William H. Willson
Encyclopedia
William Holden Willson (April 14, 1805 – April 17, 1856) was a pioneer of the U.S. state
of Oregon
and the founder of its capital city, Salem
. A native of New Hampshire
, he immigrated to the Oregon Country
in 1837 to work at the Methodist Mission
, and there would participate in the Champoeg Meetings
. Willson served as the first treasurer of the Provisional Government of Oregon
.
in the Willamette Valley
as a layperson. He traveled by ship on the brig Diana, where he was instructed informally in medical training by Dr. Elijah White
during the voyage.
arrived in what was known as the Oregon Country
, a region whose control was under dispute primarily between Great Britain and the United States. At the mission, he worked as a lay worker
as a doctor and carpenter, and was also sent with David Leslie
to establish a new mission outpost in the Nisqually
area of Puget Sound
. Willson returned to the Willamette Valley
in 1839 and claimed land at the site of present-day Salem
. Willson married fellow missionary Chloe Clarke, who became the first teacher at the Oregon Institute
in 1844. They had three children. Willson gave land to the Oregon Institute in 1846. He plat
ted and named Salem that year, choosing the name because it means "City of Peace", and donated some land to serve as a park.
, Willson served as secretary, and voted in favor of creating a provisional government, which passed with a 52-50 vote. He was also elected as the first treasurer of the new Provisional Government of Oregon
at the election that adopted the Organic Laws of Oregon
and served from July 5, 1843 to May 14, 1844. In 1845, he was elected as the president of the bench in the Champoeg District. During the Cayuse War
of 1847 to 1850 he was appointed to the commission that worked to raise the money to fight the war that was born out of the Whitman Massacre
. Willson participated in the Oregon Exchange Company in 1849 that minted the Beaver Coins
prior to the arrival of U.S. authority in the region. He ran for territorial delegate
to Congress
in 1851, but lost to Joseph Lane
.
, which was the new name of the Oregon Institute. The following year he served as a commissioner for the proposed and later built Oregon and California Railroad
. William Holden Willson died in Salem on April 17, 1856, at the age of 51 and was interred in Salem Pioneer Cemetery
. Willson owned a bookstore in Salem at one time, and when his daughter Frances married Joseph K. Gill
in 1866, Gill took over the store. The land he donated for a park in Salem is located next to the Oregon State Capitol
and was named Willson Park in his honor.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
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...
and the founder of its capital city, Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. A native of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, he immigrated to 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 1837 to work at the Methodist Mission
Methodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was founded in Oregon Country in 1834 by the Reverend Jason Lee. The mission was started to educate the Native Americans in the Willamette Valley and grew into an important center for politics and economics in the early settlement period of Oregon.-Foundation:In 1831, several...
, and there would participate in the Champoeg Meetings
Champoeg Meetings
The Champoeg Meetings in Oregon Country were the first attempts at governing in the Pacific Northwest by United States European-American pioneers. Prior to this, the closest entity to a government was the Hudson's Bay Company, mainly through Dr...
. Willson served as the first treasurer of the Provisional Government of Oregon
Provisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849. Created at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region, this independent government...
.
Early life
William Willson was born on April 14, 1805, in the state of New Hampshire. On the East Coast of the United States he worked as a whaler, a cooper, and as a carpenter on a ship. Willson was recruited to work at the Methodist Mission founded by the Reverend Jason LeeJason Lee (missionary)
Jason Lee , an American missionary and pioneer, was born on a farm near Stanstead, Quebec. He was the first of the Oregon missionaries and helped establish the early foundation of a provisional government in the Oregon Country....
in the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
as a layperson. He traveled by ship on the brig Diana, where he was instructed informally in medical training by Dr. Elijah White
Elijah White
Dr. Elijah White was a missionary and agent for the United States government in Oregon Country during the mid-19th century. A trained physician from New York State, he first traveled to Oregon as part of the Methodist Mission in the Willamette Valley...
during the voyage.
Oregon
On May 18, 1837, Willson and other recruits for the Methodist MissionMethodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was founded in Oregon Country in 1834 by the Reverend Jason Lee. The mission was started to educate the Native Americans in the Willamette Valley and grew into an important center for politics and economics in the early settlement period of Oregon.-Foundation:In 1831, several...
arrived in what was known as 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...
