Lockley, Fred.  "History of the Columbia River Valley, From The Dalles to the
Sea." Vol. 2.  S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1928.  p. 167.

JAMES HOWARD HAZLETT

James H. Hazlett has for sixteen years been numbered among the able,
progressive and successful professional men of Hood River, while in civic
affairs he has been influential in matters affecting the public welfare, so that
he is justly regarded as one of his community's representative men. Mr. Hazlett
is a native of Illinois and was educated at Harvard College and Boston
University Law School and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1904. He
practiced his profession in Boston until 1912 when he came to Hood River and no
member of the Hood River bar has won a higher place in public esteem than he.

In his political activity, Mr. Hazlett generally affiliates with the democratic
party but considers parties as only means to an end and never hesitates to
disregard party lines if thereby he can better serve the public interests. His
first public office was as representative in the 1925 session of the
legislature. His grasp of the essential points in an argument, good judgment and
forceful manner soon made him one of the most influential members of the house.
A life long student of the subject of taxation, he led the opposition in the
house to the Dennis resolution which sought by constitutional amendment to
prevent the levying of income and inheritance taxes. His speech in opposition to
the Dennis resolution was printed in full in the Oregon Journal. He also opposed
the tobacco tax because it was not based on ability to pay but was a tax on
consumption. Mr. Hazlett favored the child labor amendment and the free textbook
bill and opposed legalizing party conventions and all other attempts to cripple
the direct primary law. He consistently refused to make promises and trades but
kept himself free and open minded to consider each measure on its merits and
firmly established himself in the minds of his colleagues as a courageous and
unselfish legislator.

In 1926, Mr. Hazlett was a candidate for reelection to the legislature on the
democratic ticket and although the democrats are outnumbered by the republicans
three to one as measured by the registration figures of the district, he was
overwhelmingly returned to the house, carrying every precinct in the district
over his republican opponent. In the 1927 session of the legislature, in
recognition of the ability he had shown in the 1925 session, Mr. Hazlett was
made chairman of the important irrigation and drainage committee, vice chairman
of the taxation and revenue committee and a member of the constitutional law,
repeal of laws, and education committees, which was a heavy committee
assignment. Illness, protracted and aggravated, however, forced him away from
his seat during a portion of the session and after he returned, the effects of
his illness prevented his taking a very active part in procedure. But before he
was stricken, he was a party to the introduction of five of the important bills
that came before the session. He reintroduced the Grange income tax bill,
introduced a resolution that, had it been adopted, would have submitted the
repeal of the constitutional amendment providing for guarantee of irrigation
bond interest, and introduced, with others, the parent-teacher free text-book
bill. He was also the sole introducer of the two house bills which provided for
the refunding of bonded indebtedness of defunct irrigation districts, and the
creation of a reclamation committee to superintend the refunding.

Mr. Hazlett is a member of all branches of the Masonic order, and a past
Worshipful Master; the Knights of Pythias, of which he is a past chancellor
commander; and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, in which he is a past
exalted ruler; and his religious connection is with the Riverside Community
church, in which he has taken an active and effective interest. A man of
thorough education, a clear, logical and forceful speaker and a safe and
dependable counselor, he stands among the leading lawyers of this section of the
state, and in every relation of life has proven well worthy of the confidence
and respect which are accorded him by his fellowmen.



Submitted to the OR. Bios Project in September 2006 by Jeffrey L. Elmer

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Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Oregon Biographies Project. 
The submitter has no further information on the individual featured in the
biography.