William C. North and Domingo V. Ruiz papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll832

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of newspaper clippings, photographs, and documents relating to William C. North, a businessman and politician from Portland, Oregon; and Domingo V. Ruiz, a Spanish-American who was friends with North. The clippings include multiple obituaries for North, and a 1936 article about Ruiz presenting a Spanish flag he had smuggled out of Manila, Philippines, to veterans of the 2nd Oregon Volunteer Regiment. Photographs in the collection show North golfing, North in the uniform of the Oregon National Guard, and North with other Oregon legislators. Other items of note are a 1926 certificate nominating North as the Republican representative for Oregon's 18th District, and an affidavit filed for Ruiz's application for American citizenship, for which North was a signatory.

Dates

Creation: 1905-1944

Creator

North, William C., 1871-1930 (Person)
Ruiz, Domingo V. (Domingo Vaquerigo), 1871-1944 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing 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.

Biographical Note

William C. North was born in 1871 in Tennessee, and came to Oregon at age 18. He served with the 2nd Oregon Volunteer Regiment in the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars. In 1901, he married Eva Inez Scott; the couple had three sons and a daughter. North worked in the Multnomah County Assessor's Office and in the insurance industry in Portland, Oregon. He served as a colonel in the Oregon National Guard in World War I. North was active in Republican politics, serving in the Oregon State Legislature for the 1921, 1925, and 1927 sessions. He died suddenly while playing golf on August 31, 1930.

Biographical Note

Domingo Vaquerigo Ruiz was born in Toledo, Spain, in 1871. He was soldier in the Spanish garrison in Manila, Philippines, when American forces attacked that city in 1898. Following the city's surrender, Ruiz befriended members of the 2nd Oregon Volunteer Regiment, including William C. North, and later, during the Philippine-American War, he treated American soldiers who were suffering from malaria. The men of the 2nd Oregon subsequently allowed Ruiz to return with them to the United States. Ruiz later became an American citizen and lived in Sycamore, near Portland, Oregon. In 1936, he presented veterans of the 2nd Oregon with a Spanish flag he had taken down and hidden on his person during the battle of Manila. Ruiz died in December 1944.

Extent

0.15 Cubic Feet (3 folders in shared box; 2 oversize folders (19x25) in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Newspaper clippings, photographs, and documents relating to William C. North and Domingo V. Ruiz. North lived in Portland, Oregon, and was a legislator and businessman. He and Ruiz met during the Spanish-American War, when North was serving in the 2nd Oregon Volunteer Regiment. Ruiz had been a member of the Spanish garrison, but following the surrender of Manila, Philippines, became friends with the men of the 2nd Oregon, and later became an American citizen.