, a region whose control was under dispute primarily between Great Britain and the United States. At the mission, he worked as a lay worker
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
as a doctor and carpenter, and was also sent with David Leslie
David Leslie (Oregon politician)
Reverend David Leslie was an American missionary and pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of New Hampshire, he joined Jason Lee as a missionary at the Methodist Mission in the Oregon Country in 1836. In that region he participated in the early movement to start a government and his...
to establish a new mission outpost in the Nisqually
Fort Nisqually
Fort Nisqually was an important fur trading and farming post of the Hudson's Bay Company in the Puget Sound area of what is now DuPont, Washington and was part of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department. Today it is a living history museum located in Tacoma, Washington, USA, within the...
area of Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. Willson returned to the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
in 1839 and claimed land at the site of present-day Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. Willson married fellow missionary Chloe Clarke, who became the first teacher at the Oregon Institute
Oregon Institute
The Oregon Institute was a school located in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country during the 19th century. Begun in 1842, it was the first school built for European-Americans west of Missouri. Founded by members of the Methodist Mission, it was located in what is now Salem, Oregon, United...
in 1844. They had three children. Willson gave land to the Oregon Institute in 1846. He plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted and named Salem that year, choosing the name because it means "City of Peace", and donated some land to serve as a park.
Political career
While Willson was in the region, settlers began to look at establishing a government in the unorganized area. These led to the holding of several meetings in 1841 and again in 1843. During the May 2, 1843, Champoeg MeetingChampoeg Meetings
The Champoeg Meetings in Oregon Country were the first attempts at governing in the Pacific Northwest by United States European-American pioneers. Prior to this, the closest entity to a government was the Hudson's Bay Company, mainly through Dr...
, Willson served as secretary, and voted in favor of creating a provisional government, which passed with a 52-50 vote. He was also elected as the first treasurer of the new Provisional Government of Oregon
Provisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It existed from May 2, 1843 until March 3, 1849. Created at a time when no country had sovereignty over the region, this independent government...
at the election that adopted the Organic Laws of Oregon
Organic Laws of Oregon
The Organic Laws of Oregon were two sets of laws passed in the 1840s that established a structure for government in the Oregon Country in the northwest corner of North America. These laws were created by a legislative committee formed after the Champoeg Meetings...
and served from July 5, 1843 to May 14, 1844. In 1845, he was elected as the president of the bench in the Champoeg District. During 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...
of 1847 to 1850 he was appointed to the commission that worked to raise the money to fight the war that was born out of 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...
. Willson participated in the Oregon Exchange Company in 1849 that minted the Beaver Coins
Beaver Coins
Beaver Coins, also known in pioneer days as Beaver Money, were gold coins briefly minted by the Provisional Government of Oregon in 1849. The coins were available in 5 and 10 dollar denominations. Their name comes from the prominent beaver depicted on the obverse of the coins...
prior to the arrival of U.S. authority in the region. He ran for territorial delegate
Oregon Territory's At-large congressional district
Oregon Territory's At-large congressional district is an obsolete congressional district that encompassed the area of the Oregon Territory. In 1853, the northern half of the territory was reorganized into the Washington Territory....
to Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1851, but lost to Joseph Lane
Joseph Lane
Joseph Lane was an American general during the Mexican-American War and a United States Senator from Oregon.-Early life:...
.
Later years
In 1853, Willson served as a member of the board of trustees at Willamette UniversityWillamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
, which was the new name of the Oregon Institute. The following year he served as a commissioner for the proposed and later built Oregon and California Railroad
Oregon and California Railroad
The Oregon and California Railroad was formed from the Oregon Central Railroad when it was the first to operate a stretch south of Portland in 1869. This qualified the Railroad for land grants in California, whereupon the name of the railroad soon changed to Oregon & California Rail Road Company...
. William Holden Willson died in Salem on April 17, 1856, at the age of 51 and was interred in Salem Pioneer Cemetery
Salem Pioneer Cemetery
Salem Pioneer Cemetery is a cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States.-Overview:...
. Willson owned a bookstore in Salem at one time, and when his daughter Frances married Joseph K. Gill
Joseph K. Gill
Joseph Kaye Gill 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...
in 1866, Gill took over the store. The land he donated for a park in Salem is located next to the Oregon State Capitol
Oregon State Capitol
The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third...
and was named Willson Park in his honor.