Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 2.djvu/434

428 position by reelection until 1892. Resuming the practice of law, he continued a member of the Salem bar from 1892 until 1898, when he was again elected judge of the third judicial district and remained upon the bench until July, 1904, when he retired from public life at the venerable age of eighty-six years. He served on the supreme bench for seventeen years and on the circuit bench for eighteen years, his thirty-five years' service constituting the longest period of any judge in the state. Eight years more as a public servant made his active official career cover forty-three years—said by ex-Governor Geer to be the longest official record of any resident of Oregon.

Judge Boise always took an active part in public affairs, his influence being found on the side of progress and advancement and constituting a weighty element for success in that direction. He was a fluent speaker and delivered many notable addresses before the Pioneer Society, the State Historical Society and the State Bar Association, while the address which he delivered on the occasion of the unveiling of the Jason Lee monument on the fiftieth anniversary of statehood displayed great eloquence and literary ability. He was deeply interested in educational progress, was a member of the first' school board of Portland and at different times served as a trustee and member of the board of regents of the State Agricultural College at Corvallis; of La Creole Academy at Dallas; Willamette University at Salem; and the Pacific University of Forest Grove, the last named conferring upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws. He also took an active interest in the agricultural development of Oregon and at his death owned twenty-five hundred acres near Dallas, a part of which was his donation claim, secured from the government soon after his arrival in Oregon. He also owned one hundred acres adjoining the Indian school near Salem and the home farm of sixty acres within the corporate limits of Salem. He was five times elected master of the Oregon state grange, was many times a delegate to the national grange and contributed in substantial measure to the development and progress along agricultural lines, his own farming interests proving the possibility for the production of many kinds of fruit and cereal in the northwest.

Judge Boise was married twice. In 1851, in San Francisco, he wedded Ellen Frances Lyon, to whom he plighted his troth before leaving Massachusetts, and who with her parents came around Cape Horn that year. Three children of that marriage survive: Fisher A., now a resident of Dallas; Reuben P., of Salem; and Whitney L., of Portland, who is mentioned elsewhere in this volume. In 1867 Judge Boise wedded Miss Emily A. Pratt, of Worcester Massachusetts, who with their only daughter lives at Salem. The other daughter of this union. Ellen S. Boise, was drowned at North Beach in 1891.

When Judge Boise passed away his high standing as a man and citizen and as a representative of the judiciary of the state was indicated in the articles and editorials which filled the Oregon press, commenting upon his long and honorable service. Moreover, at the time of his demise all courts adjourned, all bar associations and public bodies passed resolutions and the leading public officials attended the funeral services. Associate Justice, now Chief Justice Moore, of the supreme court, said of him: "Judge Boise has probably done more than any other man to systematize the practice of law in this state and raise it to a higher standard. He was a man whose ability and integrity were recognized by all who knew him. His work stands as a monument to his glory. He and Judge Williams have played a great part in formulating the practice of our courts."

At the funeral services his lifelong friend. Hon. George H. Williams, paid to him the following tribute: "I have but a few words to say: Our departed friend comes down to his grave full of years and full of honors. He did not attain the highest office in the gift of the people but the position to which he was elected he filled with fidelity and a high and honorable sense of duty. 'Honor and fame from no condition rise; act well your part, there all the honor