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{{Short description|American politician}}
{{redirect|Senator Chamberlain}}
{{redirect|Senator Chamberlain}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = George E. Chamberlain Sr.
|name = George E. Chamberlain
|caption =
|caption =
|image = Looters of the Public Domain 341.png
|image = Looters of the Public Domain 341.png
|office1 = [[List of United States Senators from Oregon|United States Senator]]<br/>from [[Oregon]]
|office1 = [[List of United States Senators from Oregon|United States Senator]]<br />from [[Oregon]]
|term_start1 = March 4, 1909
|term_start1 = March 4, 1909
|term_end1 = March 4, 1921
|term_end1 = March 3, 1921
|predecessor1 = [[Charles W. Fulton]]
|predecessor1 = [[Charles W. Fulton]]
|successor1 = [[Robert N. Stanfield]]
|successor1 = [[Robert N. Stanfield]]
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|successor2 = [[Frank W. Benson (Oregon governor)|Frank W. Benson]]
|successor2 = [[Frank W. Benson (Oregon governor)|Frank W. Benson]]
|order3 = 1st [[Oregon Attorney General|Attorney General of Oregon]]
|order3 = 1st [[Oregon Attorney General|Attorney General of Oregon]]
|term_start3 = May 20, 1891
|term_start3 = May 20, 1891
|term_end3 = January 14, 1895
|term_end3 = January 14, 1895
|governor3 = [[Sylvester Pennoyer]]
|governor3 = [[Sylvester Pennoyer]]
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|term4 = 1880–1882
|term4 = 1880–1882
|birth_date = {{birth date|1854|1|1|mf=y}}
|birth_date = {{birth date|1854|1|1|mf=y}}
|birth_place = [[Natchez, Mississippi]]
|birth_place = [[Natchez, Mississippi]], US
|death_date = {{death date and age|1928|7|9|1854|1|1|mf=y}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|1928|7|9|1854|1|1|mf=y}}
|death_place = Washington, DC
|death_place = Washington, DC, US
|resting_place = [[Arlington National Cemetery]]
⚫
|spouse = {{marriage|Sallie Newman Welch|1879|1925}}<br/>{{marriage|[[Carolyn B. Shelton]]|1926}}
|spouse = {{plainlist|
⚫
* {{marriage|Sallie Newman Welch|1879|1925|end=died}}
* {{marriage|[[Carolyn B. Shelton]]|1926}}
}}
|profession = Lawyer
|profession = Lawyer
|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
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| signature = George Earle Chamberlain signature.png
| signature = George Earle Chamberlain signature.png
}}
}}
'''George Earle Chamberlain Sr.''' (January 1, 1854 – July 9, 1928) was an American attorney, politician, and public official in [[Oregon]]. A native of [[Mississippi]] and member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Chamberlain's political achievements included appointment followed by election as the first [[Oregon Attorney General|Attorney General of Oregon]], a stint as the state's [[List of Governors of Oregon|11th]] [[Governor of Oregon|Governor]], and two terms in the [[United States Senator|United States Senate]] in [[Washington, DC]].
'''George Earle Chamberlain Sr.''' (January 1, 1854 – July 9, 1928) was an American attorney, politician, and public official in [[Oregon]]. A native of [[Mississippi]] and member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Chamberlain's political achievements included appointment followed by election as the first [[Oregon Attorney General|Attorney General of Oregon]], a stint as the state's [[List of Governors of Oregon|11th Governor]], and two terms in the [[United States Senator|United States Senate]] in [[Washington, DC]].


==Biography==
==Biography==
Line 40: Line 45:
===Early life===
===Early life===


George Earle Chamberlain was born in [[Natchez, Mississippi]], on January 1, 1854. The Chamberlain family were early immigrants to North America from England, helping to pioneer in the state of [[Massachusetts]].<ref name=PBR37>Chapman Publishing Company, [https://archive.org/stream/portraitbiographwvor00chap#page/36/mode/2up "Hon. George E. Chamberlain "], ''Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon'', 1903 Part-1/2, Pg. 37</ref> His father, Dr. Charles Thomson Chamberlain, was born in [[Delaware]] and attended medical school in [[Philadelphia]] before moving to the small southern town of Natchez in 1837, attracted by the prospects offered there for a newly coined medical practitioner.<ref name=PBR37 />
George Earle Chamberlain was born in [[Natchez, Mississippi]], on January 1, 1854. The Chamberlain family were early immigrants to North America from England, helping to pioneer in the state of [[Massachusetts]].<ref name=PBR37>Chapman Publishing Company, [https://archive.org/stream/portraitbiographwvor00chap#page/36/mode/2up "Hon. George E. Chamberlain "], ''Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon'', 1903, Part 1/2, pp. 36–39</ref> His father, Dr. Charles Thomson Chamberlain, was born in [[Delaware]] and attended medical school in [[Philadelphia]] before moving to the small southern town of Natchez in 1837, attracted by the prospects offered there for a newly coined medical practitioner.<ref name=PBR37 />


