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William Paine Lord family papers, 1849-1976

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Lord, William Paine.
Title
William Paine Lord family papers
Dates
1849-1976 (inclusive)
1865-1971 (bulk)
Quantity
2.7 cubic feet (7 document cases)
Collection Number
Mss 2050
Summary
Papers of William Paine Lord, Oregon governor and U.S. ambassador to Argentina, and his family. Includes extensive correspondence between Lord and his wife Juliette Montague Lord, and correspondence between Mrs. Lord and her aunt Fannie Stockbridge. Also included is correspondence with other family members, biographical data, and information on the flax industry in Oregon.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

William Paine Lord, Oregon governor and jurist, was born in Dover, Delaware on July 1, 1839. He served in the Union Army during the Civil War, and in 1866 he graduated from law school in Albany, New York. Deciding to rejoin the army, he spent time at Fort Alcatraz near San Francisco, Fort Steilacoom in Washington State, and in Alaska. In 1868 he moved to Salem, Oregon to practice law, and eventually he served as city attorney, state senator, justice of the state Supreme Court, and finally governor of Oregon from 1895-1899. He also served as United States Minister to Argentina from 1899-1902.

On July 14, 1880, Lord married Juliette Montague of Baltimore, known as "Etta." Her brother was Watts Montague, an agent for cylinder printing presses and paper cutters in New York City. She corresponded extensively with her aunt Fannie (or Fanny) Montague Stockbridge, wife of prominent Baltimore lawyer and politician Henry Smith Stockbridge (1822-1895). Later in life Mrs. Lord became an advocate of flax production in Oregon and wrote often on the subject. She and her husband had one daughter, Elizabeth B. Lord, and two sons, William Paine Lord, Jr., and Montague Lord. Elizabeth B. Lord (1887-1976) was a well-known landscape architect based in Salem. She co-founded the firm Lord and Schryver in 1926. Her brother Montague Lord became manager of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters Association of the Philippines and later lived in Hawaii.

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Content Description

The bulk of the collection consists of family correspondence, including extensive correspondence between William Lord and his wife Juliette Montague Lord before and during their marriage. Also included are letters written during Lord's time in Argentina. A large file of letters from Juliette Montague Lord to her aunt Fannie Stockbridge provide details on the Lord's life in Oregon, their political activities, and their travels. Notes and letters relating to the flax industry in Oregon are also found in the collection, along with a scrapbook of biographical clippings. Of special interest is a note of April 1, 1896, from William McKinley to William Paine Lord, written prior to McKinley's election to the presidency. Other correspondents include Judge Matthew P. Deady and William Lair Hill. The collection also houses the ledgers of Elizabeth Lord from 1931-1971.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

The bulk of the materials in the collection are also available on 6 reels of microfilm, Mss2040 Microfilm, Oregon Historical Society Research Library. A guide to the microfilm is included with the present finding aid.

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library before any publication use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

William Paine Lord family papers, Mss 2050, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series:

  • Series A: Correspondence, 1849-1935
  • Series B: General materials, 1880-1976
  • Series c: Elizabeth Lord ledgers, 1931-1971
  • Series D: Guide to microfilm copies from the collection, 1865-1919

Acquisition Information

Gifts of Elizabeth Lord, 1969-1975, including Library Accessions 12604, 12717, 13044, 13191, and 13301.

Elizabeth Lord ledgers are Lib. Acc. 16944.

Bibliography

Malone, Dumas, ed. Dictionary of American Biography Volume XI (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons), 1933. The Oregonian. February 18, 1911. Vertical Files: Biography file, William P. Lord, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Related Materials

A calendar to the collection, listing each item and its subject matter, can be found in the Finding Aid Files of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Additional materials relating to William Paine Lord and his family can be found in the following collections of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library: Mss48, Matthew P. Deady papers, 1850-1923; Mss1112, William Lair Hill papers 1846-1925; photograph self-indexing file 671, "LOR-LOT."

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Flax industry--Oregon--History.
  • Governors--Oregon--Correspondence.

Personal Names

  • Deady, Matthew P. (Matthew Paul), 1824-1893--Correspondence.
  • Hill, William Lair--Correspondence.
  • Lord, Juliette Montague--Correspondence. (creator)
  • Lord, Montague--Correspondence.
  • Lord, William Paine--Correspondence. (creator)
  • Lord, Elizabeth, 1887-1976--Correspondence.
  • Lord, William Paine, Jr.--Correspondence.
  • Montague, Watts--Correspondence.
  • Stockbridge, Fannie--Correspondence.

Corporate Names

  • Oregon. Governor (1895-1899 : Lord)
  • Oregon. Supreme Court.

Family Names

  • Lord family.

Geographical Names

  • Argentina--Foreign relations--1860-1910.
  • Hawaii--Description and travel.
  • Oregon--Politics and government--1859-1950.
  • Philippines--Description and travel.
  • Salem (Or.)--History.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Ledgers (account books)
  • Letters (correspondence)
  • Scrapbooks

Occupations

  • Governor.

Collection processed by Todd Sulloway, 2006 February
2006

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