Henry Jonathan Biddle (1862–1928) was a botanist, engineer, and businessman of southwest Washington as well as Portland, Oregon in the early 20th century. He owned about 360 acres of real estate in and around Vancouver, Washington.[1][2]
Biddle was born in 1862 at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. His parents were Major Henry J. Biddle and Mary Deborah Baird Biddle. Biddle was the youngest of five children. His family was prominent in the banking business and had a history of military service. At the time of his birth, his father was serving in the Union Army and was killed in the Battle of New Market the same year young Biddle was born. He attended Sheffield School and the Yale University. Later, he earned a degree in geology from the Kaiserlich Bergakademie in Freiburg, Germany.[1]
He acquired Beacon Rock in order to preserve it from demolition, and built the trail to its peak; his children donated it, and nearby Hamilton Mountain, to the state after his death. Biddle Butte, also known as Mount Zion, in Skamania County is named for him, and as an early automobile enthusiast in the area he was known for driving to its summit,[4] and for scouting the early automobile roads of the region.[5]
Rebecca and Spencer deeded the property, along with Hamilton Mountain, to the State of Washington in 1935 with the stipulation that it must be a public park.[8]
Henry died in 1928 on a hunting expedition with Spencer in southern Oregon near Lakeview. He was to be interred in Portland, Oregon.[6][9] Following his death, his estate was valued at $670,000 (equivalent to $11,888,605 in 2023), the largest amount filed leading up to the time in Clark County, Washington.[10] His wife Helene died the following year.[11][12]
Henry J. Biddle Papers at the University of Oregon ()
May 10, 2024
henry, biddle, henry, jonathan, biddle, 1862, 1928, botanist, engineer, businessman, southwest, washington, well, portland, oregon, early, 20th, century, owned, about, acres, real, estate, around, vancouver, washington, born1862carlisle, pennsylvania, usdied19. Henry Jonathan Biddle 1862 1928 was a botanist engineer and businessman of southwest Washington as well as Portland Oregon in the early 20th century He owned about 360 acres of real estate in and around Vancouver Washington 1 2 Henry J BiddleBorn1862Carlisle Pennsylvania USDied1928Lakeview Oregon USEducationYale UniversityOccupation s Engineer farmer and naturalistKnown forPreservation of Beacon RockSpouseHelene BiddleChildren2 Contents 1 Early life 2 Later life 3 See also 4 Errata 5 References 6 External linksEarly life editBiddle was born in 1862 at Carlisle Pennsylvania His parents were Major Henry J Biddle and Mary Deborah Baird Biddle Biddle was the youngest of five children His family was prominent in the banking business and had a history of military service At the time of his birth his father was serving in the Union Army and was killed in the Battle of New Market the same year young Biddle was born He attended Sheffield School and the Yale University Later he earned a degree in geology from the Kaiserlich Bergakademie in Freiburg Germany 1 In the 1880s he worked for the Smithsonian and then the United States Geological Survey in the eastern United States Eventually Biddle moved to the Pacific Northwest settling first in Lakeview Oregon and then in Portland before buying a farm near Vancouver Washington 1 3 Later life editHe acquired Beacon Rock in order to preserve it from demolition and built the trail to its peak his children donated it and nearby Hamilton Mountain to the state after his death Biddle Butte also known as Mount Zion in Skamania County is named for him and as an early automobile enthusiast in the area he was known for driving to its summit 4 and for scouting the early automobile roads of the region 5 He had two children Spencer and Rebecca 6 Spencer enlisted in the Spruce Production Division in 1918 7 Rebecca married Erskine Wood son of famed Oregon writer Charles Erskine Scott Wood Rebecca and Spencer deeded the property along with Hamilton Mountain to the State of Washington in 1935 with the stipulation that it must be a public park 8 Henry died in 1928 on a hunting expedition with Spencer in southern Oregon near Lakeview He was to be interred in Portland Oregon 6 9 Following his death his estate was valued at 670 000 equivalent to 11 888 605 in 2023 the largest amount filed leading up to the time in Clark County Washington 10 His wife Helene died the following year 11 12 See also editBiddle familyErrata editMotorcycle summits https www newspapers com clip 84806381 motorcycle beacon rock https history columbian com biddle References edit a b c Biographical Sketch Henry J Biddle photographs c 1860s 1925 University of Oregon Library Eugene Oregon October 2005 accessed 17 September 2021 Revisiting Washington Biddle Lake Cox Charles C III The Biddle Connection Our History Johnson C Smith University Eugene Oregon accessed 17 September 2021 Biddle Butte The Oregon Daily Journal 15 July 1917 p 32 Biddle auto enthusiast The Oregon Daily Journal 10 September 1913 p 2 a b Obituary for Henry J Biddle The Klamath News 29 September 1928 p 8 Spencer Biddle Spruce Production Division The Oregon Daily Journal 18 February 1918 p 4 News and Comment Oregon Historical Quarterly 36 2 209 213 1935 JSTOR 20610938 Henry J Biddle Dies The Oregonian September 29 1928 p 10 Biddle Estate 670 332 49 The Oregonian November 28 1928 p 3 Mrs H J Biddle Called By Death at Country Home Oregon Journal August 22 1929 p 24 Biddle Estate Over 600 000 The Oregon Journal October 10 1928 p 19 External links edit Henry J Biddle photographs c 1860s 1925 Henry J Biddle Papers at the University of Oregon archive link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Henry J Biddle amp oldid 1214783337, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