Dr. Chamberlain quickly built a large and prosperous practice, which enabled him to maintain his [[Maryland]]-born wife, the former Pamelia H. Archer, and family in comfort.<ref name=PBR37 /> Pamelia Archer herself hailed from an illustrious pioneer family, being the granddaughter of Maryland Congressman [[John Archer (Maryland politician)|John Archer]] (1741–1810), the daughter of Maryland Congressman [[Stevenson Archer (1786–1848)|Stevenson Archer Sr.]] (1786–1848), and the sister of Maryland Congressman [[Stevenson Archer (1827–1898)|Stevenson Archer Jr.]] (1827–1898).<ref name=PBR37 /> George Earle Chamberlain was the couple's third child.<ref name=PBR37 />
Dr. Chamberlain quickly built a large and prosperous practice, which enabled him to maintain his [[Maryland]]-born wife, the former Pamelia H. Archer, and family in comfort.<ref name=PBR37 /> Pamelia Archer herself hailed from an illustrious pioneer family, being the granddaughter of Maryland Congressman [[John Archer (Maryland politician)|John Archer]], the daughter of Maryland Congressman [[Stevenson Archer (1786–1848)|Stevenson Archer Sr.]], and the sister of Maryland Congressman [[Stevenson Archer (1827–1898)|Stevenson Archer Jr.]].<ref name=PBR37 /> George Earle Chamberlain was the couple's third child.<ref name=PBR37 />


George Earle Chamberlain attended public schools in Natchez, completing his secondary education in 1870 at the age of 16.<ref name=PBR38>Chapman Publishing Company, [https://archive.org/stream/portraitbiographwvor00chap#page/38/mode/2up "Hon. George Earle Chamberlain "], ''Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon'', 1903 Part-1/2, Pg. 38</ref> Following graduation he first worked two years as a clerk in a general merchandise store before leaving for [[Washington and Lee University]] in 1872.<ref name=PBR38 /> Chamberlain successfully complete the course of work there, graduating with dual degrees of [[Bachelor of Arts]] and [[Bachelor of Law]] in July 1876,<ref name=PBR38 /> gaining membership in [[Phi Kappa Psi]] fraternity in the process.
George Earle Chamberlain attended public schools in Natchez, completing his secondary education in 1870 at the age of 16.<ref name=PBR37 /> Following graduation he first worked two years as a clerk in a general merchandise store before leaving for [[Washington and Lee University]] in 1872.<ref name=PBR37 /> Chamberlain successfully complete the course of work there, graduating with dual degrees of [[Bachelor of Arts]] and [[Bachelor of Law]] in July 1876,<ref name=PBR37 /> gaining membership in [[Phi Kappa Psi]] fraternity in the process.


Following graduation from Washington and Lee, Chamberlain briefly returned home to Natchez but decided that professional prospects in the post-bellum South were marginal at best and he departed for a new life in [[Oregon]], arriving on December 6, 1876.<ref name=PBR38 />
Following graduation from Washington and Lee, Chamberlain briefly returned home to Natchez but decided that professional prospects in the post-bellum South were marginal at best and he departed for a new life in [[Oregon]], arriving on December 6, 1876.<ref name=PBR37 />


Chamberlain's first job in the west was a brief and poor-paying stint as the teacher of a country school in [[Linn County, Oregon]].<ref name=PBR38 /> Late in 1877 he was appointed deputy [[county clerk|clerk]] of Linn County, remaining in that position until the summer of 1879.<ref name=PBR38 /> In the interim he passed the Oregon state bar, enabling him to practice law in the state. In 1879, Chamberlain married Sallie Newman Welch, with whom he would have seven children. He was widowed on May 26, 1925.<ref>[https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/chamberlain_george_1854_1928_/#.WzmQk9gzaV4 George Chamberlain (1854-1928)] - The Oregon Encyclopedia.</ref>
Chamberlain's first job in the west was a brief and poor-paying stint as the teacher of a country school in [[Linn County, Oregon]].<ref name=PBR37 /> Late in 1877 he was appointed deputy [[county clerk|clerk]] of Linn County, remaining in that position until the summer of 1879.<ref name=PBR37 /> In the interim he passed the Oregon state bar, enabling him to practice law in the state. In 1879, Chamberlain married Sallie Newman Welch, with whom he would have seven children. He was widowed on May 26, 1925.<ref>{{Oregon Encyclopedia|chamberlain_george_1854_1928_|author=Robbins, William G}}</ref>


