William J. Bailey

William J. Bailey
Second Executive Committee
In office 1844–1845
Preceded by	First Executive Committee
Succeeded by	George Abernethy
Constituency	Oregon Country
Provisional Legislature of Oregon
In office 1848–1849
Constituency	Oregon Country
Personal details
Born	January 13, 1807 England
Died	February 5, 1876 Champoeg, Oregon
Spouse(s)	Margaret Jewett Smith

Doctor William J. Bailey (January 13, 1807 – February 5, 1876) was a British-born pioneer and politician in the Oregon Country. Bailey participated in the Champoeg Meetings that led to the creation of a provisional government in Oregon. Bailey was then a member of that government, first on the Executive Committee and later in the Provisional Legislature of Oregon.

Early life

Dr. Bailey was born in the Great Britain on January 13, 1807.^[1] In England he studied medicine before his mother brought him to the United States sometime before 1834.^[1] In the U.S. he traveled to the West Coast as a seaman, but deserted his ship in San Francisco.^[1]

Oregon

William Bailey moved to Oregon from California in 1835, settling in the Willamette Valley.^[2] Bailey's group included John Woodward, George K. Gay, and John Turner.^[2] On this journey north, the group fought with the Rogue River Indians and four of the eight members of the party were killed.^[2] Woodward, Gay, Bailey, and Turner were the survivors.^[2] This led to retaliation by Bailey years later when he and fellow survivor George Gay murdered a Native American youth in the same area.^[3] The murder occurred while Bailey was participating in the Willamette Cattle Company cattle drive from Mexican-owned California to Oregon.^[3] In charge of that cattle drive was Ewing Young, who had murdered several natives on his own journey to Oregon in 1834, which led to the attack on the Bailey party the following year.^[3]

In Oregon Bailey married Margaret Jewett Smith from the Methodist Mission.^[1] The two did not have any children and divorced in 1854. Margaret would write for the Oregon Spectator, and she also authored literary works.^[1] Bailey later remarried.

Politics

In February 1841, attempts to create a government in Oregon Country began, and intensified after Ewing Young died without a will or known heir.^[3] During these meetings Bailey was selected as chairman to the committee that was responsible for drafting the constitution and laws of a government.^[2] However these plans for a government fell through at that time, only to re-surface in 1843 with the final Champoeg Meetings leading to the creation of a provisional government in Oregon.

During the provisional government, William Bailey served as a member of the Second Executive Committee, along with Peter G. Stewart and Osborne Russell.^[1] This committee acted in place of a single executive, but the second committee was replaced by a single executive to streamline the executive branch of the government. The first governor under the new law was George Abernethy. In 1848, Bailey was elected to the provisional legislature from the Champooick district.^[2]

Later life

Doctor Bailey died at Champoeg on February 5, 1876.^[2] He was buried at St. Paul Cemetery^[1] in St. Paul, Oregon.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Scott, Harvey W.; Leslie M. Scott (1924). History of the Oregon Country. The Riverside Press. Vol 2, p. 236. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} "Ewing Young Route". Oregon's Historic Trails. End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. http://www.endoftheoregontrail.org/oregontrails/ewingyoung.html. Retrieved 2006-12-21. 

External links

• William J. Bailey at Find a Grave

Preceded by First Executive Committee with Alanson Beers David Hill Joseph Gale

Second Executive Committee Provisional Government of Oregon 1844-1845 with Osborne Russell Peter G. Stewart

Succeeded by Governor of Provisional Government George Abernethy

Persondata
Name	Bailey, William J.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	January 13, 1807
Place of birth	England
Date of death	February 5, 1876
Place of death	Champoeg, Oregon