James Withycombe

James Withycombe (March 21, 1854 – March 3, 1919) was an American politician, a Republican, and the 15th Governor of Oregon. Prior to entering politics he was farmer and sheep rancher in the Tualatin Valley, leading to appointment as the state's veterinarian and then as head of what became the Oregon State University Extension Service. Withycombe was born to tenant farmers Thomas and Mary Ann Withycombe in Tavistock, Devon, England, United Kingdom in 1854. Withycombe immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1871, settling on a farm near Hillsboro, Oregon. After turning 17, he spent four years working on his father's farm. In 1873, Withycombe purchased his own 100-acre (0.40 km) parcel on the Horace Lindsay Land Claim, later...