Joseph N. Dolph

Joseph Norton Dolph (October 19, 1835March 10, 1897) was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. A native of the state of New York, he immigrated to Oregon over the Oregon Trail and settled in Portland where he became the state's federal district attorney. A Republican, he spent nine years in the Oregon State Senate before serving in the United States Senate from 1883 to 1895. Early life Joseph Dolph was born in Dolphsburg, New York, on October 19, 1835. The son of Elizabeth W. and Chester V. Dolph, his brother was Cyrus A. Dolph and his nephew was Frederick W. Mulkey. Dolph earned his education at local public and private schools and then attended the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary in Lima. He studied law and was admitted to practice law after passing the bar in 1861. Law career Dolph set up practice in Schuyler County, New York, and also taught school. He read about the Western United States and decided to move west. In 1862, he and his brother Cyrus enlisted in the Oregon Escort, which protected settlers traveling to Oregon from Native Americans.