Background
Korell was born in Portland, Oregon, the son of Charles H. and Frances Barrol Korrell.
Korell was born in Portland, Oregon, the son of Charles H. and Frances Barrol Korrell.
He attended the local public schools and the Bishop Scott Academy in Portland. In 1910, he earned a Bachelor of Laws degree from University of Oregon and was admitted to the Oregon State Bar that same year. He attended Yale Law School from 1911 to 1912, and returned to Portland to open his law practice.
During World War I, Korell served as a first lieutenant and captain in the 12th Infantry Regiment of the 8th Infantry Division and in the 16th Infantry Division from August 1917 to March 1919. Following his military service, Korell returned to his law practice in Portland. In 1921, he was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives and served one two-year term.
Korell was easily re-elected to a full term over William C. Culbertson in 1928.
In 1930, Korell again ran for re-election, but faced several difficulties. First, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 had made a difficult environment for incumbents in general and for Republicans in particular.
Secondly, in Oregon, the Republican party was in disarray. Amid all this turmoil, Korell lost to Democrat Charles H. Martin by a margin of 55% to 40%.
Korell remained in Washington served as special assistant to the general counsel of the United States Treasury Department from 1931 to 1943 and in the chief counsel"s office of the Bureau of the Internal Revenue Service from 1943 to 1959.
He lived in Alexandria, Virginia until his death there on June 7, 1965. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
But Joseph died prior to the general election, and party leaders chose Philosophy Metschan, Junior., who opposed public power utilities.