- James Nesmith
Infobox_Senator
name= James W. Nesmith
caption=James W. Nesmith
jr/sr=United States Senator
state=Oregon
term_start=March 4 1861
term_end=March 3 1867
preceded=Joseph Lane
succeeded=Henry W. Corbett
district2 = ushr|Oregon|AL|At-large
term2 =December 1 1873 -March 3 1875
preceded2 =Joseph G. Wilson
succeeded2 =George Augustus La Dow
state2= Oregon
birth_date=July 23 1820
birth_place=New Brunswick ,Canada
death_date=June 17 1885
death_place=Rickreall, Oregon
spouse=
profession=Lawyer
party= Democratic
footnotes=James Willis Nesmith (
July 23 ,1820 -June 17 ,1885 ) was an American politician and lawyer fromOregon . Born inCanada to American parents, he grew up inNew Hampshire andMaine . A Democrat, he moved toOregon Country in 1843 where he entered politics as a judge, a legislator in theProvisional Government of Oregon , aUnited States Marshal , and after statehood aUnited States Senator and Representative. Nesmith’s grandson,Clifton N. McArthur , and son-in-law,Levi Ankeny , both later served in Congress.Early years
James Nesmith was born in
New Brunswick ,Canada while his parents were on a visit from their home inWashington County, Maine , onJuly 23 1820 . [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=N000050 Nesmith, James Willis.] Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved onJune 11 2008 .] Of Scottish and Irish heritage, his father was William Morrison Nesmith and his mother the former Harriet Miller.Corning, Howard M. (1989) "Dictionary of Oregon History". Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 174.] About 1828, James and his father moved toClaremont, New Hampshire , where he received a limited education. In 1838, Nesmith moved toOhio , followed byIowa in 1842 where he waited to immigrate to Oregon Country. Nesmith planned on traveling theOregon Trail withElijah White in 1842, but was late to arrive and instead left the next spring withMarcus Whitman after working as a carpenter in the interim at Fort Scott inKansas .Oregon
In 1843, Nesmith arrived in Oregon where he studied law and was admitted to the bar before being selected to serve as supreme judge of the
Provisional Government of Oregon in 1845.Colmer, Montagu, and Charles Erskine Scott Wood. 1910. "History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon". Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co. p. 271-271.] He finished his term in 1846 and moved to Polk County where he took a land claim, began farming, and married Pauline Goff onJune 21 , with whom he would have seven children. In 1847, he was elected to theProvisional Legislature of Oregon from Polk County, and served briefly in the 1848 session before resigning. [http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/legislative/histleg/provisional/1848reg.htm Oregon Legislative Assembly (4th Provisional) 1848-1849 Regular Session.] Oregon State Archives. Retrieved onJune 11 2008 .]Nesmith next served as a captain during the
Cayuse War against Native Americans inEastern Oregon from 1847 to 1848. When news of theCalifornia Gold Rush reached theWillamette Valley in 1848, he traveled south to the gold fields, remaining until 1849. In 1849, he returned to Polk County where he purchased a flour mill on Rickreall Creek near the county seat of Dallas. There Nesmith engaged in agricultural pursuits in the community that was for a time named after him, as well as stock raising.He again was a captain in the militia forces during the
Rogue River War in 1853 and theYakima Indian War in 1855. Between the two wars he was theUnited States Marshal for theOregon Territory , replacingJoseph Meek . From 1857 to 1859 he was the superintendent of Indian affairs for Oregon and Washington Territories.Congress
On
February 14 1859 , Oregon entered the Union as the 33rd state. In 1860, theOregon Legislative Assembly elected Nesmith to theUnited States Senate . A Democrat, he served fromMarch 4 ,1861 , toMarch 3 ,1867 , and was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election. While in the Senate, he was the only Democrat in that house to vote for theThirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution to abolish slavery. After the Senate, he was appointed Minister to Austria, but his nomination was not confirmed.After returning to Rickreall, he served as road supervisor of Polk County in 1868. Nesmith was elected to the Forty-third Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his cousin,
Joseph G. Wilson , and served fromDecember 1 ,1873 , toMarch 3 ,1875 . He did not seek re-nomination in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress and returned to farming in Polk County.Later years and family
In addition to his cousin Joseph Wilson, Nesmith's grandson,
Clifton Nesmith McArthur , was also a United States Representatives from Oregon.Levi Ankeny , Senator forWashington , was his son-in-law. James Willis Nesmith died inRickreall, Oregon , onJune 17 1885 , at the age of 64 and was interred in Polk County on the south bank of Rickreall Creek.References
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