Washington-Multnomah County OR Archives Biographies.....Schulmerich, Edward 1863 - 
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Ila L. Wakley iwakley@msn.com May 26, 2009, 9:13 pm

Author: The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company

     EDWARD SCHULMERICH.  On the list of the able and successful business men 
and public-spirited citizens of the Columbia River valley, one of the most 
notable names is that of Edward Schulmerich, president of the Commercial 
National Bank of Hillsboro, Oregon, who has not only been abundantly 
prosperous in his business affairs, but has also been a prominent factor in 
the general advancement of Washington county. Mr. Schulmerich was born in 
Eldorado county, California, in 1863, and is a son of Conrad and Margaret 
(Schuetzer) Schulmerich, both of whom were natives of Germany, the father born 
in Hesse Darmstadt and the mother in Rhineland. Conrad Schulmerich was reared 
and educated in his native land and served in the German army, from which he 
deserted in order to come to the United States. On his arrival here he 
obtained work in Orange county, New York, milking cows for twelve dollars a 
month. Margaret Schuetzer's parents died when she was but a child and when 
seventeen years of age she came to the United States alone, arriving here 
without knowledge of the English language and without friends in this country. 
She became the wife of Conrad Schulmerich in New York and in 1856 they came to 
the Pacific coast, by way of the isthmus of Panama. They first located in 
California, living for awhile in a board shanty until they could get a start. 
Mr. Schulmerich went to work in the mines, following that occupation until 
1875, when he came to Washington county, Oregon, and bought a half section of 
land about three and a half miles south of Hillsboro. The land was heavily 
timbered, but he was industrious and in the course of time developed a good 
farm, so that as he prospered he added to his holdings, buying two more farms. 
Through his hard and persistent work, in which he was greatly assisted by his 
good wife, he gained recognition as one of the prosperous and substantial 
farmers of his locality and became influential in local public affairs. He 
continued his farming operations until within five or six years of his death, 
when he retired and moved into Hillsboro, where his death occurred in 1901, 
one year after the death of his wife. Mr. Schulmerich served as a member of 
the board of county commissioners and during his term of office showed his 
enterprising spirit by planting trees around the old courthouse. To him and 
his wife were born ten children, namely: Mrs. Annie Stevens, deceased; Herman 
and William, who live in Hillsboro; Edward; George, of Wills, Oregon; Joseph, 
of Banks, Oregon; Mrs. Kate Burkhalter, of Hillsboro; Mrs. Maggie Bierstorf, 
of North Plains, Oregon; Mrs. Josie Belyer, of Portland, Oregon, and Mrs. Etta 
Johnson, of Hillsboro. Mr. Schulmerich was a member of the Masonic order and 
to a marked degree commanded the confidence and respect of his fellowmen.

     Edward Schulmerich completed his common school education at twelve years 
of age. He remained with his father until after he had attained his majority, 
when he went to Portland, where he found work with Cook & Kiernan, driving a 
dray and working around the docks. He was also for awhile with a milling 
company. He then returned home and took charge of one of his father's ranches, 
to which he devoted his attention until 1900, when the farm was leased and he 
came to Hillsboro and for eight years was associated with his brother George 
in a mercantile business, but they later sold out to the J. W. Connell 
Company. Four years later he took back the business, having spent the interim 
in the Hillsboro Commercial Bank. He was again on his farm for two years, 
during which time he made a number of valuable improvements, and engaged in 
the raising of hay and grain and the operation of a dairy, owning a good herd 
of Jersey cows. During the subsequent years he has gradually developed his 
agricultural operations, until now he has three hundred and twenty acres in 
one farm, which is being operated by his brother-in-law, E. A. Gillenwater. He 
also owns a good farm in Yamhill county, which is being operated by his son, 
Bruce.