In 1878 he served in the [[Linn County Rifles]], a volunteer militia formed to fight against belligerents from the [[Bannock people|Bannock]], [[Shoshone]], and [[Northern Paiute|Paiute]] peoples in the so-called [[Bannock War]].<ref>Michael Robert Patterson, [http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/gechamb.htm "George Earle Chamberlain Sr.: Governor of Oregon, United States Senator,"] Arlington National Cemetery website, www.arlingtoncemetery.net/</ref>
In 1878 he served in the [[Linn County Rifles]], a volunteer militia formed to fight against belligerents from the [[Bannock people|Bannock]], [[Shoshone]], and [[Northern Paiute|Paiute]] peoples in the so-called [[Bannock War]].


===Political career===
===Political career===
[[File:George E Chamberlain 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Chamberlain during his tenure in the 1920s]]
[[File:Senator George Earle Chamberlain, 1919- LCCN2016869954 (cropped).tif|right|thumb|Senator George Earle Chamberlain, 1919]]


A member of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Chamberlain ran for the [[Oregon House of Representatives]] in November 1880, winning election to a two-year term.
A member of the [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]], Chamberlain ran for the [[Oregon House of Representatives]] in November 1880, winning election to a two-year term.


In 1884, Chamberlain was named [[district attorney]] for Oregon's 3rd judicial district.<ref name=PBR38 /> His skill in that position gained the notice of Democratic Governor [[Sylvester Pennoyer]] and when in 1891 the [[Oregon Legislature|state legislature]] established the new position of [[Oregon Attorney General]], Chamberlain was appointed in May as the first to serve that position.<ref name=PBR38 /> He stood for election to the position in the fall, winning at the polls despite being the candidate of the minority party in the state.<ref name=PBR38 /> Chamberlain would remain Oregon's Attorney General until January 1895, following the expiration of his term. He would be the only Democrat to serve that position for 58 years, until [[Robert Y. Thornton]] was elected in 1952.
In 1884, Chamberlain was named [[district attorney]] for Oregon's 3rd judicial district.<ref name=PBR37 /> His skill in that position gained the notice of Democratic Governor [[Sylvester Pennoyer]] and when in 1891 the [[Oregon Legislature|state legislature]] established the new position of [[Oregon Attorney General]], Chamberlain was appointed in May as the first to serve that position.<ref name=PBR37 /> He stood for election to the position in the fall, winning at the polls despite being the candidate of the minority party in the state.<ref name=PBR37 /> Chamberlain would remain Oregon's Attorney General until January 1895, following the expiration of his term. He would be the only Democrat to serve that position for 58 years, until [[Robert Y. Thornton]] was elected in 1952.


After leaving the Oregon Attorney General's position, Chamberlain went into the [[banking]] business, taking positions with the First National Bank and later the Linn County National Bank in his new hometown of [[Albany, Oregon|Albany]].<ref name=PBR38 />
After leaving the Oregon Attorney General's position, Chamberlain went into the banking business, taking positions with the First National Bank and later the Linn County National Bank in his new hometown of [[Albany, Oregon|Albany]].<ref name=PBR37 />


Chamberlain next moved north to Portland and in 1900 stood for election as the district attorney for [[Multnomah County]].<ref name=PBR38 /> He won a more than 1,000 votes, despite the county's 4,000 person Republican majority.<ref name=PBR38 /> This again put Chamberlain in the public eye for a run at statewide office.
Chamberlain next moved north to Portland and in 1900 stood for election as the district attorney for [[Multnomah County]].<ref name=PBR37 /> He won by more than 1,000 votes, despite the county's 4,000 vote Republican majority.<ref name=PBR37 /> This again put Chamberlain in the public eye for a run at statewide office.


