Philip Augustus Marquam

Philip Augustus Marquam
Born	February 28, 1823 Maryland
Died	May 8, 1912 Oregon
Occupation	Businessman, lawyer

Philip A. Marquam (1823 - 1912) was a lawyer, judge, legislator, and real estate developer in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Early life

Philip Marquam was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on February 28, 1823 to Philip Winchester Marquam and Charlotte Mercer Poole.^[1] The family later moved to Indiana.^[1] There Philip attended law school in Bloomington, Indiana. He went to California as a "49er" during the gold rush of 1849, and was elected judge in Yolo County.

Oregon

In 1851, Marquam moved to Portland, Oregon, then a small town of under 1000 inhabitants. For many years he was the largest landowner in Multnomah County, Oregon, counting among his holdings Portland's Fulton District and his homestead on Marquam Hill in southwest Portland. The hill was part of a 300 acre (1.2 km²) donation land claim he purchased for $2500 in 1857 from John Donner, brother of George Donner of the ill-fated Donner Party. The hill is now the site of the Oregon Health & Science University.

In 1882, Marquam was elected as a Republican to the Oregon House of Representatives from Multnomah County.^[2] Marquam gained a reputation as a transportation advocate and developer. He was instrumental in the formation of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company in 1887. He built the Marquam Grand Opera House in Portland, later renamed the Orpheum Theater. The theater was torn down in the 1970s.

He is buried in River View Cemetery in Portland.

Bearing his name is the Marquam Bridge in Portland, opened in 1966, Marquam Hill and the adjacent Marquam Gulch, Marquam Nature Park, and Portland's Marquam Building at SW 6th and Morrison Streets. The community of Marquam, Oregon is named for his nephew, Alfred. The Marquam Trolley formerly ran between Portland and Council Crest, a popular amusement park and scenic viewpoint.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Bancroft, Hubert Howe. Chronicles of the Builders of the Commonwealth: Historical Character Study. The History Company, 1892.
2. ^ Oregon Legislative Assembly (12th) 1882 Regular Session

Biography of Judge Marquam in History of the Pacific Northwest: Oregon and Washington, 1889 [1]

Persondata
Name	Marquam, Philip Augustus
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 28, 1823
Place of birth	Maryland
Date of death	May 8, 1912
Place of death	Oregon