Alanson Beers

Infobox Politician
name = Alanson Beers


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office = Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of Oregon
term_start = 1843
term_end = 1844
predecessor = position created
successor = Second Executive Committee
constituency = Oregon Country
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birth_date = 1800
birth_place = Connecticut
death_date = February 20, 1853
death_place = Salem, Oregon
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spouse = Rachel Beers
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religion = Methodist

Alanson Beers (1800 - February 20 1853) was an American pioneer and politician in the early days of the settlement of the Oregon Country. A blacksmith by trade, he was a reinforcement for the Methodist Mission in what would become the state of Oregon. The Connecticut native helped found the Oregon Institute and participated in the Champoeg Meetings where he was elected to serve on the Executive Committee in 1843.

Early life

Beers was born in 1800 in the state of Connecticut, the son of a Revolutionary War soldier.cite book
last = Dobbs
first = Caroline C.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Men of Champoeg: A Record of the Lives of the Pioneers Who Founded the Oregon Government
work =
publisher = Metropolitan Press
year = 1932
doi =
id = 77 ] There he was trained as a blacksmith. Prior to immigrating to Oregon, Alanson married Rachel, with whom he had six children.cite web
last = Flora
first = Stephenie
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Inhabitants Prior To 1839
work = The Oregon Territory
publisher = OregonPioneers.com
date =
url = http://www.oregonpioneers.com/1838.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-11 ]

Oregon

Alanson Beers moved to Oregon in 1837, arriving on the ship "Diana" in May. He was part of the reinforcements for the Methodist Mission that Jason Lee had traveled back east to gather. After arriving with his wife, he brought the supplies for the mission from the ship by small boat on the Willamette River.Corning, Howard M. "Dictionary of Oregon History". Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.] Beers then built a home and blacksmith’s shop at the Mission. Later, he worked for the Mission Manual Labor School for Indians and at the Oregon Institute, now Willamette University as a blacksmith making building products for the construction of homes and mills.

In 1843 at the Champoeg Meetings he was chosen for the legislative committee to draft the original laws of the provisional government, and then chosen by the members to be the chairperson of the judiciary committee. Then on July 5, he was elected as one of the three members of the First Executive Committee along with David Hill and Joseph Gale. He was chosen to represent the interests of the Methodist Mission in the government.

During his service on the executive committee Beers lead the organization of a militia. This occurred in 1844 in response to an incident with the native populations in the Willamette Valley.

Later life

In July 1844 Beers opted to receive a farm, equipment, a blacksmith shop, and $1,000 from the Methodist Mission in lieu of passage back to Connecticut. At this time the mission was re-organizing under the Reverend George Gary. In 1846 Alanson formed a partnership with George Abernethy to buy grist mills at the island mills near Oregon City, Oregon, calling the enterprise the Oregon Milling Company. The company milled lumber and ground flour. Then prior to his death in 1853 he built a house to be used as a dormitory by the Oregon Institute, which the school then bought for $300 after his death and named Beers House. The school also offered each of his children a scholarship. Alanson Beers is buried at the Lee Mission Cemetery in Salem, Oregon.

s-ttl|title=Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of Oregon
years=1843-1844
regent1=David Hill
regent2=Joseph Gale s-ttl|title=Replaced by Second Executive Committee
regent1=Osborne Russell
regent2=Peter G. Stewart
regent3=William J. Bailey

References