     Mr. Schulmerich has for many years been identified with the banking 
interests of this section of the state and is president of the Commercial 
National Bank of Hillsboro and of the Sherwood State Bank, at Sherwood, 
Washington county, reorganizing the latter of which after the failure of the 
former bank at that place. He is a heavy stockholder in the United States 
National Bank of Portland and was one of the organizers of the Ray Maling 
Company, which has been an important factor in the commercial development of 
Hillsboro. He financed this concern until it was well established and is now 
vice president of the company. He helped to organize the first cooperative 
creamery in the state of Oregon, near old Farmington, and later built a 
creamery on his own farm. The Commercial National Bank of Hillsboro was 
organized in January, 1927, as the outcome of the consolidation of the 
Hillsboro Commercial Bank and the Hillsboro National Bank. The Commercial Bank 
was organized in 1905 by A. S. Scholes and Mr. Schulmerich, and had a capital 
of twenty-five thousand dollars, while the National Bank was established in 
December, 1910. The first officers of the Commercial Bank were, A. S. Scholes, 
president; George Schulmerich, cashier; Edward Schulmerich, vice president; 
and Edward Schulmerich, A. S. Scholes, Charles Russell, S. P. Huston and W. H. 
Bagley, directors. Mr. Scholes was soon afterwards succeeded in the presidency 
by Edward Schulmerich, who held the office up to the time of the merger, when 
he became the head of the Commercial National Bank, which position he still 
holds. This bank has a capital of seventy-five thousand dollars, a surplus of 
twenty-five thousand dollars and total resources of one and a quarter million 
dollars. The present officers and directors are as follows: Edward 
Schulmerich, president; Glenn T. Stapleton, first vice president; E. I. 
Kuratli, second vice president; William C. Christianson, cashier; and E. B. 
Maling, Lester Ireland, Mason P. Cody, directors. The institution is enjoying 
a splendid measure of prosperity, so that plans are already being made for an 
increase of capital in order to properly take care of the expanding business. 
It is a member of the American Bankers Association. In everything he has 
undertaken Mr. Schulmerich has shown a progressive spirit and does well 
whatever he undertakes. This was strikingly illustrated in his operation of 
his farm, when he tiled the land, first putting in wooden drains, but later 
replacing them with clay tile, of which he has laid an enormous amount, 
aggregating about twenty miles. One remarkable result of this work was the 
rapid increase of wheat production, which after the second year of tiling 
amounted to four hundred per cent.

     Mr. Schulmerich was married in 1889 to Miss Alice Bailey, who was a 
native of Iowa, and to this union were born six children: Bruce, who is 
operating his father's farm in Yamhill county, was married to Miss Lucile 
Collier and has a daughter, Alice; Roy, who is engaged in the tile and brick 
business in Hillsboro, married Miss Gertrude Parker and they have two 
children, Edward and Norman; Melvin, who is teller in the Commercial National 
Bank; and three children are deceased. The mother died in 1900, and in 1901 
Mr. Schulmerich was married to Miss Ella Gillenwater, who is a native of 
Virginia.

     Politically Mr. Schulmerich is a stanch republican and has shown a deep 
interest in public affairs, being particularly interested in the various state 
institutions, such as the colleges and normal schools, and has fought hard and 
constantly for increased efficiency in their management. He has twice been 
elected to represent Washington county in the house of representatives, being 
a member of that body in 1923 and 1927, and is now a candidate for the state 
senate without opposition. He served on a number of important legislative 
committees and his record was marked by a sincere desire to promote the best 
interests of the state. He is a Mason and enjoys the very unusual distinction 
of having been made master of his lodge eighteen months after becoming a 
Master Mason. He also belongs to the Knights of Pythias and the Hillsboro 
Chamber of Commerce. The qualities of keen discrimination, sound judgment and 
executive ability enter very largely into his makeup and have been 
contributing elements to the success which has crowned his efforts, and 
throughout this section of the state he commands to a marked degree the 
respect and confidence of those who know him, while in his immediate community 
he has a host of warm and admiring friends. 

Additional Comments:
History of the Columbia River Valley From The Dalles to the Sea, Vol. II, 
Pages 756-758

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