Oregon Historical Society

SIMON, Joseph, a Senator from Oregon; born in Bechtheim, Germany, February 7, 1851; immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in Portland, Oreg., in 1857; attended the public schools; studied law; admitted to the bar in 1872 and commenced practice in Portland, Oreg.; member of the city council 1877-1880; member, State senate 1880-1898, frequently serving as president; member of the National Republican Committee 1892-1896; elected as a Republican to the United States Senate on October 8, 1898, to fill the vacancy in the term commencing March 4, 1897, and served until March 3, 1903; was not a candidate for reelection; chairman, Committee on Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands (Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh Congresses); mayor of Portland 1909-1911; resumed the practice of law; died in Portland, February 14, 1935; interment in Beth Israel Cemetery.