Biographical note

George Albert McMath was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1931. He was the grandson of Portland architect A. E. Doyle and, in his youth, worked in the offices of architect Pietro Belluschi. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. After receiving a degree in architecture from the University of Oregon in 1959, McMath became a leader in historic preservation, championing Portland's first landmark-preservation ordinance and founding the Portland Historical Landmarks Commission, which he chaired. His restoration projects included Union Station, the Gus J. Solomon United States Courthouse, the New Market Theater, and the U.S. Custom House, as well as the Multnomah Falls Lodge and houses on Officers Row in Vancouver, Washington. McMath married Nannette S. Silverthorn in 1955, and they had three children. McMath died in 2007.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by McMath in his interview; “George McMath Championed Portland Landmark Preservation,” by Amy Martinez Starke, Oregonian, October 31, 2007, Page A14; editorial, "George McMath, 1931-2007," Oregonian, November 1, 2007.

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