Josiah Failing
Josiah Failing | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 4th Mayor of Portland, Oregon | |
| In office 1853–1854 | |
| Preceded by | Simon B. Marye |
| Succeeded by | William S. Ladd |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 9, 1806 Canajoharie, New York |
| Died | August 14, 1877 (aged 71) Portland, Oregon |
| Political party | Republican |
Josiah Failing (July 9, 1806 – August 14, 1877) was a businessman and the fourth mayor of Portland, Oregon, United States. Born in New York, he moved to Portland when it was still a small town of a few hundred. He and his son Henry, who also became a noted businessman and mayor of the city, started a general merchandising business that became very successful.
Early life
[edit]Josiah Failing was born in Canajoharie, New York,[1] on July 9, 1806.[2] His ancestors were German Palatines who settled in the Mohawk Valley of New York in the early part of the 18th century.[3] He was raised on a farm.[3] Early in life he went to Albany, to learn the trade of paper stainer, and in 1824, accompanied his employer in a move to New York City.[3][4] There he married Henrietta Ellison on June 15, 1828.[3] Henrietta was of English and Dutch ancestry.[3] They had 11 children.[3]
Failing served his apprenticeship in New York and followed his trade until forced to abandon it on account of ill health.[4] He then engaged in the trucking business, following this line of work for many years.[4] During this period he served for several years as superintendent of public vehicles of the city.[4]
Rise to prominence in Portland, Oregon
[edit]Through letters from early Baptist missionaries, Failing had been fascinated by the Oregon Country for 20 years when he moved his family there in 1851.[5][6] The move was risky for a family of modest means, but represented a fresh start.[6] While the family only intended to stay for a few years or less, they settled in Portland.[5] After waiting five months for his supplies to arrive, Failing established the mercantile firm of J. Failing & Company with three years of store supplies worth $25,000 from "merchant-shipper-capitalist" C. W. Thomas's Hunt, Thomas & Company, as well as East Coast-backed credit, providing a huge advantage over their competitors who were mainly working on consignment.[4][5] They located the store diagonally across the street from the business of Henry W. Corbett, a future U.S. Senator with whom the Failing business would later partner.[6] Spring 1853 was problematic, with three shiploads of goods being lost, and the replacements were too late for the busy spring season.[5] Josiah spent less time in his store, not comfortable with the monopolistic practices used by his competitors, turning the business operations over to his son Henry.[5]
Failing's arrival coincided with a period of rapid changes and growth in Portland, and he became thoroughly identified with the city's progress, and engaged in the management of its public affairs.[4] On April 4, 1853, he was elected as the fourth mayor of Portland.[7] He was particularly concerned with education, was a member of the Portland Public Schools board from 1856-1862 and 1864-1868,[8] and devoted much of his time to their establishment and management.[4] Failing started the local chapter of the Sons of Temperance in 1856.[5]
Josiah Failing's business split from C. W. Thomas in 1859, giving all profits to Failing after then.[5] He remained with his business until 1864, when, having acquired a modest competency, he retired from active business.[4] Another source has Josiah leaving the business to Henry as early as 1853, when a New York partner advised a business practice with which he was uncomfortable.[6]
An enthusiastic Republican, Failing was a delegate to the 1864 Republican National Convention[1] which nominated Abraham Lincoln for a second term, and to the 1868 convention[2] that nominated Ulysses S. Grant.[4] From the time he retired from business until his death on August 14, 1877,[1] he devoted his time to religious and philanthropic work.[4] He was a Baptist.[2] He is buried at River View Cemetery, which was founded by his son Henry and other prominent Portland citizens.[6] Failing School was named in his honor[1] in 1882–83, and the name carried over to a replacement built in 1912,[9] which still stands and is currently the National University of Natural Medicine.[10] Failing Street in Northeast Portland carries his family's name.
References
[edit]
- ^ a b c d "Josiah Failing". Find-a-Grave. See photo of grave for birthplace. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Failing, Josiah, Hon". Access Genealogy. Gives its source as "History of the Pacific Northwest, Oregon and Washington, 1889". Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Lockley, Fred (1928). History of the Columbia River Valley, From The Dalles to the Sea. Vol. 2. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. p. 18. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Scott, Harvey (1890). History of Portland, Oregon. Syracuse, New York: D. Mason & Co. p. 522.
- ^ a b c d e f g MacColl, E. Kimbark (1979). The Growth of a City: Power and Politics in Portland, Oregon 1915–1950. Portland, Oregon: The Georgian Press. ISBN 0-9603408-1-5.
- ^ a b c d e "River View Cemetery: Our Founders". Archived from the original on April 18, 2011. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ "Directory of Current and Past Elected Officials: Mayors of Portland". City of Portland, Oregon. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- ^ Portland Public Schools Board Members 1851 to Present
- ^ "Closure Due Failing School Because of Enrollment Loss, Isolation". The Oregonian. May 28, 1959. Section 2, p. 7.
- ^ Terry, John (September 16, 2007). "Oregon's Trails: J. Failing was a force in success of schools". The Sunday Oregonian. p. B4.