===Governor of Oregon===
===Governor of Oregon===


In 1902, he was nominated by the [[Democratic Party of Oregon]] for Governor by acclamation at the party's nominating convention.<ref name=PBR38 /> Chamberlain was elected [[Governor of Oregon]] in a tight election by just 256 votes, this in a state which delivered 15,000 more votes to the Republicans in the concurrent congressional elections.<ref name=PBR38 />
In 1902, he was nominated by the [[Democratic Party of Oregon]] for Governor by acclamation at the party's nominating convention.<ref name=PBR37 /> Chamberlain was elected [[Governor of Oregon]] in a tight election by just 256 votes, this in a state which delivered 15,000 more votes to the Republicans in the concurrent congressional elections.<ref name=PBR37 />


Chamberlain was reelected in 1906, resigning his term when elected to the Senate.
Chamberlain was reelected in 1906, resigning his term when elected to the Senate.
[[File:George E Chamberlain 2.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Chamberlain during his tenure in the 1920s]]


===United States Senator===
===United States Senator===
In 1908 he was elected as a [[USDemocrat|Democrat]] to the U.S. Senate; he was reelected in 1914 and served from March 4, 1909, to March 4, 1921. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Senate in 1920; while a Senator, he was chairman of the Committee on Geological Survey (Sixty-second Congress) and a member of the Committee on Military Affairs (Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses), the Committee on Public Lands (Sixty-third Congress), and the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department (Sixty-sixth Congress).
In 1908 he was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate; he was reelected in 1914 and served from March 4, 1909, to March 3, 1921. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920. He was chairman of the Committee on Geological Survey (Sixty-second Congress) and a member of the Committee on Military Affairs (Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses), the Committee on Public Lands (Sixty-third Congress), and the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department (Sixty-sixth Congress).


The [[Chamberlain Military Preparedness Bill]] of 1918, which he wrote, bears his name.
The [[Chamberlain Military Preparedness Bill]] of 1918, which he wrote, bears his name.
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He was a member of the [[United States Shipping Board]] from 1921 to 1923 and engaged in the practice of law in Washington, D.C.
He was a member of the [[United States Shipping Board]] from 1921 to 1923 and engaged in the practice of law in Washington, D.C.


Chamberlain married his longtime personal secretary, [[Carolyn B. Shelton]], on July 12, 1926 in [[Norfolk, Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/life/2015/02/12/oregons-first-woman-governor-lasted-weekend/23326921/|title=Heritage: Oregon's first woman governor lasted a weekend|last=Mabey|first=Kaylyn F.|date=February 12, 2015|work=|newspaper=Statesman Journal|access-date=January 2, 2017|via=}}</ref>
Chamberlain married his longtime personal secretary, [[Carolyn B. Shelton]], on July 12, 1926, in [[Norfolk, Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/life/2015/02/12/oregons-first-woman-governor-lasted-weekend/23326921/|title=Heritage: Oregon's first woman governor lasted a weekend|last=Mabey|first=Kaylyn F.|date=February 12, 2015|newspaper=Statesman Journal|access-date=January 2, 2017}}</ref>


Chamberlain died there on July 9, 1928, and interment was in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].
Chamberlain died there on July 9, 1928, and interment was in [[Arlington National Cemetery]].<ref>Frank Livezey Roberts. "The Public Speaking of George Earle Chamberlain: a Study of the Utilization of Speech by a Prominent Politician", Department of Speech and Drama. Stanford University., (1954), p. 71.</ref>


During his life Chamberlain was a member of the [[Independent Order of Odd Fellows]], [[Knights of Pythias]], and was a 32nd degree [[Free masons|Mason]] in Portland.<ref name=PBR38 /> He was also a member of the [[Commercial Club of Portland]], the [[Multnomah Athletic Club]], the [[Oregon Historical Society]], and was a life member of the [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks]].<ref name=PBR41>Chapman Publishing Company, [https://archive.org/stream/portraitbiographwvor00chap#page/40/mode/2up "Hon. George Earle Chamberlain "], ''Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon'', 1903 Part-1/2, Pg. 41.</ref>
During his life Chamberlain was a member of the [[Independent Order of Odd Fellows]], [[Knights of Pythias]], and was a 32nd degree [[Free masons|Mason]] in Portland.<ref name=PBR37 /> He was also a member of the [[Commercial Club of Portland]], the [[Multnomah Athletic Club]], the [[Oregon Historical Society]], and was a life member of the [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks]].<ref name=PBR37 />


==See also==
==See also==
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==Footnotes==
==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* "Chamberlain, George Earle," ''Dictionary of American Biography,'' vol 3 p 999.
* Roberts, Frank Livezey. "The Public Speaking of George Earle Chamberlain: A Study of the Utilization of Speech by a Prominent Politician" (PhD dissertation, Stanford University; Proquest Dissertations Publishing, 1955. 0011182). [https://www.proquest.com/docview/301932866?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true online]


