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line. Showing a decided talent for newspaper work he soon became editor of The Oregonian. in which position he found a wide scope for his tastes and abilities. Without previous experience in the complex duties of what is usually first a trade and afterwards a profession, he rose to all the exacting requirements of his work, and so signal was his success and so thoroughly was his individuality associated with his paper that his name became a household word over the entire northwest. One of his first notable articles was an editorial written on the death of President Lincoln, which attracted widespread attention. He gave The Oregonian his continuous editorial service until October, 1872, when he was appointed collector of customs for the port of Portland, which position he retained for four years, and in 1877 returned to The Oregonian as editor and part owner, where he remained until his death in 1910.

With a strong love of the locality and state and a clear perception of the immense natural advantages of Oregon and Washington, Mr. Scott gave the most minute attention to the discovery of the stores of wealth in the forests, mines, soil and climate. To a certain extent he had so learned the feelings, demands and habits of the people that his utterances were the daily voice of the Oregonians. Bold and forceful in his writings, never seeking to conciliate, he met with opposition but usually prevailed. Earnest and sincere in all that he did, he had no patience with pretense and had a wholesome contempt for shams. Avoiding rhetorical art or indirection of language, he went with incisive directness to his subject and commanded attention by the clearness and vigor of his statement, the fairness of his arguments and the thorough and careful investigation of his subject. In the midst of his journalistic and business affairs he found time to pursue literary, philosophical, theological and classical study and to his constant and systematic personal investigation in these directions were due his scholarly attainments. At the time of the reorganization of the Associated Press in 1898 he took a prominent part therein and served as a member of its board of directors until his death in 1910.

In October, 1865, Mr. Scott was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Nicklin and they became the parents of two sons; John H. and Kenneth, but the latter died in childhood. The mother passed away January 11, 1875, and in the following year Mr. Scott wedded Miss Margaret McChesney of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and to their union were born two sons and a daughter: Leslie M., Ambrose and Judith.

In his political views Mr. Scott was a republican, yet he never hesitated to condemn any course or measure of the party which he deemed detrimental to good government and the welfare of the nation. He was a strong supporter of the gold standard, which he championed through the columns of The Oregonian, when the republican as well as the democratic party of the state advocated the Bryan policy of free silver at a ratio of sixteen to one, and through his influence Oregon gave its vote in 1896 to the republican gold standard candidate for president, William McKinley. In 1876 he was a delegate to the republican national convention, held at Cincinnati, which nominated Rutherford B. Hayes for president of the United States. In 1886 he was temporary secretary of the state convention of the union party and at numerous times was an active participant as a delegate in conventions of the republican party in Oregon. He was offered the positions of ambassador to Mexico and minister to Belgium, which offices he declined. He was a dominant factor in Oregon politics, although never an office holder, but his clear, logical and trenchant editorials had an immeasurable influence over public thought and action. He made The Oregnnian a power and influence not only in the Pacific northwest but throughout the country. He always gave personal editorial support to every project which he deemed of vital significance to the city and was a member of the charter board which drafted the present charter of Portland. He was also a member of the Portland water board and was active in the movement which resulted in the erection of a monument in the Plaza to the dead of the Second Oregon Volunteers who fought in the Spanish-American war. For a number of years he was a member of the board of trustees of Pacific University and at the time of his death was its president. In 1903 he was elected president of the Lewis and Clark Fair Association and through the columns of The Oregonian did much to promote its success. The other Portland journals followed in his lead and made the Lewis and Clark Exposition the best advertised fair that has ever been held in America.

Mr. Scott was a member of the Arlington and Commercial clubs of Portland, Oregon. He attained high rank in Masonry, with which he became identified in 1905 as a member of Portland Lodge, No. 55, A. F. & A. M. He afterward became a member of Washington Chapter, No. 18, R. A. M.; and Oregon Commandery, No. 1, K. T. In 1906 he attained the thirty-second degree of the Scottish Rite Consistory in Washing-