John Herbert Carkin (November 18, 1883 – January 24, 1971) was an American politician, attorney, public service executive, and banker from the state of Oregon. He was a Republican who served nine years in the Oregon House of Representatives, where he represented a district in southern Oregon. He served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives during the 1927 legislative session, elected by a unanimous vote of House members. Later, he served as chairman of the Oregon Tax Commission and was Oregon's Public Utility Commissioner before becoming president of a savings and loan association in Salem, Oregon.
Early life
Carkin was born in Bangor, Maine, on November 18, 1883, the son of Ebenezer W. L. Carkin and Ada Louise (York) Carkin. As a child, Carkin moved with his family to farm near Hillsboro, North Dakota, where he attended public schools.
Carkin went on to college at the University of Minnesota. He paid for his college by doing farm labor and selling newspapers. After graduating with a degree in business, he attended law school at the University of North Dakota, graduating in 1908. He moved to southern Oregon later that year, settling in Medford.
In 1910, Carkin married Vida May Turner in Grand Forks, North Dakota. After their marriage, Vida joined him in Medford. Over the years, they had five children together.
Lawyer and businessman
The state of Oregon certified Carkin as a public notary in 1908. A year later, he was admitted to the Oregon State Bar and opened a law practice in Medford. Carkin practiced both corporate and criminal law in Medford for the next 20 years, first as a private attorney in partnership with F. J. Newman and then as Medford's city prosecutor from 1921 to 1929. He was also a founding member of the Jackson County Bar Association, which was organized in 1914.
In addition to his law practice, Carkin was a successful businessman. He was a founding member of the Medford Merchants Association and became the association's first secretary. He also helped create a number of new businesses in and around Medford. In 1909, Carkin became a founding partner of the Southern Oregon Building and Loan Association. The association opened its office-headquarters in Medford that same year. It was capitalized with $25,000. He was also a founding partner of the Medford and Butte Falls Telephone Company, another Medford-based start-up business. Carkin was elected secretary of the new telephone company. Later, he became a founding partner in the Gold Hills Railroad and Lumber Company.
Shortly after arriving in southern Oregon, Carkin bought a irrigated farm with an established orchard near Central Point. He paid $15,000 for the property. He later became a member of the Oregon Farm Bureau and the Oregon Fruit Growers’ League.
In addition, Carkin was active in a number of civic and fraternal organizations. For example, he was a member of the Medford Lions Club and the local Elks lodge. He was also a Mason and a Shriner.
State representative
In 1912, Carkin decided to run for a District 8 seat of the Oregon House of Representatives, representing Jackson County. Carkin and John A. Westerlund of Medford filed as Republicans while G. F. Barkdull and H. L. DeArmond, both from Medford, filed as Democrats. Because there were two seats in House District 8, each party was able to nominate two candidates in the primary election. Carkin and Westerlund were nominated by Jackson County's Republicans and Barkdull and DeArmond were nominated in Democratic primary. In the general election, Carkin and Westerlund won the two District 8 seats. While the two Democrats got more votes in Medford, Carkin and Westerlund did better in nearby Ashland and in the rural parts of Jackson County. Westerlund received the most votes, a total of 1,932; Carkin was second with 1,845 followed by Barkdull with 1,782 and DeArmond with 1,706 votes.
Carkin took his seat in the Oregon House on January 13, 1913, representing District 8. He served through the 1913 regular legislative session which ended on March 5. During the session, Carkin served on the powerful ways and means committee. He was also member of the counties and mining committees. He proved to be an effective legislator and was author of Oregon's first comprehensive budget law. He also introduced a bill to allow women to serve on all juries throughout the state.