"The Oregonian" Newspaper, Portland, Multnomah Co., Oregon. December 4, 1925.
 
HENRY L. PITTOCK
     Henry L. Pittock, builder of "The Oregonian," who laid its foundation
stones and was its mainstay for more than 65 years, was born in London, England,
March 1, 1835.  His father, Frederick Pittock, had come to the United States in
1825 but returned to England and again came to America in 1839.  He engaged in
the printing business in Pittsburg, Pa., and the boy Henry learned the rudiments
of the business in his father's establishment.
     He was educated in the Pittsburg schools and attended a preparatory school
at the University of Western Pennsylvania.  The youth's imagination was fired by
news of the early settlement and missionary work in the Pacific Northwest and he
was but 18 years old when on April 1, 1853, he started to this coast with his
brother, Robert, going by steamer to St. Louis, Mo., and thence to St. Joseph,
where the immigrant parties started overland on their long journey.  In the
wagon train the Pittock boys joined were five jolting wagons loaded heavily with
goods and drawn by oxen. 
     Mr. Pittock reached Oregon city October 15 of the same year and the next
month he obtained employment with T. J. Dryer, publisher and editor of "The
Oregonian" as a typesetter.  The young man was a competent workman and a
dependable type.  Editor Dryer was extremely lax in business methods and larger
responsibilities were constantly given to Mr. Pittock.  He gave a good account
of himself and Mr. Dryer relied upon him more and more.  In 1860, the editor and
publisher had been elected a Lincoln presidential elector and was off to
Washington with the state's three electoral votes.  He was indebted heavily to
Mr. Pittock for services performed and in lieu of money to make a settlement, he
gave him a bill of sale for "The Oregonian" property.
     Mr. Pittock's resourcefulness and enterprise in building up "The Oregonian"
from its meager beginning brought about the success the paper later enjoyed.  He
applied himself vigorously to the task in hand, worked long hours and used his
remarkable business judgment to splendid advantage.  Mr. Pittock lived a long
and useful life, passing away at his late home on Imperial Heights, Portland,
January 28, 1919.
     His was an exceedingly active career.  Not only as a pioneer publisher of
Oregon, but in other ways, also, did he impress his vigorous character upon the
Pacific northwest.  He launched "The Morning Oregonian," making the paper a
daily instead of a weekly, in 1861, and was the real founder of the paper-making
industry in the Pacific northwest.  In 1913, he established the Northwestern
National bank, using the commercial accounts of the Portland Trust company, the
first trust company to be established in the state, as a basis.  He then held
control of the trust company, which is now a separate institution.
     Mr. Pittock was interested, substantially, in lumbering, sheep raising,
river transportation and irrigation enterprises.  The story of his career runs
along with that of the development of the Pacific northwest.

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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in June 2005 by Diana Smith.  Submitter
has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned above.