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category}}
{{CongBio|C000277}}
{{CongBio|C000277}}
*{{Oregon Encyclopedia|chamberlain_george_1854_1928_|author=Robbins, William G}}


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{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[United States Senator|U.S. Senator]] from [[Oregon]]<br>([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 3]])|years=[[1914 United States Senate election in Oregon|1914]], [[1920 United States Senate election in Oregon|1920]]}}
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[[Category:1854 births]]
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[[Category:Governors of Oregon]]
[[Category:Democratic Party governors of Oregon]]
[[Category:Members of the Oregon House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Oregon Attorneys General]]
[[Category:Oregon attorneys general]]
[[Category:Politicians from Natchez, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Politicians from Natchez, Mississippi]]
[[Category:People from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Politicians from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:United States senators from Oregon]]
[[Category:Democratic Party United States senators from Oregon]]
[[Category:People from Albany, Oregon]]
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[[Category:Democratic Party United States senators]]
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[[Category:Oregon Democrats]]
[[Category:Washington and Lee University alumni]]
[[Category:Washington and Lee University alumni]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery]]
[[Category:District attorneys in Oregon]]
[[Category:Multnomah County district attorneys]]
[[Category:Democratic Party state governors of the United States]]
[[Category:Archer family of Maryland]]
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Latest revision as of 21:50, 14 December 2024

"Senator Chamberlain" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator Chamberlain (disambiguation).

George E. Chamberlain
United States Senator
from Oregon
In office
March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1921
Preceded byCharles W. Fulton
Succeeded byRobert N. Stanfield
11th Governor of Oregon
In office
January 15, 1903 – February 28, 1909
Preceded byT. T. Geer
Succeeded byFrank W. Benson
1st Attorney General of Oregon
In office
May 20, 1891 – January 14, 1895
GovernorSylvester Pennoyer
Preceded byInaugural holder
Succeeded byCicero M. Idleman
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
In office
1880–1882
Personal details
Born(1854-01-01)January 1, 1854
Natchez, Mississippi, US
DiedJuly 9, 1928(1928-07-09) (aged 74)
Washington, DC, US
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Sallie Newman Welch
​
​
(m. 1879; died 1925)​
​
(m. 1926)​
ProfessionLawyer
Signature

George Earle Chamberlain Sr. (January 1, 1854 – July 9, 1928) was an American attorney, politician, and public official in Oregon. A native of Mississippi and member of the Democratic Party, Chamberlain's political achievements included appointment followed by election as the first Attorney General of Oregon, a stint as the state's 11th Governor, and two terms in the United States Senate in Washington, DC.

Biography

[edit]

Early life

[edit]

George Earle Chamberlain was born in Natchez, Mississippi, on January 1, 1854. The Chamberlain family were early immigrants to North America from England, helping to pioneer in the state of Massachusetts.[1] His father, Dr. Charles Thomson Chamberlain, was born in Delaware and attended medical school in Philadelphia before moving to the small southern town of Natchez in 1837, attracted by the prospects offered there for a newly coined medical practitioner.[1]

Dr. Chamberlain quickly built a large and prosperous practice, which enabled him to maintain his Maryland-born wife, the former Pamelia H. Archer, and family in comfort.[1] Pamelia Archer herself hailed from an illustrious pioneer family, being the granddaughter of Maryland Congressman John Archer, the daughter of Maryland Congressman Stevenson Archer Sr., and the sister of Maryland Congressman Stevenson Archer Jr..[1] George Earle Chamberlain was the couple's third child.[1]

George Earle Chamberlain attended public schools in Natchez, completing his secondary education in 1870 at the age of 16.[1] Following graduation he first worked two years as a clerk in a general merchandise store before leaving for Washington and Lee University in 1872.[1] Chamberlain successfully complete the course of work there, graduating with dual degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law in July 1876,[1] gaining membership in Phi Kappa Psi fraternity in the process.

Following graduation from Washington and Lee, Chamberlain briefly returned home to Natchez but decided that professional prospects in the post-bellum South were marginal at best and he departed for a new life in Oregon, arriving on December 6, 1876.[1]

Chamberlain's first job in the west was a brief and poor-paying stint as the teacher of a country school in Linn County, Oregon.[1] Late in 1877 he was appointed deputy clerk of Linn County, remaining in that position until the summer of 1879.[1] In the interim he passed the Oregon state bar, enabling him to practice law in the state. In 1879, Chamberlain married Sallie Newman Welch, with whom he would have seven children. He was widowed on May 26, 1925.[2]

In 1878 he served in the Linn County Rifles, a volunteer militia formed to fight against belligerents from the Bannock, Shoshone, and Paiute peoples in the so-called Bannock War.

