Thomas A. Livesley

Infobox Officeholder
name = Thomas Albert Livesley


imagesize = 125px
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caption =
order =
office = Mayor of Salem, Oregon
term_start = 1927
term_end = 1931
deputy =
president =
predecessor =I.B. Giesy
successor =P.M. Gregory
order2 = Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
term_start2 = 1937
term_end2 = 1938
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
birth_date = December 8,1863
birth_place = Ironton, Wisconsin
death_date = July 22, 1947
death_place = Salem, Oregon
nationality =
party = Democrat
spouse = Myrta E. Hubble (divorced 1903) Edna Irene Debeck
relations =
children = Dorothy, Thomas, Roderick, Mary
residence =
alma_mater =
occupation = Hop farmer, businessman
profession =
religion =


website =
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Thomas A. Livesley (December 8,1863 – July 22, 1947) was an American businessman and politician in the state of Oregon. A successful hop farmer and broker, Livesley was known as the "Hop King" of Oregon. [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/littlebandit-livesay.html Index to Politicians: Little-smith to Livings.] The Political Graveyard. Retrieved on December 1 2007.] Livesley served as mayor of Salem and as a state representative.

He was the original builder and owner of what is still considered to be the tallest commercial building in Salem. The mansion he had built for his family, Mahonia Hall, now serves as the Governor's official residence for the State of Oregon. [http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/GEOENVIRONMENTAL/architecture1.shtml Oregon Department of Transportation] ]

Early life and career

Thomas Livesley was born in Ironton, Wisconsin, on December 8, 1863, to Samuel Livesley and Margaret "Ellen" Maddock Livesley. Samuel Livesley was a hop farmer in Wisconsin and Washington. Thomas moved to Salem, Oregon, in 1894. Shortly after arriving in the city he bought the first of several hop farms that would become known as the T.A. Livesley Co. In 1915, the company produced as many as a million pounds of hops, one tenth of all hops produced in Oregon at the time and one thirtieth of all hops produced worldwide.Morrison, Suzanne [http://www.salemhistory.net/people/thomas_livesley.htm "Thomas A. Livesley"] Mission Mill Museum. 1973-01-13 retrieved 2007-11-30] In 1924, his Lakebrook Farms was one of the first in the state to provide day care, a school, playgrounds and medical facilities for seasonal workers on its grounds. During Prohibition, the company was large enough to sell its product overseas and it survived the downturn suffered by many hop farmers. Livesley would also expand into Canada, and at one time he was the President of the Canadian Hop Growers Association. [Bush,Sam [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~pattyrose/engel/reports/LivesleyThomas1863bio.htm Thomas Albert Livesley] 2000 retrieved 2007-11-30]

In time Livesley would expand into other business ventures. He was vice president of Oregon Linen Mills and in 1927 he erected the 11-story First National Bank Building, later known as the Livesley Building following his death in 1947 and now known as the Capitol Center.Kim, Eunice [http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:2t7sYXZgbK4J:www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article%3FAID%3D/20071115/NEWS/711150339/1001+Eunice+Kim+Livesley&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&client=firefox-a"Landmark building's 80th birthday is reason to party"] "Statesman Journal". 2007-11-15 retrieved 2007-11-30] The building, designed by architect L.L. Dougan, is incorrectly claimed by some to have been the tallest in Oregon at the time but other buildings in Portland were older and taller. The Capitol Center is the tallest commercial building in Salem. Earlier, Livesley had commissioned Ellis F. Lawrence, later founder of the University of Oregon School of Architecture, to design and build a personal home. The Tudor style mansion is now on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1988 was purchased by citizens with private donations and donated to the state; it now serves as the official residence of the governor and his family.

Political career

Elected Mayor of Salem in 1927, he presided over a number of public works in the city that included bridge building, paving of major streets, the installation of street lights and traffic signals and the construction of the Salem Municipal Airport (McNary Field). [ [http://www.cityofsalem.net/export/departments/scdev/airport/newhistory.htm History of Salem Airport] ] He became known as the "Good Roads Mayor". Livesley was also an advocate of a city council-city manager form of government which the city adopted before his death and still uses today.

In 1936, he was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives and served in the 1937 legislative session. Livesley was a Democrat from District 12, representing Salem and Marion County. [ [http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/legislative/histleg/statehood/1937reg.htm Oregon Legislative Assembly (39th) 1937 Regular Session.] Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on December 1 2007.] He was not re-elected in 1938. [ [http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/legislative/histleg/statehood/1939reg.htm Oregon Legislative Assembly (40th) 1939 Regular Session.] Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on December 1 2007.]

References

External links

* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~pattyrose/engel/reports/LivesleyThomas1863bio.htm Thomas Livesley family biography]