Vernon A. Forbes (October 17, 1883 – July 7, 1918) was an American attorney and state legislator from the state of Oregon. After graduation from law school in Minnesota, he moved to central Oregon and opened a law office in the city of Bend. Forbes was a Republican who served three two-year terms in the Oregon House of Representatives, representing Crook, Deschutes, Grant, Jefferson, Klamath, and Lake counties. He drowned during a fishing trip near the end of his third term in the legislature.
Early life Forbes was born on October 17, 1883, in St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin. He was the son of Smith R. Forbes and Mary Elizabeth (Outcelt) Forbes. He attended public elementary school in St. Croix Falls and then Osceola High School, graduating in 1904.Carney, Charles H., "Vernon A. Forbes", History of Oregon Illustrated (Volume 3), Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, Portland, Oregon, 1922, pp. 654–658.Joslin, Les, "Vernon A. and Ann Markel Forbes, Early Power Couple", Legendary Locals of Bend, Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina, 2016, p. 28."Men are Drowned While Fishing in Crescent Lake", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, July 11, 1918, p. 1."Service Recall Life of Bend Man", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, December 8, 1919, p. 2.
After high school, Forbes decided he wanted to join the legal profession. To prepare for law school, he attended Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota, for two years. Forbes then enrolled in the University of Minnesota Law School. In law school, he was known for his logical and clear thinking. He graduated from that institution with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1909.
Professional and personal life After finishing law school, Forbes moved to Bend, Oregon. He was admitted to the Oregon bar in 1910. He was successful in his private law practice, specializing in land and irrigation litigation. He also handled personal lawsuits and criminal cases. His clients included some of the largest companies operating in central Oregon. Forbes was also the attorney for the City of Bend and Bend's school district. Forbes quickly earned the respect of his peers throughout central Oregon. In 1913, Charles W. Erskine joined his law practice as an associate. Their partnership lasted until 1915, when Erskine became Crook County's assistant district attorney.
In 1914, Forbes married Ann Markel, a teacher at Bend High School. A native of Illinois, she attended Rockford College before moving to Bend in 1909. Together, they had one son, Vernon A. Forbes, Jr.
Forbes was present in Salem on December 14, 1916, when Governor James Withycombe signed the proclamation officially creating Deschutes County. After the new county government was organized, Forbes filed the first lawsuit in Deschutes County circuit court on December 20, 1916, seeking to recover $298 for his client. In early 1917, he filed the county's first divorce petition for one of his clients.
Forbes was also a prominent member of the Bend community. He was active in politics and civic affairs. In politics, he was a strong supporter the Republican Party. After the United States entered World War I, Forbes supported the war effort, serving as an advisor to the local draft board and speaking at local war rallies. He was a member of the local Knights of Pythias chapter. He was also a member of the Elks and was a leading advocate for establishing an Elks lodge in Bend."Elks’ Charter Looms Nearer", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, March 21, 1917, p. 1. In 1917, Forbes was elected temporary chairman of the local Elks members group pending approval of an Elks lodge charter in Bend."Elks Pass on Names of Many", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, March 21, 1917, p. 1. In addition, Forbes liked to hunt and fish."Local News Items", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, November 22, 1917, p. 3.
State representative In 1912, Forbes decided to run as a Republican for a District 21 seat in the Oregon House of Representatives. At that time, District 21 had two seats that represented Crook County (which at that time, still included what is now Deschutes and Jefferson counties) as well as Grant, Klamath, and Lake counties. When he joined the race, Forbes became the first citizen of Bend to file for a state office.
Forbes and Wesley O. Smith of Klamath Falls were the only Republicans to file for the District 21 seats. Since the Republican Party was allowed to nominate two candidates for the two District 21 seats, Forbes and Smith were both nominated in Republican primary. Since no Democratic candidates filed for the District 21 seats, Forbes and Smith were unopposed in the general election.
Forbes took his seat in the Oregon House of Representatives on January 13, 1913, representing District 21. He worked through the 1913 regular legislative session which ended on March 5."New Members Elected to State Legislature", Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, November 17, 1912, p. 39."1913 Regular Session (27th): January 13 – March 5", Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide, Oregon State Archives, Salem, Oregon, accessed May 24, 2019. During the session, he served on the counties, irrigation, public lands, revisions of law, and rules committees."Committees Appointed in Lower House", Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, January 15, 1913, p. 5. Throughout the session, Forbes was an active member of the House, both in committees and on the floor."Announcement Made by Forbes", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 126 January 1916, p. 1."The House Gets Down to Some Real Business", Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, January 22, 1913, p. 8."Irrigation Committee of House Has Six Important Bills", Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, January 26, 1913, p. 9."Wordy War Gets Warm", Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, February 4, 1913, p. 1."Roller Overrides Veto", Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, March 5, 1913, p. 7. After 1913 legislative session ended, Speaker Clifton N. McArthur appointed Forbes to the Celilo Commission to study the possibility of generating power on the Columbia River at the Celilo Falls site."X-Rays", Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, July 28, 1913, p. 2.
