Van Banks DeLashmutt (July 27, 1842 – October 4, 1921) served as mayor of Portland, Oregon, from 1888 to 1891.[1]
Van Banks DeLashmutt | |
---|---|
27th Mayor of Portland, Oregon | |
In office 1888–1891 | |
Preceded by | John Gates |
Succeeded by | William S. Mason |
Constituency | Portland, Oregon |
Personal details | |
Born | July 27, 1842 Burlington, Iowa |
Died | October 4, 1921 Spokane, Washington | (aged 79)
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Van B. De Lashmutt was born on July 27, 1842, in Burlington, Iowa.[2] His family journeyed over the Oregon Trail in 1852 and settled in Polk County, Oregon.[2] He then worked as a printer in Salem, Oregon, for Asahel Bush before moving to California.[2] At the start of the American Civil War he was in California and joined the Union Army in 1861, serving in the Third California regiment guarding the mail routes.[2] After he left the Army he returned to Oregon and settled in Portland.[2]
In Portland, he joined The Oregonian newspaper in June 1865 as a compositor.[2] De Lashmutt married Maria Kelly in 1868, and they had four children, with their residence at Fourteenth and Columbia.[2] He established a farm near Hillsboro, the Witch Hazel Farm, which became famous for his horses and race tracks.[2] There he raised thoroughbreds and raced them on both a .5 miles (0.80 km) and 1 mile (1.6 km) track, which eventually became the community of Witch Hazel.[2] In business, he helped start the Oregon National Bank and the Metropolitan Savings Bank, and he served as president of both banks.[2]
On May 2, 1888, De Lashmutt was appointed as mayor of Portland after the death of Mayor John Gates.[3] He was then elected to the position on June 18, 1888, and served until 1891, when William S. Mason took office.[1] He became the Bank of Albina's first president in 1892.[4]
De Lashmutt left Portland for Spokane, Washington, to mine.[2] He died there on October 4, 1921, at the age of 79.[2] At the time of his death, he had been living in Spokane for more than 20 years.[4]