Hiram Straight
Encyclopedia
Hiram Aldrich Straight was an American
farmer and legislator in what became the state of Oregon
. A native of New York
state, he would live in Iowa
before traveling the Oregon Trail
to what was then the Oregon Country
. In Oregon, he would serve in the Provisional Legislature of Oregon
and the Oregon Territorial Legislature
.
, to Lydia Fanning Straight and Elisha Straight. By 1838 he moved to the state of Iowa
where he married Susan Lasswell (born in 1817) near the town of Burlington
. The couple would have seven children together, including George, Julia, Cyrus Branson, Mary Etta, Jane, Hiram Jr., and John. In 1843, Straight and the family would take the Oregon Trail
to what was then the Oregon Country
, arriving at Oregon City, Oregon
.
. There he farmed this land that would later become his donation land claim, and was a member of the Oregon Lyceum
in Oregon City. In 1845 and 1846, Straight was elected to and served in the Provisional Legislature of Oregon
representing the Clackamas District, now Clackamas County, Oregon
. In 1846, the Oregon boundary dispute was settled and in 1848 the region south of the 49th degree became the Oregon Territory
. In 1850, Straight served on the jury that convicted five members of the Cayuse
tribe of murder and sentenced them to death for their role in the Whitman Massacre
. He was the foreman of the jury in this trial that had followed the Cayuse War
.
Straight was elected to the Oregon Territorial Legislature
1855 for the 1855 to 1856 session. He served for that single session as a member of the Democratic Party representing Clackamas County. Hiram Straight continued to farm until his death on January 8, 1897, at the age of 82 at Canemah, which is now within Oregon City. He was buried at the family’s private cemetery in Clackamas County along with his wife. The 19-plot cemetery is one of 800 historic cemeteries in Oregon. The family home, built in 1856, is still standing.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
farmer and legislator in what became the state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A native of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
state, he would live in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
before traveling the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
to what was then the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
. In Oregon, he would serve in the Provisional Legislature of Oregon
Provisional Legislature of Oregon
The Provisional Legislature of Oregon was the single-chamber legislative body of the Provisional Government of Oregon. It served the Oregon Country of the Pacific Northwest of North America from 1843 until early 1849 at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region...
and the Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon’s Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory...
.
Early life
Hiram Straight was born on March 7, 1814, in Washington County, New YorkWashington County, New York
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...
, to Lydia Fanning Straight and Elisha Straight. By 1838 he moved to the state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
where he married Susan Lasswell (born in 1817) near the town of Burlington
Burlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
. The couple would have seven children together, including George, Julia, Cyrus Branson, Mary Etta, Jane, Hiram Jr., and John. In 1843, Straight and the family would take the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
to what was then the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
, arriving at Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
.
Oregon
The Straight family settled on 600 acres (2.4 km²) at the mouth of Abernethy Creek on the Clackamas RiverClackamas River
The Clackamas River is an approximately tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, in the United States. As it drains an area of about , the Clackamas passes through mostly forested and rugged mountainous terrain in its upper reaches, and passes through agricultural and urban areas...
. There he farmed this land that would later become his donation land claim, and was a member of the Oregon Lyceum
Oregon Lyceum
The Oregon Lyceum or Pioneer Lyceum and Literary Club was founded in Oregon City, Oregon Country around 1840. The forum was a prominent fixture for the leading pioneer settlers during its brief existence...
in Oregon City. In 1845 and 1846, Straight was elected to and served in the Provisional Legislature of Oregon
Provisional Legislature of Oregon
The Provisional Legislature of Oregon was the single-chamber legislative body of the Provisional Government of Oregon. It served the Oregon Country of the Pacific Northwest of North America from 1843 until early 1849 at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region...
representing the Clackamas District, now Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
. In 1846, the Oregon boundary dispute was settled and in 1848 the region south of the 49th degree became the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
. In 1850, Straight served on the jury that convicted five members of the Cayuse
Cayuse
The Cayuse are a Native American tribe in the state of Oregon in the United States. The Cayuse tribe shares a reservation in northeastern Oregon with the Umatilla and the Walla Walla tribes as part of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation...
tribe of murder and sentenced them to death for their role in the Whitman Massacre
Whitman massacre
The Whitman massacre was the murder in the Oregon Country on November 29, 1847 of U.S. missionaries Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa Whitman, along with eleven others. They were killed by Cayuse and Umatilla Indians. The incident began the Cayuse War...
. He was the foreman of the jury in this trial that had followed the Cayuse War
Cayuse War
The Cayuse War was an armed conflict that took place in the Northwestern United States from 1847 to 1855 between the Cayuse people of the region and the United States Government and local Euro-American settlers...
.
Straight was elected to the Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon’s Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory...
1855 for the 1855 to 1856 session. He served for that single session as a member of the Democratic Party representing Clackamas County. Hiram Straight continued to farm until his death on January 8, 1897, at the age of 82 at Canemah, which is now within Oregon City. He was buried at the family’s private cemetery in Clackamas County along with his wife. The 19-plot cemetery is one of 800 historic cemeteries in Oregon. The family home, built in 1856, is still standing.