Julius L. Meier

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Julius L. Meier
20^th Governor of Oregon
In office January 12, 1931 – January 9, 1935
Preceded by	A. W. Norblad
Succeeded by	Charles H. Martin

Born	October 1, 1874 Portland, Oregon
Died	July 14, 1937 Corbett, Oregon
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Grace Mayer
Profession	Merchant

Julius L. Meier (December 31, 1874 - July 14, 1937) was a businessman in Portland, Oregon, and governor of Oregon. He was born in Portland to German immigrants of Jewish ancestry: Aaron, a merchant and founder of Oregon's largest department store, Meier & Frank, and Jeannette (Hirsch) Meier. He had three siblings, and was the father of Jean Ellen, Elsa Francis, and Julius L., (Jack) Jr.

He married Grace Mayer on Christmas Day, 1901, saying afterwards that it was the only day that he was allowed off from the store.

Meier graduated from the University of Oregon Law School in 1895 and practiced law with a partner, George W. Joseph for the next four years, until he went into the family's business. According to family tradition, it was at this time that he added the "L" to his name; the sign painter, who was putting his name on the door, insisted that all lawyers of substance had one and Meier suggested an "L".

Meier ran for governor as an independent candidate in 1930, winning 54.5 percent of the total vote, outdistancing his nearest competitor, Democratic candidate Edward F. Bailey, 135,608 votes to 62,434. After serving as governor, he retired to his estate above the Columbia River, "Menucha", where he later died.

His family sold Menucha to First Presbyterian Church of Portland[1] in 1950, which now operates it as a conference and retreat center. The Meier and Frank families sold the department store to the May Company in 1966. With May's sale to Federated in 2005, the store was renamed "Macy's" in September, 2006.