Joseph Kaye Gill | |
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![]() Gill circa 1911 | |
Born | August 13, 1841 |
Died | October 1, 1931
Portland, Oregon, U.S. | (aged 90)
Alma mater | Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy |
Occupation | Retailer |
Spouse | Frances A. Willson |
Joseph Kaye "J.K." Gill (August 13, 1841 – October 1, 1931) was an American retailer and publisher in the state of Oregon. A native of England, he came to the United States with his parents and settled in Oregon where he managed a bookstore in Salem. Later he entered the business and became the owner of the now-defunct J. K. Gill Company that operated in the Pacific Northwest as a book and office supply store.
Joseph Kaye Gill was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1841 to Mark and Amelia Gill. [1] [2] [3] He was the oldest of their eleven children. [2] In 1854, he emigrated to the United States with his parents. [1] The family first settled in Massachusetts where he received his education in the schools of Worcester before enrolling at Wilbraham Wesleyan Academy in Wilbraham at the age of eighteen. [1]
In 1864, he sailed to Oregon where he enrolled at Willamette University in Salem in an effort to improve his eyesight by moving west. [1] [2] He had boarded with the wife of Salem founder William H. Willson while attending Wesleyan. [2] Gill also taught at Willamette's preparatory department while he attended the college. [2] In 1865, he returned to Wesleyan Academy where he graduated in June 1866. [1]
Gill returned to Oregon in 1866 where he was married in August to Frances A. Willson. [2] She was the daughter of William H. and Chloe Willson, and Gill took over operating the bookstore formerly owned by Willson at 356 State Street. [1] [2] The couple would have six children, five daughters and one son, Mark. [2] [3] After a short time he purchased the business, but sold it in 1870. [1] Gill then moved to Portland where he opened a new bookstore with George A. Steel that same year. [1] He gained sole control of the business in 1878 when Steel retired, and then named it J. K. Gill Company, later taking in his brother John as a partner. [1] In 1884, he founded the Columbia River Paper company with William Lewthwaite and Henry Pittock, with Gill serving as president. [4] He also helped found Merchants National Bank and served on the boards of several local insurance companies. [2]
In Portland, Gill lived in a mansion on the affluent northwest Nineteenth Street. [5] A Methodist, he was the president of his church's trustee's board . [2] In the 1890s he climbed Mount Hood. [6] The flagship Portland store of Gill's book business moved into a new ten-story building in 1921. [7] In civic affairs he was Republican and member of the Club Commercial Society. [3] Joseph Kaye Gill died on October 1, 1931, at the age of 90. [1] The company would grow to almost 40 stores in the mid-1980s, located in Oregon, Washington, California and Arizona [8] [9] before a long decline due to increased competition from stores such as Office Depot. [10] [11] In January 1999, the final seven stores of the office supply, book, stationery, and art supply retailer were closed. [12]
j.k. gill.