An Illustrated History of Central Oregon, Western Historical Publishing Company,
Spokane, WA. 1905, page 379.

CLINTON L. GILBERT is one of the most enterprising and successful educators in
the state of Oregon. Should he do no more in this important field, he has
already accomplished sufficient to place his name indelibly on the records in
the state of Oregon as one of the leading men of his day. At present he is
proprietor of the Mount Hood hotel at Hood River, which is under the management
of his son and doing a good business.      

Clinton L. Gilbert was born in Mount Blanchard, Ohio, on January 26, 1859, the
son of James H. and Phoebe A. (Wingate) Gilbert, natives of Pennsylvania and
Ohio, respectively. The father was a contractor and enlisted in 1862, in Company
B, Ninety-ninth Ohio Volunteers, as second lieutenant. He served for ten months
and then was killed at the battle of Murfreesboro. His father came from England
and is a well known builder and contractor. Our subject studied in the common
schools of Mount Blanchard and when less than sixteen years of age began
teaching, having secured a county certificate. Later, he spent three years at a
normal school at Lebanon, Ohio, then studied medicine at the Miami Medical
College. After this, he taught again in Ohio and Kansas until 1887 then went to
Los Angeles and took a position in the faculty of the Los Angeles Business
College, the training school. Later, he was principal of the same and in 1889
came to Oregon and immediately took up teaching. He was for two years the
principal in the public schools in Hood River and in 1894, was appointed deputy
county assessor and assistant county school examiner and in this latter
position, he served for five years. In 1895, he was deputy county clerk and in
1896, was elected school superintendent of Wasco county, holding the same for
eight years, being reelected twice. He has been instrumental in establishing
libraries in every district school in Wasco county. Mr. Gilbert was appointed
secretary of the Oregon State Teacher's Association and in this capacity
formulated a plan of holding uniform examinations for the eighth grade
throughout the state. The practicability and benefit of the same was immediately
seen and the plan was adopted and under the efficient direction of state school
superintendent, Ackerman, it was carried out successfully throughout the entire
state. The benefit derived from this will be readily seen when it is understood
that pupils having completed the eighth grade receive diplomas which will
entitle them to higher instructions in any part of the state, this being a great
stimulus for the youth to complete the grades. It is working admirably
throughout the state. At the present time, Wasco county is leading the entire
state, as shown in the school exhibit at the world's fair at St. Louis.      

In 1900, Mr. Gilbert bought the hotel which his son now operates.      

On December 14, 1878, Mr. Gilbert married Miss May A. Wells, who was born
December 10, 1861 in Henry county, Ohio, where her wedding occurred. Her
parents, James and Clara (Scribner) Wells, were natives of Ohio. The father was
killed in the Civil War when this daughter was two years old. The mother is a
member of the well known Scribner family. Mr. Gilbert has three brothers,
Melville S., J.M., and Zealand T. The latter died in 1895. Mrs. Gilbert has two
brothers, Clarence E. and Frank W. Our subject and his wife have two children,
Maude F., the wife of Fred H. Shoemaker, manager of the Washington Life
Insurance Company at Pendleton, Oregon, and Clarence F.      

Mr. Gilbert is a member of the A.F. & A.M., the K.P. and the A.O.U.W. He is a
stanch Republican and influential in the conventions, besides being a very
active laborer for educational affairs.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in January 2005 by Jeffrey L. Elmer. 
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.