Umatilla-Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Taylor, Thomas Clarkson February 22, 1852 - October 10, 1918
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com June 2, 2007, 5:07 pm

Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company

     THOMAS CLARKSON TAYLOR.  A man of keen discernment, notable business 
acumen and enterprising spirit, Thomas Clarkson Taylor transformed his dreams 
into realities and at the same time aided in pushing forward the wheels of 
progress in eastern Oregon. He left the impress of his individuality upon the 
legislative history of the state and was accorded high honors in the Masonic 
order. The latter part of his life was spent in Portland, and his was a 
successful career in the fullest sense of the term.
     Mr. Taylor was born February 22, 1852, in West Boynton, near Worcester 
Massachusetts, and was of English descent.  His early training was received in 
the east and during his boyhood his parents, Richard and Margaret (Clarkson) 
Taylor, removed to Peoria, Illinois, where he continued his studies. He took a 
course in accounting and secured employment as a bookkeeper. On the 10th of 
January, 1876, when a young man of twenty-three, he married Miss Laura B. 
Allen and three years later they decided to settle in Oregon, where they 
arrived in March, 1879, having become interested in the country through the 
reading of literature describing the advantages and attractions of this 
region. They paid a short visit to Mrs. Taylor’s uncle, who lived near Salem, 
and then purchased a team and wagon, with which they drove over the Barlow 
pass and up the Columbia from The Dalles, Oregon, to Waitsburg, Washington. 
There Mr. Taylor obtained a position as bookkeeper with Preston, Powell & 
Company, general merchants, and remained with the firm for four years. 
Profiting by his experience, he prepared for an independent venture and with 
the financial assistance of Lewis Neice, a wealthy rancher, was able to 
purchase a stock of hardware. Through the application of his life’s motto 
of “Dependability, honor and industry” he prospered in the undertaking and 
conducted the Waitsburg store for six years. On the expiration of that period 
he returned to Oregon and allied his interests with those of Pendleton. 
Thoroughly versed in matters pertaining to the hardware trade, he became one 
of the leading merchants of the city and for several years was executive head 
of Stergis, Jones & Company.  In 1893 the firm was dissolved and the style of 
the Taylor Hardware Company was then adopted.  Mr. Taylor controlled the 
business until 1912, when he sold a portion of his holdings and retired, 
coming to Portland with the object of regaining his health. The remainder of 
his life was spent in the Rose city but he retained his interest in the 
business of the Taylor Hardware Company and was also a large shareholder in 
the First National Bank of Pendleton. He was likewise interested in the live-
stock business and many other lines of activity.
     Mr. Taylor was a strong republican and exerted considerable influence in 
the councils of the party, participating in the famous political controversy 
between the Mitchell and Simons factions. For several terms he was a member of 
the lower house of the Oregon legislature and also served in the state senate, 
of which he was chosen president. During his public service he showed a broad 
comprehension of the needs of the commonwealth and valiantly defended the 
rights of the people. As mayor of Pendleton he made an equally creditable 
record and was one of the organizers and promoters of the round-up, now an 
annual exhibition which attracts visitors to the city from all parts of the 
world. Mr. Taylor was a York Rite Mason and one of the leading spirits in the 
organization of the Knight Templar Commandery at Pendleton.  At one time he 
was grand commander for Oregon and in recognition of his services in behalf of 
the order the thirty-third degree was conferred upon him—an honor accorded 
only to men of exceptional worth. Death came to him suddenly while he was 
attending a Knight Templar convention at Bend, Oregon, on October 10, 1918, 
and his passing was a great shock to his many friends and associates as well 
as to his wife, who still resides in Portland, making her home at No. 609 Main 
street. Throughout his career Mr. Taylor was most conscientious and thorough 
and in appreciation of these traits Mr. Powell, one of his employers, 
presented him with a solid gold watch at the end of four years’ service. This 
gift was purchased in San Francisco and was one of Mr. Taylor’s most treasured 
possessions. He had a keen sense of life’s duties and obligations and his 
generosity, sincerity, honesty and public spirit were attributes which won for 
him the high and enduring regard of his fellowmen.


Additional Comments:
History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, 
Pages 340-343



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