Henry L. Hoyt
(1823 – 1898)
Marshal - April 5, 1864 – October 2, 1867
(1823 – 1898)
Marshal - April 5, 1864 – October 2, 1867
Henry Lafayette Hoyt was born in 1823 in Lake George, New York. At the age of 16 he took up the sailor’s life under his brother, Captain Richard Hoyt. He came to California in 1848 as part of the “mining excitement,” decided that mining wasn’t for him and returned to ships, following family members to Portland in 1856. Hoyt went into the steamship business with his older brother, starting a regular trip between Portland and Astoria. Hoyt later went into business with his own steamship, the Leviathan, taking passengers and goods up and down the Willamette and the Columbia rivers.
In April, 1864 Hoyt won the first of three consecutive elections to the office of City Marshal and sold the Leviathan in May of that year. Starting with a small force of three officers, Hoyt had to depend on privately funded watchmen to assist with enforcement, and hired 65 special police to work on Election Day. In the 1800s elections were rowdy affairs with each side attempting to control the polls, sometimes extending to the police actively helping one side over the other.
Crimes in 1865, during Hoyt’s second term were mostly alcohol based, but the docket included: menacing with a pistol, keeping a “hurdy gurdy” dance house without a license, using profanity, fighting, attempting to demolish a house in the Spokane camp of Native Americans on the east side of the river. During Hoyt’s term the city gave up on attempts to keep saloons closed during the day; changing the law to require saloons to close on Sundays only. In August, 1865 seventeen saloon keepers were arrested, then re-arrested the following Sunday and so on until in September just one saloon persisted in being open on Sunday. At that time the majority of saloons were found between Front, Second, Morrison and Burnside streets. The Civil War hysteria had abated in Portland, but one individual was arrested for “violent and disorderly conduct by shouting for Jeff Davis and otherwise disturbing the peace.” In response to increasing crime and population, Marshal Hoyt was able to hire six “carefully” selected deputies to patrol the city. The city council voted to establish the first salary for the Marshal and deputies, to be augmented with fees collected for certain tasks.
In April 1867 the danger of police work became clear to Portlanders when Deputy Marshal Thomas G. O’Connor became the first Portland officer to be killed while on duty. The shooting occurred in front of the Gem Saloon, owned by ex-Marshal James Lappeus, when O’Connor and Deputy Townsend confronted Frank Miguel, a native of France. Miguel, who had a record for shooting at police, had left the Union Hotel a few blocks away, after a drinking bout, and was firing his gun into the air. When the two deputies confronted Miguel he resisted, shooting O’Connor and attempting to strangle Townsend. Miguel was shot twice and he and O’Connor died within a few days.
Hoyt was elected to a fourth term in April 1867 along with a new Mayor, former Marshal Thomas Holmes. Holmes died immediately after being elected, resulting in a new administration and city council. After 44 ballots and two days, the Council selected Aaron Rosenheim, a member of the City Council, to be Marshal. Hoyt refused to recognize the validity of the election and remained in the Marshal’s office. For a time Portland had two City Marshals and two forces of deputies; several heated confrontations ensued. Hoyt’s position was upheld in the Circuit Court, but the City appealed the decision and the case went to the state Supreme Court. At the end of September, the Supreme Court ruled that the election of Rosenheim, a sitting member of the City Council, had been illegal. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision Hoyt resigned and David Jacobi took his place as Marshal.
Hoyt became a U.S. Deputy Collector of Customs and a United States Shipping Commissioner for many years, retiring in the early 1890s. He died in Portland in 1898 at the age of 75, still highly regarded. The Hoyt family name shows up many places in and around Portland. In 1943 the Liberty Ship Henry L. Hoyt was launched, served during the war and was finally scrapped in 1967.
In April, 1864 Hoyt won the first of three consecutive elections to the office of City Marshal and sold the Leviathan in May of that year. Starting with a small force of three officers, Hoyt had to depend on privately funded watchmen to assist with enforcement, and hired 65 special police to work on Election Day. In the 1800s elections were rowdy affairs with each side attempting to control the polls, sometimes extending to the police actively helping one side over the other.
Crimes in 1865, during Hoyt’s second term were mostly alcohol based, but the docket included: menacing with a pistol, keeping a “hurdy gurdy” dance house without a license, using profanity, fighting, attempting to demolish a house in the Spokane camp of Native Americans on the east side of the river. During Hoyt’s term the city gave up on attempts to keep saloons closed during the day; changing the law to require saloons to close on Sundays only. In August, 1865 seventeen saloon keepers were arrested, then re-arrested the following Sunday and so on until in September just one saloon persisted in being open on Sunday. At that time the majority of saloons were found between Front, Second, Morrison and Burnside streets. The Civil War hysteria had abated in Portland, but one individual was arrested for “violent and disorderly conduct by shouting for Jeff Davis and otherwise disturbing the peace.” In response to increasing crime and population, Marshal Hoyt was able to hire six “carefully” selected deputies to patrol the city. The city council voted to establish the first salary for the Marshal and deputies, to be augmented with fees collected for certain tasks.
In April 1867 the danger of police work became clear to Portlanders when Deputy Marshal Thomas G. O’Connor became the first Portland officer to be killed while on duty. The shooting occurred in front of the Gem Saloon, owned by ex-Marshal James Lappeus, when O’Connor and Deputy Townsend confronted Frank Miguel, a native of France. Miguel, who had a record for shooting at police, had left the Union Hotel a few blocks away, after a drinking bout, and was firing his gun into the air. When the two deputies confronted Miguel he resisted, shooting O’Connor and attempting to strangle Townsend. Miguel was shot twice and he and O’Connor died within a few days.
Hoyt was elected to a fourth term in April 1867 along with a new Mayor, former Marshal Thomas Holmes. Holmes died immediately after being elected, resulting in a new administration and city council. After 44 ballots and two days, the Council selected Aaron Rosenheim, a member of the City Council, to be Marshal. Hoyt refused to recognize the validity of the election and remained in the Marshal’s office. For a time Portland had two City Marshals and two forces of deputies; several heated confrontations ensued. Hoyt’s position was upheld in the Circuit Court, but the City appealed the decision and the case went to the state Supreme Court. At the end of September, the Supreme Court ruled that the election of Rosenheim, a sitting member of the City Council, had been illegal. In the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision Hoyt resigned and David Jacobi took his place as Marshal.
Hoyt became a U.S. Deputy Collector of Customs and a United States Shipping Commissioner for many years, retiring in the early 1890s. He died in Portland in 1898 at the age of 75, still highly regarded. The Hoyt family name shows up many places in and around Portland. In 1943 the Liberty Ship Henry L. Hoyt was launched, served during the war and was finally scrapped in 1967.