Owen Summers

Owen Summers (June 13, 1850 – January 21, 1911) was a businessman, Oregon state legislator, and founder of the Oregon National Guard. Colonel Summers Park in Portland, Oregon, is named in his honor.

Owen Summers was born in Brockville, Canada, on June 13, 1850, to parents John and Elizabeth Ann Summers, with Owen one of five children. The family soon moved to Chicago, Illinois, where John Summers entered the shoe business. In 1856, the parents and one daughter died in a cholera epidemic, leaving the remaining four children orphans. Owen went to a farm in Frankfort, Illinois, near Chicago. Owen worked on the farm, earning his room and board, as well as clothing, and attended school nearby when possible.

In 1865 Owen, and four of his friends decided to join the Union Army’s fight in the Civil War. They were fourteen years old. The recruiters refused to enlist them, six times. Then a Pennsylvania Dutchman agreed to take on the youngsters as their guardian, and the Army allowed them to join. On February 1, 1865 Owen Summers joined Company H of the Third Illinois Cavalry. Summers immediately shipped out to his unit, in Eastern Mississippi. Based on these dates, young Summers may have seen action in some battles before the end of the war, or perhaps he joined units that were ending their involvement. The Third Illinois regiment was reassigned to Missouri, to join battles against the Sioux Indians in Minnesota and the Dakotas. This assignment lasted during the summer of 1865. Summers and the regiment were mustered out in December, 1865.

Returning to the farm after his stint in the Army, Summers later moved to Chicago in 1871. He was caught in the Great Chicago Fire, rescuing his new family and two others. After the fire, Summers performed contractor work in rebuilding the city. He continued his contractor work on the West Coast, working in San Francisco and San Diego, before arriving in Portland, Oregon in 1879. He founded a crockery business with his brother-in-law, J. C. Olds, called Olds & Summers, and supplying crockery both wholesale and retail. The business flourished, as the two men became prominent local businessmen in Portland, Oregon.

In 1896, Summers was selected as the United States Appraiser for the Port of Portland, Oregon. In this role he was responsible for the examination, appraisal, and classification of all merchandise which is liable to customs duties upon importation or exportation from the Port. He continued to serve in this role until his death, with the exception of the period of his military duties in the Philippines.

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