[3] Judge Townshend encouraged Joseph to move to Portland to pursue a career in law, and arranged for his employment there.

[2][6] Notably, he drew up and executed the will of his friend E. Henry Wemme, owner of the Mount Hood Company and, thereby, the Bull Run Hydroelectric Project and the historic Barlow Road.

Joseph was a noted opponent of an effort to call a state constitutional convention in 1905, which was generally popular among Portland attorneys.

He argued it was a unique opportunity to display its various economic offerings to the world; he asserted that an investment of $500,000 would "come back many fold".

[3] In 1918, Joseph made a gift of the historic Barlow Road to a committee tasked with creating a commemorative highway between Portland and Mount Hood.

[13] During his time in the Oregon Senate, Joseph introduced numerous bills that would have promoted the development of hydroelectric power under public ownership.

At the time, the state was home to less than 1% of the U.S. population, but was understood to possess 10 to 12% of the nation's potential hydroelectric capacity.

[14] In late 1925, Joseph considered a run for the United States Senate, and received strong assurances from Henry Hanzen, a political editor, that the Republican nomination was his for the asking.

Joseph accused the opposing attorney, Thomas Mannix, of collusion with Chief Justice John L. Rand.

[16] Joseph was considered a populist candidate, and a prominent advocate for public development of hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River.

Metschan, who had not run in the primary, opposed public power utilities, a significant departure from Joseph's platform.