Sturges Harlett Greene (1850-1943)

Portrait from the History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon, 1910.

   Sturges Harlett Greene was a longtime native of Iowa who, following his service as Mayor of the city of Adel, moved to Oregon in the early 1880s. In the years after his resettlement, Greene became a distinguished member of the Multnomah County bar, having a law office in Portland and serving as City Attorney for St. Johns. Born in Adel, Iowa on February 13, 1850, Sturges Harlett Greene was the son of Benjamin (a former Iowa state representative) and Parmelia (Sturges) Greene.

   Greene's early education took place in Adel and from 1868-68 was a student at the Normal School in Oswego, New York. Following his return to Iowa Greene began pursuing a law degree, reading with former legislator and state attorney general Charles C. Nourse. In 1870 Greene enrolled in the law department of the University of Iowa and graduated in the class of 1871. He was admitted to the Iowa bar that same year and soon commenced practice in Adel with his brother-in-law, George W. Clarke.

  On May 21, 1872, Sturges Greene married Virginia Celeste Hickey (1852-1880). The couple's short union would see the births of three children, Allen (1873-1952), Sarah B., and Virginia Mariam. In 1873 Greene was elected as mayor of Adel and continued in that office until 1879, with sources also noting that he was the leader of the local band during his residency there. Following his term as mayor, Greene left Iowa for Oregon in 1880 and for a short period resided in Deadwood. By 1882 he had established himself in Portland and from 1882-86 was a justice of the peace in that city. 

   In July 1887 Sturges Greene married Lida Clare Wright (1867-1916). The couple were wed for nearly three decades and would have at least one daughter, Jennie Frances (1895-1928). Greene was returned to public office in 1905 when he began service as city attorney for St. Johns, Oregon, a post he would hold until 1907. Acknowledged as an expert "on the "fish and game of the northwest coast" in the latter period of his life, Greene died at age 93 in Castle Rock, Washington on March 20, 1943. He was later interred alongside his second wife Lida at the Whittle and Hubbard Cemetery in that city.

  One should also note that there are some discrepancies in regard to the spelling of Greene's first name, as it is given as both "Sturges" and "Sturgis". The spelling of Greene's middle name is also under scrutiny, as one genealogical webpage records it as Haslett.