In 1914, Forbes decided to run for re-election, seeking to retain his House seat in District 21."Nine More Come Out", Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, March 18, 1914, p. 8. He was joined once again by Wesley Smith, the two incumbents filing as Republicans. There were also two candidates running in the Democratic primary, P. H. Dencer of Bend and Fred W. Hyndman of Klamath Falls. Since there were two District 21 seats available both parties could nominate two candidates for the general election. As a result, all four candidates were advanced to the general election."One Place in Senate, Nine in the House Not Being Sought", Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, March 29, 1914, p. 4. "Number of Ties in Legislative Ticket for Fall Election", Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, May 30, 1914, p. 12. In the general election, Forbes and Smith retained their House seats. The final general election tally was 1,366 votes for Smith, 1,157 votes for Forbes, 982 votes for Hyndman, and 742 votes for Dencer. "Results of Canvass is Given in Full", Evening Herald, Klamath Falls, Oregon, November 7, 1914, pp. 1, 4.
Forbes began his second term representing House District 21 on January 11, 1915. The session lasted six weeks, ending on February 20."1915 Regular Session (28th): January 11 – February 20", Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide, Oregon State Archives, Salem, Oregon, accessed May 24, 2019. During the session, Forbes was appointed chairman of rules committee. He also served on the game, irrigation, judiciary, and public lands committees."Selling Wins Over Eaton for Speakership of House By 37 to 22—Good First Day’s Work", Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, January 12, 1915, pp. 1, 8."House Committee Appointments are Made Public Today", Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, January 14, 1915, p. 3.
In 1916, Forbes ran for a third term in the Oregon House of Representatives. Since the 1914 election, Jefferson County had been separated from Crook County and Deschutes County was in the process of being created. While these changed did not alter the boundaries of District 21, it did add two new counties to the district. After Forbes announced his decision to run for a third term, newspapers began speculating that he may also run for Speaker of the House."May Try for Speakership", Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, January 30, 1916, p. 6."Shipworth Runs Again", Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, March 23, 1916, p. 5."Survey of Seeker on the Legislative Ticket is Submitted", Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, May 28, 1916, p. 5."Issue Forced on New County", Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, January 8, 1917, p. 1.
Wesley Smith also filed for re-election in House the District 21. In addition to the Forbes and Smith, two other Republicans, Albert E. Elder of Klamath Falls and Denton G. Burdick of Redmond also filed to compete in the 1916 Republican primary. Fred W. Hyndman filed as a Democrat."May Try for Speakership", Oregon Daily Journal, Portland, Oregon, April 16, 1916, p. 6. Forbes and Burdick won Republican nominations while Hyndman was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Forbes and Burdick then won the two House District 21 seats in the general election."Burdick, Forbes are Successful", Evening Herald, Klamath Falls, Oregon, November 8, 1916, p. 1."Mosher May Lead", Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, November 13, 1916, p. 4.
The Oregon legislature's 1917 regular session began on January 8."1917 Regular Session (29th): January 8 – February 21", Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide, Oregon State Archives, Salem, Oregon, accessed May 24, 2019. Between the 1916 general election in November and the opening of the 1917 legislative session, Deschutes County was officially separated from Crook County. This created a minor issue when Forbes and Burdick were due to be seated in the House chamber and the printed name cards at their desks, which included the counties they represented, did not show Deschutes County. The name cards were quickly sent back to the printing office and new name cards with all six counties correctly annotated were prepared for Forbes and Burdick."Issue Forces on New County", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, January 8, 1917, p. 1. During the session, Forbes was appointed chairman of the judiciary committee and was a member of the counties, livestock, and joint rules committees."Local Solons Get Positions", Evening Herald, Klamath Falls, Oregon, January 15, 1917, p. 1. Once again Forbes was an active legislator. He introduced a bill to consolidate seven agriculture related boards into new state Department of Agriculture with five administrative divisions."Proposes to Merge 7 State Boards and Create Oregon Department of Agriculture", Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon, January 20, 1917, p. 1. The 1917 legislative session ended on February 21.
After the 1917 ended, Forbes returned to his law practice in Bend. In early 1918, newspapers once again began to speculate about Forbes running for Speaker of the House in the next legislative session."Forbes a Possibility", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, March 29, 1918, p. 3. However, before the speculation gained momentum, Forbes announced he would not seek a fourth term in the House. He cited his expanding law practice as his rationale for leaving the legislature."Forbes will Not be a Candidate this Year", Evening Herald, Klamath Falls, Oregon, April 17, 1918, p. 3.
While the regular 1917 legislative session was over, Forbes continued to serve out his two-year term, which lasted through the end of 1918. Back in central Oregon, Forbes continued his law practice and remained active in government affairs. In the spring of 1918, Forbes was appointed to the state land board."Forbes is Appointed to State Land Board", Bend Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, April 18, 1918, p. 1.
Death and memorials