William H. Farrar

William H. Farrar
13th Mayor of Portland, Oregon
In office
1862–1863
Preceded byJohn M. Breck
Succeeded byDavid Logan
U.S. District Attorney for the Oregon Territory
In office
1853–1859
Appointed byFranklin Pierce
Delegate to the Oregon Constitutional Convention
In office
1857
ConstituencyMultnomah County
Personal details
Born1826[1]
New Hampshire, United States
DiedNovember 21, 1873 (aged 46–47)
Washington City, District of Columbia, United States

William H. Farrar (November 20, 1828 – November 21, 1873) was an American politician who served as mayor of Portland, Oregon, in 1862. Appointed as Oregon Territorial District Attorney in 1853 by President Franklin Pierce,[2] he served as District Attorney for Oregon from 1853–1859. In 1857, he was a delegate to the Oregon Constitutional Convention representing Multnomah County. According to the Oregon State Archives, he voted against approving the Constitution.[1] He was elected in 1862 as the mayor of Portland, Oregon. He died on November 21, 1873, in Washington City, District of Columbia (present-day Washington D.C.).[3] The October 18, 2012, edition of the Portland Mercury listed Farrar as the "Worst Mayor Ever." According to the article, at the beginning of Farrar's term, he informed the city council he had to take a three-month leave of absence for business. He was never seen in Portland again.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Biographical Sketch of William H. Farrar". Oregon State Archives. 2009. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  2. ^ The Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society, March 1901
  3. ^ "Death of W. H. Farrar" (November 25, 1873). The Morning Oregonian, p. 3, col. 2. Quote: "W. H. Farrar ... died in Washington City last Friday".
  4. ^ The Portland Mercury, October 18, 2012.