student in the summer school of Ferris Institute at Big Rapids, Michigan, and in 1899 went to Ypsilanti, matriculating in the State Normal College, which he attended until the close of the school year of 1901. He was awarded a life certificate as a teacher and, in 1905 took a postgraduate course, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Pedagogics. This was followed by three years of study under the direction of the Chicago Correspondence School of Law and in the meantime Mr. Sheppard was a teacher in rural schools. He was also superintendent of the schools of Quinnesec, Michigan, for two years and during 1906 and 1907 had charge of a Chicago school for the instructtion of incorrigible boys. Yielding to the lure of the west, Mr. Sheppard journeyed to Oregon in the fall of 1907 and arrived in Portland with financial resources amounting to two hundred and sixty-seven dollars, of which two hundred dollars was borrowed money. In order to secure the means for completing his education he engaged in teaching rapid calculation in the Portland Business College during the day and attended night classes in the law department of the University of Oregon, from which he was graduated in 1907. For one year he was principal of the Creston school and since his admission to the Oregon bar in the spring of 1908 has practiced in Portland. Mr. Sheppard enjoys an enviable reputation as a corporation attorney and is one of the city's most successful trial lawyers. He is a gifted orator and excels in debate, marshaling his evidence with the precision and skill of a military commander. Mr. Sheppard wins a large percentage of his cases and is devoted to the interests of his clients, placing fidelity to duty before personal gain. He is president and one of the directors of the Forrest E. Gilmore Company and has made judicious investments in lands, stocks and bonds. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Mr. Sheppard was married August 20, 1902, to Miss Ethelyn C. Kriger, a daughter of Andrew C. Kriger. While a student at the State Normal College in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Mrs. Sheppard specialized in the study of English and composition and previous to her marriage was a teacher of those subjects. Margaret Ethelyn, the only child of this union, is attending Miss Catlin school for girls. During the World war Mr. Sheppard was a Four-Minute speaker, a member of the legal advisory board, and also promoted the sale of Liberty bonds. In politics he is a republican and his religious views are in harmony with the doctrines of the Methodist Episcopal church. A thirty-second degree Mason, he belongs to Imperial Lodge, No. 159, F. & A. M.; Portland Chapter, No. 3, R. A. M.; Oregon Commandery No. 1, K. T.; Portland Consistory, No. 1, A. & A. S. R.; and Al Kader Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is also connected with the Improved Order of Red Men, the Oregon State Motor Association and the Portland Golf Club. His public spirit is expressed through his membership in the Chamber of Commerce and his professional affiliations are with the Multnomah County, Oregon State and American Bar Associations. Throughout life he has remained a student, constantly enlarging his mental horizon and broadening his field of usefulness. A friend of long standing said of Mr. Sheppard: "The term 'sober as a judge' exactly describes his manner, which conceals a warm, sympathetic nature and a keen sense of humor, which are discovered only by recipients of his kindness and his intimate associates and friends." Additional Comments: History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, Pages 704-705 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/or/multnomah/bios/sheppard654gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/orfiles/ File size: 5.3 Kb