Charles H. Hunt
(1841 – 1910)
Chief - November 12, 1892 – July 31, 1894
Second term January 23, 1903 – July 14, 1905
(1841 – 1910)
Chief - November 12, 1892 – July 31, 1894
Second term January 23, 1903 – July 14, 1905
Charles Hunt was born in Providence, R.I. in 1842. During the Civil War Hunt served under General Ambrose Burnside and participated in battles at Fredericksburg, South Mountain and Antietam. After mustering out of the service Hunt returned to Providence and joined the police force, he was 22 years old. Hunt began his police career as a patrolman and by 1880 he had been promoted to Chief of Police. He resigned that year, despite a petition signed by every member of the Providence police department asking him to stay, to take the position of Superintendent of the State Penitentiary.
In 1886 Hunt moved to Portland because the climate was considered better for his wife’s failing health. Initially Hunt supported himself through real estate speculation and later became a deputy sheriff. In 1892, Hunt was named Chief of Police to replace the unpopular Ernest Spencer. During his first term as Chief, Hunt faced budgetary problems due to the worldwide depression of 1893, which was particularly severe in Oregon. Despite the reduction of the police force, Hunt had to deal with rising violence in Chinatown as the newly organized Tongs fought over control of gambling and opium. In 1894 he hired the first two African-American police officers in the department; both men were hired as Patrol Wagon drivers, but George Hardin eventually worked as a patrol officer as well. That year Hunt was removed from office after the political makeup of the Board of Police Commissioners changed.
After serving as Police Chief, Hunt traveled to Alaska where he worked as a manager of mining operations before returning to Portland and working in several different businesses. In 1903 he was reappointed Police Chief; overseeing a department that now had four detectives, three captains and four court guards as well as a large force of patrolmen. During his second term Hunt abolished the rock pile and ran a major campaign to clean up vice in the city before the Lewis and Clark Exposition of 1905. Hunt was a man who liked to be in control and all decisions had to be cleared through him. He redesigned the city’s police badge twice; changing it from a seven-pointed star to the circle star. Serving as Chief during the Lewis and Clark Exposition Hunt received national attention for his efforts to clean up vice and gambling in Portland. He also made it a priority to protect the large numbers of young women who began flocking to Portland during and after the Exposition. To serve this end he hired Lola Baldwin as the country’s second woman police officer. She was given a special badge during the Exposition and became a full-fledged officer in 1908.
Hunt resigned in the summer of 1905. He was well respected for his efficient operation of the police force; which he organized into a nationally recognized, modern and well-run force. He continued to visit police headquarters on a regular basis until his death in 1910 at the age of 69.
In 1886 Hunt moved to Portland because the climate was considered better for his wife’s failing health. Initially Hunt supported himself through real estate speculation and later became a deputy sheriff. In 1892, Hunt was named Chief of Police to replace the unpopular Ernest Spencer. During his first term as Chief, Hunt faced budgetary problems due to the worldwide depression of 1893, which was particularly severe in Oregon. Despite the reduction of the police force, Hunt had to deal with rising violence in Chinatown as the newly organized Tongs fought over control of gambling and opium. In 1894 he hired the first two African-American police officers in the department; both men were hired as Patrol Wagon drivers, but George Hardin eventually worked as a patrol officer as well. That year Hunt was removed from office after the political makeup of the Board of Police Commissioners changed.
After serving as Police Chief, Hunt traveled to Alaska where he worked as a manager of mining operations before returning to Portland and working in several different businesses. In 1903 he was reappointed Police Chief; overseeing a department that now had four detectives, three captains and four court guards as well as a large force of patrolmen. During his second term Hunt abolished the rock pile and ran a major campaign to clean up vice in the city before the Lewis and Clark Exposition of 1905. Hunt was a man who liked to be in control and all decisions had to be cleared through him. He redesigned the city’s police badge twice; changing it from a seven-pointed star to the circle star. Serving as Chief during the Lewis and Clark Exposition Hunt received national attention for his efforts to clean up vice and gambling in Portland. He also made it a priority to protect the large numbers of young women who began flocking to Portland during and after the Exposition. To serve this end he hired Lola Baldwin as the country’s second woman police officer. She was given a special badge during the Exposition and became a full-fledged officer in 1908.
Hunt resigned in the summer of 1905. He was well respected for his efficient operation of the police force; which he organized into a nationally recognized, modern and well-run force. He continued to visit police headquarters on a regular basis until his death in 1910 at the age of 69.