Biography of Henry Lewis Pittock, 1922, State of Oregon
Surnames: Pittock, Bonner, Burton, Stratton, McFall, Emery, Leadbetter,
Hebard, Gantenbein

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Transcribed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
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History of Oregon, Vol. 2; The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, pub.
1922, page 14-17

HENRY LEWIS PITTOCK.

With the history of progress in Oregon the name of Henry Lewis Pittock is
closely associated and in his passing on the 28th of January, 1919, Portland
lost one of her honored pioneers who for sixty-six years had been a resident
of the city. The story of his life Is one of successful achievement in the
face of obstacles and difficulties which would have completely overwhelmed a
man of less resolute spirit and determination and his record should serve to
inspire and encourage others, showing what may be accomplished when one has
the will to dare and to do. He was a dynamic force In public affairs and left
the impress of his Individuality for good upon many lines of the state’s
development and upbuilding. He had few enemies, his rigid adherence to the
principles of truth and honor gaining him the respect and esteem of all with
whom he came in contact.

Mr. Pittock was a native of England. He was born in London, March 1, 1836, a
son of Frederick and Susanna (Bonner) Pittock, both natives of Kent county.
His father first came to America in 1825 with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph
Pittock, who emigrated from Dover, Kent county, and established their home in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Frederick Pittock later went to London, where he
learned the printer's trade and was married, but returned to Pittsburgh In
1839 and spent the remainder of his life in that city, devoting his attention
principally to the printing business. Henry L. Pittock was the third in a
family of eight children. A brother, Robert Pittock, formerly of Portland,
died in San Diego, California, about 1908, and another brother, John W.
Pittock, was the founder of the Pittsburgh (Penn.) Leader.  In the public
schools of Pittsburgh, Mr. Pittock received his early education and
subsequently attended the preparatory school of the University of Western
Pennsylvania. He acquired a good knowledge of the printing business while
working in his father's office in Pittsburgh and in 1853, when seventeen years
of age, in company with his eldest brother, Robert, he Joined an emigrant
party whose destination was the Pacific coast. At the Malheur river the
brothers separated, Robert Pittock going to Eugene, while the subject of this
review came to Portland, arriving in this city barefooted and penniless. He
attempted to secure work in the different newspaper offices of Portland
without success and was finally offered a position as assistant bartender at
the Columbia Hotel but refused the offer. In the latter part of October he was
tendered a situation by Thomas J. Dryer, proprietor of the Weekly Oregonian,
who agreed to give him his board and clothing for six months' services. In
accepting this offer Mr. Pittock displayed the elemental strength of his
character—a strength that constituted the foundation of his later success in
all of his undertakings. Long before the expiration of his six month's term he
had proven his worth and ability and was engaged for a year at a salary of
nine hundred dollars, after which he was paid journeyman's wages. From this
time forward his advancement was continuous. Frequently during the first years
of his connection with the Oregonian the responsibility of getting out the
paper devolved entirely upon him, as Mr. Dryer was too busy with other
affairs, and thus Mr. Pittock soon assumed the business management of the
enterprise. During the campaign of 1860 he took charge of the paper under
contract with Mr. Dryer, who was engaged in making a canvass of the state as a
republican candidate for presidential elector, and immediately following the
election Mr. Pittock purchased the Oregonian. He at once instituted a
progressive spirit in its management, and going to San Francisco, he purchased
a cylinder press and other necessary equipment, for it was his intention to
convert the paper into a daily. On the 4th of February, 1861, he published the
first issue of the Morning Oregonian, which now ranks as the leading paper of
the state and one of the foremost publications of the entire country.

Throughout his long and busy life Mr. Pittock was actively connected with the
Oregonian, and being a man of resourceful business ability, he also turned his
attention to other fields, becoming identified with some of the most important
industrial, financial and manufacturing enterprises of the state. He was a
pioneer in railroad, river transportation, banking and manufacturing
industries and was especially interested in the manufacture of paper from
pulp. To the energetic nature and strong mentality of such men as Mr. Pittock
are due the development and ever increasing prosperity of Portland, and many
of the finest business blocks in the city stand as lasting memorials to his
initiative spirit and indomitable perseverance.

On the 20th of June, 1860, Mr. Pittock was united in marriage to Miss
Georgiana Martin Burton, whose parents were E. M. and Rhoda Ann Burton. Mrs.
Pittock's girlhood was spent in Clark county, Missouri, and Keokuk, Iowa. Her
parents crossed the plains to Oregon in 1852, settling near Milwaukie. There
the father became prominent as a manufacturer, operating one of the first
flouring mills in the state, and he was widely known and highly respected as
one of the early pioneers of Oregon. His daughter, Mrs. Pittock, passed away
on the 12th of June, 1918, and in less than a year afterward Mr. Pittock
departed this life. He is survived by two brothers and two sisters: Thomas R.
Pittock, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; George W. Pittock, now residing in
Oakland, California; Mrs. Stratton, whose home is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania;
and Mrs. McFall, a resident of Portland, Oregon. The surviving children of Mr.
and Mrs. Pittock are five in number: Mrs. B. F. Emery, of Millsboro,
Pennsylvania; and F. F. Pittock, Mrs. F. W. Leadbetter, Mrs. Lockwood Hebard
and Mrs. J. E. Gantenbein, all of Portland.

Many enterprises of Portland stand today as monuments to the life work of
Henry L. Pittock, but a more fitting and even more lasting tribute is the
cherished memory which his friends entertain for him. His life embodied the
principles of upright manhood and citizenship, and his labors were ever of a
character that contributed not only to Individual success but also to the
general welfare and prosperity. His name is written high on the roll of the
honored dead who were among the builders and promoters of the great northwest.