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Day book used by Newton McCoy and others, 1892-1954

Overview of the Collection

Creator
McCoy, Newton, 1855-1939
Title
Day book used by Newton McCoy and others
Dates
1892-1954 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.1 cubic feet, (1 folder in shared box)
Collection Number
Coll 1117
Summary
Day book used by Newton McCoy (1855-1939), an attorney in Portland, Oregon, and by other unidentified people. McCoy's entries, written in the 1920s, document his work as an attorney. Most other entries record financial transactions in the 1890s and the 1940s-1950s, though a few pages include drawings and writings possibly made by a child.
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

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Newton Dunn McCoy was born in 1855 in Iowa, but came to Oregon early in life. He studied at Tualatin Academy and Pacific University, and began practicing law in 1884. In May 1922, he won a recall election against Fred G. Buchtel for the Oregon Public Service Commission. However, he lost the 1924 general election for that office. In May 1925, he lobbied to be appointed as successor to recently deceased Judge George W. Stapleton; however, Governor Marcus M. Pierce instead appointed John H. Stevenson to the post.

In 1885, he married Mary Frances Lyman (1857-1933); the couple had four children. After retiring in 1935, Newton McCoy moved to Denver, Colorado, where he died in 1939.

Sources: Obituary for Newton McCoy in the Oregon Journal, March 8, 1939, page 2; obituary for Newton McCoy in the Oregonian, March 9, 1939, page 9; "Multnomah's Recall Vote Is Decisive One, Oregonian, May 21, 1922, page 1; "Oath Administered to New Officers," Oregonian, January 6, 1925, page 6; "M'Coy Seeks Judgeship," Oregonian, May 2, 1925, page 5; "Stevenson to Succeed Stapleton," Oregon Journal, May 4, 1925, page 1; obituary for Mary McCoy, Oregonian, January 6, 1933, page 14; vital records via Ancestry.com.

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Content Description

The collection consists of a leather-bound day book, the first 84 pages of which have been removed. The majority of entries on the remaining pages were made by Newton McCoy, an attorney in Portland, Oregon, from 1921 to 1923 and in 1925. These entries describe McCoy's work activities, primarily involving property or estate cases. The entry for May 1, 1925, on page 167 describes Newton learning about the death of Judge George W. Stapleton, and McCoy's subsequent efforts to be appointed as Stapleton's successor by Oregon Governor Walter M. Pierce.

Pages 176-178 consist of arithmetic, possibly for money, as well as drawings of airplanes, and the sentence "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party" written 11 times in cursive and once in print; these may have been written and drawn by a child. Pages 178 to 210 include entries recording financial transactions from 1948 to 1954, including a sheet taped to page 178 that covers drawings of planes on that page. These entries are interrupted from pages 200 to 202 by records of financial transactions made from 1892 to 1894, labeled as being for Daniel Lewis in an account with McCoy & Whaley.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Day book used by Newton McCoy and others, Coll 1117, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

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

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Gift of Trudy Barbisan, May 2025 (RL2025-054).

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Lawyers--Oregon--Portland

Form or Genre Terms

  • daybooks
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