"Portrait & Biographical Record of the Willamette Valley Oregon."  Chapman 
Publishing Company, 1903. p. 888.
 
JOHN N. McKAY

     For more than twelve years John N. McKay has successfully combined
agriculture with business interests in Portland connected with his father's
estate, and thereby has led a varied and by no means monotonous existence.
Nevertheless he is a farmer by inheritance and early training, and takes great
pride and delight in maintaining the high standard established by his father on
the old homestead. He is the owner of six hundred and twenty acres of the old
donation claim, the greater part of which is improved, and is carrying on
stock-raising and hop-growing, having thirty-five acres under the vine.
     On the farm which he now owns Mr. McKay was born March 7, 1855, a son of
James and Cecelia (Lawson) McKay, natives respectively of Ireland and Scotland,
who came to America early in life and settled at Albany, N. Y. After various
changes of location he crossed the plains to Oregon in 1849 and subsequently
purchased the right to a donation claim in Marion county, developing the farm
now occupied by his son, John N. McKay. Later in life he became extensively
connected with real estate operations in Portland, in which city he spent his
last days. For more complete details of his life refer to his sketch which
appears elsewhere in this work. John N. McKay was educated in the public schools
of Marion county and Portland. At the age of twenty-five years he assumed the
management of his father's farm with his brother, William R., continuing this
association until the marriage of the latter in 1885. His brother sought a new
location at that time, but the subject of this review remained on the homestead
until 1891, in which year he went to Portland to assume charge of his father's
city property. He remained a resident of Portland for six years, devoting
practically all his time to the management of his father's estate. Since that
time he has divided his time between the farm and city property, discharging
with exactitude and rare business judgment the many obligations devolving upon
him by reason of his twofold responsibility.
     He was united in marriage November 26, 1900, to Caroline Bochsler, a native
of Switzerland and a daughter of Joseph and Mary Bochsler. Mary A., the eldest
child of this union, was born September 11, 1901, and the youngest daughter,
Cecilia Florence, was born August 10, 1903. Mr. McKay is highly esteemed by the
citizens of Marion county and Portland for the many admirable traits of
character which he possesses. Though he has taken no active part in the
political life of the community he has always evinced a disposition to assist in
furthering the best interests of the county, and in various ways has shown
himself to be the possessor of a liberal mind and public spirit. He is regarded
as one of the most substantial men of the county, and his probity and
consideration for the rights and privileges of his fellow-men have never been
brought into question. In religion he is a member of the Roman Catholic Church
of St. Paul.


     
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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in February 2007 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.