Lockley, Fred.  "History of the Columbia River Valley, From The Dalles to the
Sea." Vol. 2.  S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1928.  p. 124

WILLIAM H. THOMAS

In every profession there are found men who by force of character and intellect
rise above their fellows, receiving the admiration and deference which the world
yields to superior ability. Of this type is William H. Thomas, a distinguished
Portlander, whose achievements as a forest engineer have made him known
throughout the Pacific northwest. He was born in 1886, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin,
of which state his parents, William H. and Amma (Shaw) Thomas, were early
settlers, and the father was numbered among its pioneer lumbermen. He has passed
away and the mother is now living in Boise, Idaho.
	W.H. Thomas received his public school education in Wisconsin and continued
his studies in Stanford University, which conferred upon him the degree of Civil
Engineer in 1910. In the year of his graduation he entered the field of forest
engineering in association with Mason C. Meservey, also a native of the Badger
state, organizing the firm of Thomas & Meservey, and this relationship has since
existed. Their work includes the estimating of timber, the issuing of maps, the
making of topographical surveys, and the surveying and building of logging
railroads. The firm of Thomas & Meservey represents investment bankers,
appraising values for bond issues, etc., and employs more than sixty-five
engineers and timber cruisers. This is the leading firm of the kind in the west
and its operations also extend to Canada. The business is conducted with notable
efficiency and means much to Portland, in which the main offices of the firm
are located.
	In 1912 Mr. Thomas married Miss Mary Hutchins, a native of San Diego,
California, and also a graduate of Stanford University. To this union has been
born a daughter, Alice Ann. Mr. Thomas is a thirty-second degree Mason, a Noble
of the Mystic Shrine, and a member of the Multnomah Athletic and Golf Clubs. In
politics he is a republican and in all matters of public moment he manifests a
deep and helpful interest. His tireless energy and talents, natural and
acquired, have carried him to the summit of his profession and made him a power
in constructive development and evolution, while the strength and depth of his
character have enabled him to win and retain the respect and esteem of his
fellowmen.



Submitted to the OR. Bios Project in September 2006 by Jeffrey L. Elmer
* * * * 
Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Oregon Biographies Project. 
The submitter has no further information on the individual featured in the
biography.