John Ora Bailey Passes Away

Today in Masonic History John Ora Bailey passes away in 1959.

John Ora Bailey was an American judge and politician.

He was born in September 26, 1880 in Grinnell, Iowa. After attending local schools he attended Harvard University. After graduating in 1906, he went on to graduate from Harvard Law School.

After graduating law school, he headed to the west coast of the United States, living for a short time in Spokane, Washington. There, he practiced law before moving to Portland, Oregon in 1910.

From 1915 to 1920, he served as assistant Attorney General. He handled a variety of land fraud cases and helped write legislation to protect Oregon state lands.

After leaving the assistant Attorney General position he returned to private practice until 1933. During the time he held a variety of elected positions. He served for four years in both the state house and senate. He also served on the Portland School Board for 3 years, including 1 year as it's chair.

In 1932, he was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court where he served until retiring in 1950. During World War II Bailey served as the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.

Bailey passed away on February 16th, 1959.

He was a member of Doric Lodge No. 132 in Portland, Oregon.

This article provided by Brother Eric C. Steele.