Roster of Oregon’s Jewish Officeholders
Eighteen Mayors
Oregon elected eighteen Jewish mayors in thirteen cities and towns, second only to Louisiana with twenty-eight mayors.
Oregon’s mayors were spread from corner to corner of the vast western state.
Two of the mayors also served as city council presidents.
Isaac Bergman (1832-1911), Astoria, council president, 1898-1902; mayor 1887, 1890, 1895.
Herman Wise (1862-1926), Astoria, 1905-1908.
Julius Durkheimer (1857-1934), Burns, 1895-1896.
Samson Friendly (1840-1915), Eugene, 1893-1895.
Samuel May (1841-1916), Harrisburg, 1883-1884.
Barney May (1874-1945), Harrisburg, 1906-1910.
Henry Blackman (1848-1925), Heppner, 1887-1890.
Max Muller (1836-1902), Jacksonville, council president, 1863-1864; mayor, 1864.
Herman Rothschild (1858-1924), North Powder, 1903-1904.
Reuben Alexander (1850-1939), Pendleton, 1892-1894.
Bernard Goldsmith, Portland, 1869-1871.
Bernard Goldsmith
Philip Wasserman, Portland, 1871-1873.
Philip Wasserman
Joseph Simon (1851-1935), Portland, 1909-1911.
William Wurzweiler (1855-1923), Prineville, 1904-1908, 1920-1923.
Julius Wolf (1869-1929), Silverton, 1907-1808.
Adolf Wolf (1837-1918), Silverton, ca. 1917.
George Cohn (1876-aft. 1921), Tillamook, 1896-1897, 1904-1905.
Aaron Fox (1858-1917), Troutdale, 1907-1910.
Eight Treasurers
Isaac Bergman, Clatsop County, 1884-1888.
Mckinley Mitchell (1858-1936), Gervais, 1893-1895.
Max Muller, Jackson County, 1863-1864.
Max Muller, Jacksonville, 1864-1865, 1867-1869.
Nathan Selig (1869-1958), Myrtle Creek, 1903-1904.
Herman Wasserman (1823-1869), Portland, 1860-1862.
Joseph Bachman (1840-1892), Portland, 1875-1881.
George Cohn, Tillamook, 1893-1894.
Twelve City Council Members
Isaac Bergman, Astoria, 1885-1890, 1893-1896.
Samson Friendly, Eugene, ca. 1871.
Mckinley Mitchell, Gervais, 1886-1887.
Nathan Selig, Myrtle Creek, 1904-1905.
Reuben Alexander, Pendleton, 1889-1892.
Aaron Rosenheim (1828-1908), Portland, 1865-1868.
Simon Blumauer (1817-1908), Portland, 1876-1877.
Joseph Simon, Portland, 1877-1880.
Maier Hirsch, Salem, 1860-1861.
Samuel Adolph (1835-1893), Salem, ca. 1871.
Edward Hirsch, Salem, 1874-1876.
Adolf Wolf, Silverton, 1887-1888.
Source
- Mark Rutzik, Breaking New Ground: The Untold Story of Early America’s Jewish Electoral Pioneers – 1788 to 1920, 2025.
Mark Rutzick is the curator of this Jewish Officeholders exhibit.