John B. Waldo

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American judge

title: "John B. Waldo" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1844-births", "1907-deaths", "members-of-the-oregon-house-of-representatives", "willamette-university-alumni", "politicians-from-salem,-oregon", "chief-justices-of-the-oregon-supreme-court", "lawyers-from-salem,-oregon", "19th-century-american-legislators", "19th-century-oregon-state-court-judges", "justices-of-the-oregon-supreme-court"] description: "American judge" topic_path: "law" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_B._Waldo" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American judge ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

FieldValue
nameJohn B. Waldo
imageJudge John B. Waldo.jpg
imagesize150px
office13th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
termstart1884
termend1886
predecessorEdward B. Watson
successorWilliam Paine Lord
office229th Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
termstart21880
termend21886
predecessor2James K. Kelly
successor2Reuben S. Strahan
birth_date
birth_placeSalem, Oregon Oregon
death_date
spouseClara Humason
::

| name = John B. Waldo | image = Judge John B. Waldo.jpg | imagesize = 150px | caption = | office = 13th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court | termstart = 1884 | termend = 1886 | nominator = | appointer = | predecessor = Edward B. Watson | successor = William Paine Lord | office2 = 29th Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court | termstart2 = 1880 | termend2 = 1886 | nominator2 = | appointer2 = | predecessor2 = James K. Kelly | successor2 = Reuben S. Strahan | birth_date = | birth_place = Salem, Oregon Oregon | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Clara Humason John Breckenridge Waldo (October 6, 1844 – September 2, 1907) was an American politician and jurist from the state of Oregon. A native of Oregon, he grew up near Salem as part of a prominent pioneer political family that included father Daniel and brother William. A trained lawyer, he was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court and served for one term from 1880 to 1886, including as the 13th Chief Justice from 1884 to 1886. He also served one term in the Oregon House of Representatives. Waldo spent many summers in the Cascade Range fostering an appreciation for the natural environment, which led to conservation efforts to preserve the range and later to the naming of several natural features after Waldo, notably Waldo Lake.

Early life

Waldo was born in 1844 in Oregon to parents who immigrated to Oregon Country from Missouri via the Oregon Trail in 1843. The family settled near Salem in an area now known as the Waldo Hills in the Willamette Valley. John’s father Daniel Waldo, was also the father of William Waldo (1832–1911). Daniel Waldo was a politician in the early days of Oregon, while John’s brother William was a lawyer, judge, and state legislator, serving as President of the Oregon Senate in 1885.{{cite web | last = | first = | title = Oregon Legislative Assembly (13th) | work = Oregon State Archives | publisher = Oregon Secretary of State | date = | url = http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordpdf/6921879 | doi = | access-date = 2006-12-21 }}

John B. Waldo’s education was at Willamette University in Salem, graduating in 1866. He then passed the bar in 1870 and began practicing law in Salem. On October 8, 1877, he married Clara Humason of The Dalles, Oregon. They had one daughter named Edith.

Political career

Waldo was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court in 1880 to a six-year term. He was not re-elected in 1886. During his time on the state's highest court, he served as chief justice from 1884 to 1886.{{cite web | title = Earliest Authorities in Oregon - Oregon Supreme Court Justices | work = Oregon Blue Book | publisher = Oregon Secretary of State | url = https://sos.oregon.gov/blue-book/Documents/elections/history-officials.pdf | access-date = 2006-12-21 }} John Waldo was also elected and served one term in the Oregon State House in 1888, representing Marion County.{{cite web | last = | first = | title = Oregon Legislative Assembly (15th) | work = Oregon State Archives | publisher = Oregon Secretary of State | date = | url = http://records.sos.state.or.us/ORSOSWebDrawer/Recordpdf/6785273 | doi = | access-date = 2006-12-21 }}

Conservation

Beginning in 1880, Waldo took annual horseback trips into the Cascade Mountains.{{cite web | last = | first = | title = History - 1800 to 1899 | work = Deschutes & Ochoco National Forests: About Us | publisher = USDA Forest Service | date = | url = http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/about/history-1800.shtml | doi = | access-date = 2006-12-21 }} Stops included Elk, Crescent, Odell, and Davis Lakes, climbing the Middle and South Sisters, Black Butte and many others before his death in 1907. His brother would often accompany him on these vacations, as would John Minto. In 1888, Waldo and four others traveled from Waldo Lake south to Mount Shasta along what is now the Pacific Crest Trail. This is believed to be the first recorded journey of this route.{{cite web | last = | first = | title = Sky Lakes in Southern Oregon | publisher = SouthernOregon.com | date = | url = http://www.southernoregon.com/lakes/skylakes/index.html | access-date = 2006-12-21 }}

These trips helped foster his appreciation for the natural world and spark a campaign for conservation of the Cascades.{{cite web | last = Mark | first = Steve | title = The Campaign to Establish a National Park in Oregon | work = Crater Lake | publisher = National Park Service | date = | url = http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/mark3.htm | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061013052358/http://www.nps.gov/archive/crla/mark3.htm | url-status = dead | archive-date = October 13, 2006 | access-date = 2006-12-21 }} He was consulted by William Gladstone Steel when the later was attempting to get federal protection for Crater Lake. Waldo dreamed of a larger goal of preserving the entire Cascade range.

Legacy

John B. Waldo died on September 2, 1907, at the age of 62. Waldo Hall at Oregon State University was named for his wife Clara H. Waldo, and Waldo Park in Salem is named for his brother William, while Waldo Middle School in Salem is named for his father Daniel.

References

References

  1. "Salem's Historic Figures". Salem Online History.
  2. Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. p. 256.
  3. [http://www.salempioneercemetery.org/records/display_record.php?id=6962 John Breckenridge Waldo.] Salem Pioneer Cemetery. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  4. Mount Jefferson]] are named in his honor.''Snowshoe Routes: Oregon'', Shea Andersen, 2001, The Mountaineers Books {{ISBN. 0-89886-833-5
  5. "The Waldo Family: Clara H. Waldo". Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.
  6. [http://www.oregonlink.com/trees/#smallest Salem Oregon Heritage Trees.] OregonLink. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
  7. [http://www.waldomustangs.org/pages/info.htm#history Waldo History.] Waldo Middle School. Retrieved December 2, 2007.

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1844-births1907-deathsmembers-of-the-oregon-house-of-representativeswillamette-university-alumnipoliticians-from-salem,-oregonchief-justices-of-the-oregon-supreme-courtlawyers-from-salem,-oregon19th-century-american-legislators19th-century-oregon-state-court-judgesjustices-of-the-oregon-supreme-court