HON. B. F. DORRIS was born in Nashville, Tennessee, December 18, 1829.
His parents, Samuel F. and Susanna (Pitt) Dorris, were natives of
Maryland and North Carolina respectively, and emigrated to Tennessee,
where Mr. Dorris followed the life of a farmer. Nashville was an
educational center and our subject improved his opportunities up to his
fourteenth year, when he began to learn the tinners' trade and followed
that occupation up to 1852, when he went to New York and embarked upon
the old steamship "Ohio," July 5th, with 1,400 passengers for Aspinwal.
The trip across the Isthmus left lasting impressions, as cholera was
epidemic and 250 of the company died in crossing. From Panama he
re-embarked on the steamship "Columbia," Captain Wm. L. Dall,
commanding, and after nineteen days they landed in San Francisco August
14, 1852. He there found employment at his trade, in May 1853, he
visited the gold mines in southern Oregon, mining, on Democrat gulch,
until fall, with fair success; but, not liking the rough life of a
miner, he returned to San Francisco and resumed his trade until the next
spring, when he went to Crescent City, northern California, and opened a
tin shop, also handling hardware and stoves. During the summer of 1856,
he was connected with the Indian war. He continued his business until
1868 and then sold out and removed to Eugene and established a similar
store, which he operated until 1886, when he sold out and engaged in the
real-estate and insurance business, in which he is still employed.
About 1874 Mr. Dorris was among the first to agitate the establishment
of the State University at Eugene, and with its inauguration he was
elected. Regent and continued in that capacity for ten years. In 1878
Mr. Dorris was elected to the State Legislature and was instrumental in
getting an appropriation of $2,500 for the University, which was
annually paid until supplied by special State tax. He has served as
member and President of the Common Council of Eugene for many years, and
in the spring of 1887 was elected City Recorder and by re-election has
continued in that office.

He is an encampment member of I. O. O. F. and was Grand Representative
to the Grand Lodge of the United States in 1875, that met at in
Indianapolis, Indiana, and to the one that met in Philadelphia in 1876.
He was married at Crescent City in 1857, to Miss Cecile Pellet of
Neuchatel, Switzerland. They have eight children, namely; George A., a
lawyer of Eugene; Edward P., in the hardware business in Farmington,
Washington; Alice, Mary, wife of S. W. Cordon, a lawyer of Eugene; Susan
Catherine, wife of E. H. McAlister, tutor in the State University;
Cecile and Benetta. Mr. Dorris takes just pride in his family and he
feels that he has a wealth in them that is worth more than all his real
estate and bonds.