Political career

[edit]
Senator George Earle Chamberlain, 1919

A member of the Democratic Party, Chamberlain ran for the Oregon House of Representatives in November 1880, winning election to a two-year term.

In 1884, Chamberlain was named district attorney for Oregon's 3rd judicial district.[1] His skill in that position gained the notice of Democratic Governor Sylvester Pennoyer and when in 1891 the state legislature established the new position of Oregon Attorney General, Chamberlain was appointed in May as the first to serve that position.[1] He stood for election to the position in the fall, winning at the polls despite being the candidate of the minority party in the state.[1] Chamberlain would remain Oregon's Attorney General until January 1895, following the expiration of his term. He would be the only Democrat to serve that position for 58 years, until Robert Y. Thornton was elected in 1952.

After leaving the Oregon Attorney General's position, Chamberlain went into the banking business, taking positions with the First National Bank and later the Linn County National Bank in his new hometown of Albany.[1]

Chamberlain next moved north to Portland and in 1900 stood for election as the district attorney for Multnomah County.[1] He won by more than 1,000 votes, despite the county's 4,000 vote Republican majority.[1] This again put Chamberlain in the public eye for a run at statewide office.

Governor of Oregon

[edit]

In 1902, he was nominated by the Democratic Party of Oregon for Governor by acclamation at the party's nominating convention.[1] Chamberlain was elected Governor of Oregon in a tight election by just 256 votes, this in a state which delivered 15,000 more votes to the Republicans in the concurrent congressional elections.[1]

Chamberlain was reelected in 1906, resigning his term when elected to the Senate.

Chamberlain during his tenure in the 1920s

United States Senator

[edit]

In 1908 he was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate; he was reelected in 1914 and served from March 4, 1909, to March 3, 1921. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920. He was chairman of the Committee on Geological Survey (Sixty-second Congress) and a member of the Committee on Military Affairs (Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses), the Committee on Public Lands (Sixty-third Congress), and the Committee on Expenditures in the War Department (Sixty-sixth Congress).

The Chamberlain Military Preparedness Bill of 1918, which he wrote, bears his name.

Death and legacy

[edit]

He was a member of the United States Shipping Board from 1921 to 1923 and engaged in the practice of law in Washington, D.C.

Chamberlain married his longtime personal secretary, Carolyn B. Shelton, on July 12, 1926, in Norfolk, Virginia.[3]

Chamberlain died there on July 9, 1928, and interment was in Arlington National Cemetery.[4]

During his life Chamberlain was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, and was a 32nd degree Mason in Portland.[1] He was also a member of the Commercial Club of Portland, the Multnomah Athletic Club, the Oregon Historical Society, and was a life member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.[1]

See also

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Chapman Publishing Company, "Hon. George E. Chamberlain ", Portrait and Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon, 1903, Part 1/2, pp. 36–39
  2. ^ Robbins, William G. "George E. Chamberlain". The Oregon Encyclopedia.
  3. ^ Mabey, Kaylyn F. (February 12, 2015). "Heritage: Oregon's first woman governor lasted a weekend". Statesman Journal. Retrieved January 2, 2017.
  4. ^ Frank Livezey Roberts. "The Public Speaking of George Earle Chamberlain: a Study of the Utilization of Speech by a Prominent Politician", Department of Speech and Drama. Stanford University., (1954), p. 71.

Further reading

[edit]
  • "Chamberlain, George Earle," Dictionary of American Biography, vol 3 p 999.
  • Roberts, Frank Livezey. "The Public Speaking of George Earle Chamberlain: A Study of the Utilization of Speech by a Prominent Politician" (PhD dissertation, Stanford University; Proquest Dissertations Publishing, 1955. 0011182). online
[edit]
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Party political offices
Preceded by
W. R. King
 Democratic nominee for Governor of Oregon
1902, 1906 		Succeeded by
First Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Oregon
(Class 3)
1914, 1920 		Succeeded by
Legal offices
Preceded by
Office established
 Attorney General of Oregon
1891–1895 		Succeeded by
Cicero M. Idleman
Political offices
Preceded by Governor of Oregon
1903–1909 		Succeeded by
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Oregon
1909–1921 		Succeeded by
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