Gaston, Joseph.  "Portland, Oregon, Its History and Builders."  Vol. 3.  Chicago
- Portland: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1911. p. 539.
 
U. S. GRANT MARQUAM

     U. S. Grant Marquam, deceased, who inscribed his name high on the legal
arch of Portland, being recognized as one of the strongest attorneys at the, bar
of northern Oregon, was born in this city, July 3, 1863, a son of Judge P. A.
and Emma (Kern) Marquam. His father was a native of Maryland, born near
Baltimore on the 28th of February, 1823. He is still living in Portland at the
venerable age of eighty-seven years, and is one of the most highly respected
residents of the city. He was the eighth in a family of nine children whose
parents were Philip Winchester and Charlotte Mercer (Poole) Marquam.
     The father spent his early life on a farm with little opportunity for
attending school, but he studied at night and utilized every possible moment for
the advancement of his education. Ambitious to study law, he saved his earnings
and entered a law school at Bloomington, Indiana. Thoroughly mastering the
course there, he was admitted to the bar of that state in 1847 and opened a law
office in Wabash county, where he continued in practice until March, 1849, when
he started across the plains with an ox team in search of gold, attracted by the
discoveries that had been made in central California. In September the party
reached the Sacramento valley and soon afterward Mr. Marquam went to the Redding
mines, where he worked until the spring of 1850. It was a period of unrest not
only among the white men but also among the Indians and on more than one
occasion Mr. Marquam with other residents of that locality armed for an attack
against the savages. In one such encounter he was wounded. In the
spring of 1850 he left the mines and located in the small town of Fremont, which
was the county seat of Yolo county. There he began the practice of law and at
the first election held under the new state constitution of California was
elected county judge. He served for about two years in that position and came to
Oregon in August to visit his brother Alfred, who had become a resident of this
state in 1845.
     After looking over the country Judge Marquam was so well pleased that he
decided to locate in this state. Returning to California, he resigned his
position on the bench of the county court and in the latter part of 1851 located
in Portland. He at once opened a law office and during the early days of his
residence here secured some of what became the most valuable property of the
city. One of his good purchases was a tract of two hundred and ninety-eight
acres known as Marquam Hill, now one of the fine residence districts in
Portland. Success attended him also in the practice of law, and in 1862 he was
elected county judge of Multnomah county and later was reelected, serving on the
bench for eight years. His decisions were strictly fair and impartial and
indicated a comprehensive understanding of the principles of jurisprudence,
together with correct application of the points at issue. He took a deep
interest in all that pertained to public progress and built one of the early
theaters of Portland, known as the Marquam Grand. In 1882 he was nominated as
republican candidate for the state legislature from Multnomah county and elected
to that office. His marriage on the 8th of May, 1853, made Miss Emma Kern, a
daughter of William Kern, his wife.
     Their son, U. S. Grant Marquam, was a pupil in the public schools of
Portland until his graduation from the high school, when he was still very
young.  He afterward took up the study of law under Judge Brunam and later was
graduated from the Portland Law College. He at once entered upon active practice
in connection with Judge Adams, this relation being maintained for about eight
years, when his brother erected the Marquam building and U. S. Grant Marquam
opened an office there. In his profession he made continuous advancement, being
recognized as one of the ablest attorneys of the Portland bar. He made a
specialty of land titles and was considered one of the best title attorneys in
the state. He was a man whose foresight and strength of character were
considered most marvelous and at the early age of twenty-eight years he had
become a very wealthy man by his wise investments, but during the panic of 1893
he lost everything, including his home.  Not discouraged, he at once set to work
to retrieve his fortunes, and at the time of his death was in very comfortable
circumstances.
     On the 17th of November, 1886, Mr. Marquam was married in this city to Miss
Julia Groner, a daughter of John and Eleanor (Burns) Groner, who were early
settlers of Oregon. Her father was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, but came to the
United States when sixteen years of age with three older brothers.  He had an
uncle in Missouri and joined him in that state, living there with him upon a
farm until 1849. Mr. Groner then went west to California in search of gold,
making the long journey across the arid plains and over the mountains with ox
teams.  He engaged in mining for a time, but not meeting with the success he
anticipated in that field, he tamed his attention to agricultural pursuits,
purchasing a ranch in Washington county, Oregon. There he married and made his
home until death. His wife, who was born in Ireland, came to the
United States when a young lady of nineteen years and lived for a time in
Boston. In 1852, by way of the water route and the isthmus of Panama, she came
to Portland. She, too, has passed away and their son Fred is now living on the
old homestead.
     The death of Mr. Marquam occurred April 18, 1905, and his remains were laid
to rest in beautiful Riverview cemetery on the high banks of the Willamette.  He
was a member of the Commercial Club and also of the Bench and Bar Association.
Throughout his entire life he was a resident of Portland, and his many excellent
traits of character as manifest in his professional service, his citizenship and
his upright life gained for him the unqualified respect of his fellowmen. He
chose as his life work a profession in which advancement must depend upon
individual merit, and in the field of law practice he constantly worked his way
upward until his ability had gained him a place in the foremost ranks of the
legal profession, particularly in that department of the law in which he
specialized.

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