A. W. Lafferty | |
|---|---|
 A. W. Lafferty in 1913 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's2nd district | |
| In office March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1913 | |
| Preceded by | William R. Ellis |
| Succeeded by | Nicholas J. Sinnott |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's3rd district | |
| In office March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | new position |
| Succeeded by | Clifton N. McArthur |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 10, 1875 Farber, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 15, 1964(1964-01-15) (aged 88) Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Occupation | attorney |
Abraham Walter Lafferty (June 10, 1875 – January 15, 1964) was aU.S. Representative from the state ofOregon. Lafferty spent the majority of his career both as a legislator and as an attorney attempting to have millions of acres of land previously owned by theOregon and California Railroad come under Oregon state control, rather than the control of the U.S. federal government.
Lafferty grew up inMissouri. He was born nearFarber to Abraham M. and Helen Kinney Lafferty. He attended public schools inPike County and went on to study law at theUniversity of Missouri, graduating in 1896. He wasadmitted to the bar that year and commenced practice inMontgomery City. He served as prosecuting attorney ofMontgomery County from 1902 to 1904.[1][2] He also served three years as a captain in theMissouri National Guard.[3]
In 1905, he was appointed special agent for theUnited States Department of the Interior'sUnited States General Land Office inPortland, Oregon. He served in that position for a year before resigning to open a law practice in Portland.[1][2]
In 1907, Lafferty took a case that would define the rest of his career: representing 18 western Oregon counties against theOregon and California Railroad to claim timber revenue from, and possession of, theO&C lands formerly granted to the railroad by the U.S. government.[4] In 1870, the United States government had granted the railroad three million acres (12,000 km2) of land to build a line from Portland south toCalifornia. The railroad was to sell land to settlers at $2.50 an acre, but widespread abuse resulted in developers, aided by politicians, acquiring large parcels through fraudulent means in what became known as theOregon land fraud scandal.[5] Then in 1903, theSouthern Pacific Railroad, which had acquired the O&C, had stopped selling the parcels altogether.[6] Lafferty fought the case for years and in 1915, it ended when the U.S. government took back control of the land, paying the railroad $2.50 per acre for the land. Lafferty did not consider this a victory since the railroad was compensated and the state of Oregon did not get possession of the land.[4]
With his fame earned from this case, in 1910, Lafferty was elected as aRepublican to theUnited States House of Representatives, representingOregon's 2nd congressional district. In 1912, after Oregon was granted another congressional district based on the1910 census, he was elected to representOregon's 3rd congressional district, running as both a Republican and aProgressive, allying himself with Progressive Presidential candidateTheodore Roosevelt.[7] Lafferty identified himself as a Progressive Republican for the63rd United States Congress.[8][9] While in Congress, Lafferty continued his fight on behalf of his constituents affected by the railroad land issue. He also supported equal suffrage for men and women.[10]
When a "vice scandal" broke out in Portland in November 1912 surrounding the city's gay male subculture, Lafferty vowed to bring the scandal to Washington's attention, though his efforts were short-lived.[11]
In 1914, Lafferty again ran for the Republican nomination for his seat, but was defeated in theprimary byClifton N. McArthur.[12] Despite the loss, Lafferty ran in thegeneral election as an Independent Progressive, but McArthur prevailed by a slimplurality over Lafferty,DemocratAustin F. Flegel, and Progressive Arthur Moulton.[13] In 1916, the situation repeated itself: Lafferty sought the Republican nomination and lost to McArthur, and then ran as an Independent in the general election.[14] As before, McArthur again defeated him, along with Democrat John J. Jeffery.[15]
Following his defeat in 1916, he resumed his Portland law practice untilWorld War I, when he served as a major at aSan Francisco training camp.[2]
Lafferty, who never married, was dogged by several scandals during his political career. During his first term in Congress, he solicited the acquaintance of two young women to whom he had not been formerly introduced, including the daughter of a federal official, in violation of social norms of the times. He was forced to apologize for his actions.[16][17] Several years later, in 1919, Lafferty was indicted by aMultnomah County grand jury for contributing to the delinquency of a 14-year-old girl.[18] Lafferty, who was inNew York City at the time of the indictment, did not return to Oregon to face the misdemeanor charge.[18] He opened a law practice in New York, where he lived for the next 14 years.[2]
In 1933, he purchased the historicRiversdale Mansion inRiverdale, Maryland, living there until he sold it to theMaryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission in 1949.[2][19]
Lafferty returned to Portland in 1946 and resumed his court fight on behalf of the O&C land grant counties.[4] After the federal government had assumed control of the land following Lafferty's original case, the U.S. Congress had passed legislation in 1916 and 1937 that directed the federal government to pay half of their timber revenues to the O&C counties, a number that was reduced over the years.[20] On April 30, 1954, Lafferty won a successful appeal to return $6 million in timber revenue to the O&C counties.[21] However, Congress passed a further act that gave control of those lands to theU.S. Forest Service and theU.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Lafferty's appeal that his case had precedence.[22] Lafferty would continue to fight the case, and for payment for his services, for the rest of his life.[4]
When not fighting in court, Lafferty continued to try to reclaim his old seat in Congress. To reintroduce himself to constituents after his lengthy absence from Oregon, Lafferty launched a series of advertisements that featured an unusual assortment of information, such as excerpts from letters, snippets of poetry, pictures of notables such asAbraham Lincoln, and references to his fight for the O&C counties.[23] All of his attempts, as an Independent in 1950 and as aRepublican in 1952, 1954, and 1956, were unsuccessful.[2]
Lafferty died in Portland on January 15, 1964, after several weeks of failing health.[24] At the time of his death, he was still seeking full payment for his fees from his court cases on behalf of the O&C counties and owed several hundred thousand dollars in back taxes.[4] He was interred in Fairmount Cemetery inMiddletown, Missouri.[2]
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This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's 2nd congressional district March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by District created | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's 3rd congressional district March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915 | Succeeded by |
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