Charles H. Martin and Ellis G. Hughes papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll825

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of correspondence, property records, reports, and ephemera relating to Ellis G. Hughes, an attorney in Portland, Oregon, and his son-in-law, Oregon Governor Charles H. Martin. Hughes' papers include correspondence, warranty deeds, and indenture agreements relating to the transfer of land to the Port of Portland; and a letter from a representative of Union Pacific Railway. Also included are a letter and an indenture agreement from the Oregonian Railway Company, though the relationship between these documents and Hughes is not clear. Martin's papers include newspaper clippings; political ephemera; an honorary diploma from Oregon State Agricultural College (later Oregon State University); reports concerning efforts Martin's administration undertook in response to labor unrest; issues of the newsletter "The Portland Realtor"; a letter from an Army Corps of Engineers officer; and a eulogy prepared by the staff of West Point Academy.

Dates

1881-1946

Creator

Martin, Charles H. (Charles Henry), 1863-1946 (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

Charles Henry Martin was born in October 1863 near Albion, Illinois. He attended West Point and subsequently served as a U.S. Army officer, serving in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, and World War I. Martin retired from the Army in 1927 with the rank of major general after serving as commander of the Panama Canal Zone, and he moved to Portland, Oregon.

In 1930, Martin successfully ran as a Democrat for U.S. representative of Oregon's Third District, an office to which he was reelected in 1932. As a congressman, he persuaded the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to fund construction of the Bonneville Dam. Martin was elected governor of Oregon in 1934. As governor, he was known for his criticism of New Deal programs and his antipathy toward labor unions. Martin lost the primary for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1938, and retired from politics following the end of his term.

Martin married Louise Hughes, the daughter of Portland attorney Ellis G. Hughes, in 1897. The couple had three children: Samuel, Ellis, and Jane Louise. Martin died in Portland in September 1946.

Biographical Note

Ellis Gideon Hughes was born on December 29, 1845, in Iowa City, Iowa. He came to Portland, Oregon, in 1873. Over the next three decades, he became a prominent real estate lawyer. He was one of the charter members of the Arlington Club. He married Maria Louisa Smith Bodenhamer in 1877. The couple had one daughter, Louise. Hughes died of heart failure in August 1909 in Portland.

Extent

0.23 Cubic Feet (1 slim legal document case)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Correspondence, property records, reports, and ephemera relating to Ellis G. Hughes and Charles H. Martin of Portland, Oregon. Hughes was a real estate lawyer. His son-in-law Martin was an officer in the U.S. Army, a U.S. congressman, and governor of Oregon from 1935-1939.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in two series: Series 1. Ellis G. Hughes papers; Series 2. Charles H. Martin papers.

Materials within each series are arranged in chronological order.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Oregon State Archives, October 1992 (Lib. Acc. 21451).

Related Materials

The bulk of Charles H. Martin's papers, including additional papers of Ellis G. Hughes, is designated Mss 1153, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.