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Richard Ward Montague papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss 2953

Scope and Contents

Papers of Richard Ward Montague of Portland, Oregon, including materials relating to Montague's wife, Ellen Barton Montague, as well as other members of the Montague family: James J. Montague, Mrs. S.S. (Jane) Montague, Margaret Montague Payne, Caroline Montague Sargent, and John Vose Wood Montague and Martha Washington Jackson Montague. Materials include correspondence; personal papers and letters; articles, addresses and speeches; essays; wills; financial statements; documents and certificates; course work; scrapbook items; and other materials regarding the Montague, Barton, and Payne families. Also included is correspondence of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise to Richard Ward Montague.

Dates

  • Creation: 1820-1985
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1820-1953

Creator

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

Richard Ward Montague was born in Charles City, Iowa, in 1862, and received his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1884. He married Ellen Barton and moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1890; there, he became an attorney with the law firm Wood, Montague & Matthiessen and a civic leader. He was a collaborator on the compilation of the Oregon Code; president of the Oregon Bar Association (1908); a trustee of Reed College; a member of the Board of Trustees of the Library Association of Portland, Oregon; president of City Club of Portland; chair of State Democratic Central Committee; and president of the Mazamas mountaineering group from 1922 to 1924. He died in 1935.

Extent

1 Cubic Feet (3 document cases, 1 oversize folder in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Papers of Richard Ward Montague of Portland, Oregon, including materials relating to Richard Ward Montague's wife, Ellen Barton Montague, and to other members of the Montague and Barton families. Materials include correspondence; articles, essays, and speeches; documents and certificates; and scrapbook items. The correspondence in the collection includes letters from Rabbi Stephen S. Wise to Richard Ward Montague.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series:

  1. Series 1: Richard Ward Montague papers
  1. Series 2: Ellen Barton Montague and Barton family papers
  1. Series 3: Montague family papers

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Jim Beggs, February 1992 (Lib. Acc. 20674).

Related Materials

Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library related to Richard Ward Montague and the Montague family include an oral history interview with Montague's daughter Carol M. Beggs, SR 9567, which is available online in OHS Digital Collections at https://digitalcollections.ohs.org/sr-9567-oral-history-interview-with-carol-m-beggs; and Photo File #758, which includes photographs of Montague.

Title
Guide to the Richard Ward Montague papers
Status
Completed
Author
Diane Couture
Date
2008; revised 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Revision Statements

  • 2024-10-22: Revised to condense inventory, update related materials note, and conform to current standard.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240