Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 26.djvu/60



In the death of Judge J. A. Stratton of Seattle, on the 23rd of September, 1924, a noted and distinguished pioneer of Oregon passed away.

Judge Stratton was formely a resident of Salem. Few people who live there now were personally acquainted with him. He was one of the old time residents of the city. In former days he was well known. He moved to Seattle in 1889. He occupied important positions in our state. Among the number, clerk of the supreme court of Oregon and superintendent of our state penitentiary. He was elected one of the judges of the superior court of Seattle. He discharged the duties of his office in a manner to reflect credit upon himself and to the entire satisfaction of the people of the state of Washington.

Judge Stratton was born in Indiana in 1844. He came with his parents to Oregon in 1854. His family was a prominent one in the annals of the history of our state. His brother, Riley E. Stratton, was an able lawyer and judge of the supreme court of Oregon. His brother, Rev. C. C. Stratton, was an eminent minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. He was pastor of the church at Salem for some time. His brothers, Milton and Horace Stratton, were notable merchants in Oregon. His sisters were womanly women of the pioneer period.

Judge Stratton came to Salem from Roseburg, Or., about 1860, and was a resident here until he moved to Seattle.

He was a warm friend of my boyhood years, which friendship continued until his death. He worked as a printer for a long time. When the writer of this was a "printer's devil" in the Unionist and Statesman offices he was the foreman. Judge Stratton was a graduate of Willamette university, a splendid lawyer and an able judge. His foresight in business enabled him to accumulate a large amount of property, to secure his family and