William P. Bryant

Infobox Judge
name = William P. Bryant


imagesize =
caption =
office = 1st Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
termstart = 1848
termend = 1850
nominator =
appointer =
predecessor = "(none)"
successor = Thomas Nelson
office2 = 1st Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
termstart2 = 1848
termend2 = 1850
nominator2 = James K. Polk
appointer2 =
predecessor2 = "(none)"
successor2 = Thomas Nelson
birthdate = August 3 1806
birthplace = Mercer County, Kentucky
deathdate = death date and age|1860|10|10|1806|8|3|mf=y
deathplace = Rockville, Indiana
spouse =

William P. Bryant (1806—1860) was an American jurist from Kentucky. He served as the first Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court in the Oregon Territory. United States President James K. Polk appointed Bryant, of Indiana, to the court once the Oregon Territory was established in 1848. In Indiana he served in both houses of the Indiana General Assembly and was a county judge. Bryant also fought in the Black Hawk War against Native Americans.

Early life

William Bryant was born on August 3 1806, in Mercer County, Kentucky.Corning, Howard M. "Dictionary of Oregon History". Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.] He grew up there and left home at age 18 after his mother had died when he was young and could no longer tolerate his father’s religious upbringing. In 1825, Bryant moved to Rockville, Indiana, where he would fight in the Black Hawk War and begin practicing law. After the war he served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1831 to 1836, followed by serving in the Indiana State Senate from 1836 until 1839.

Bryant started a law practice in 1840 with General T. A. Howard, and later served as a circuit court judge for Rockville. After changing political party affiliations from Whig to Democrat, he was appointed by United States President James K. Polk to serve as chief justice of the three member Oregon Supreme Court. Bryant was appointed on August 14 1848, the same day the new Oregon Territory was created. He migrated to the territory in 1849, arriving April 9.cite book|author=Holman, Frederick Van Voorhies
title=Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon
year=1907|location=Cleveland, Ohio|publisher=Arthur H. Clark Co.
id= [http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/1700852&referer=brief_results# OCLC 1700852] ]

Oregon

While in Oregon, Bryant purchased an island and milling operation from George Abernethy in the Willamette River called Abernethy’s Island. However, the island near Oregon City was previously claimed by Doctor John McLoughlin. Later this became an issue between McLoughlin and Samuel R. Thurston. Thurston had worked the Donation Land Claim Act in Congress to exclude McLoughlin’s claim to Oregon City and the island.

Oregon Supreme Court

On August 14, 1848, Bryant was nominated by President Polk to be “chief justice of the supreme court of the United States for the Territory of Oregon” and was subsequently unanimously confirmed by the Senate. [cite web|accessdate=2007-03-06 |url=http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(ej007195))
title=MONDAY, August 14, 1848
work=Journal of the executive proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America, 1845-1848
publisher=Library of Congress] He held his first session of court on August 20 1849 in Oregon City.

As the only federal judge in the territory, Bryant presided over the first criminal trial in what is now the state of Washington in 1849.cite web |accessdate=2007-03-06 |url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5684
title=HistoryLink.org Essay 5684: First criminal trial in future Washington Territory convenes on October 2, 1849
work=The Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History] At that time the Oregon Territory encompassed all of present states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. On May 1 1849, a group of roughly 100 Snoqualmie and Skewahamish tribesmen showed up at Fort Nisqually. Fort Nisqually at this time was a fur trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company. The Native Americans were not there to attack, but eventually an American named Leander Wallace was killed by the natives.

Following the murder, U.S. troops were deployed and demanded the tribes turn over the killers. Only after giving the tribe’s chief 80 blankets did they turn over anyone. These six Snoqualmies were charged with murder and Justice Bryant began the trial on October 1, 1849, at Fort Steilacoom after a grand jury returned indictments for all six. The outcome was that two, Kussus and Quallalwowt, were convicted of the murder and sentenced to hanging on October 2. On October 3, the two were hanged by U.S. Marshal Joseph L. Meek. The total cost of the trial was $2,379.54, which included the cost of the 80 blankets. Former judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon and later justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, Alonzo A. Skinner was brought with Bryant to serve as the prosecutor. [http://www.ojd.state.or.us/yam/Pages/judicial_history.htm#AlonzoASkinner Judicial History.] Yamhill County Circuit Court. Retrieved January 10 2008.]

The next year Chief Justice Bryant resigned from the court. [cite web|accessdate=2007-03-06 |url=http://bluebook.state.or.us/state/elections/elections27.htm
title=Supreme Court Justices of Oregon
work=Oregon Blue Book|publisher=The State of Oregon] His resignation was effective January 1 1851. [cite book
author=Scott, Harvey W.
title=History of Portland, Oregon, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Prominent Citizens
location=Syracuse, NY|publisher=D. Mason & Co.|year=1890
id= [http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/top3mset/a5e7182b9ee75652a19afeb4da09e526.html# OCLC 45229845] ]

Later years

After leaving the court Bryant returned east. He first moved to the nation’s capitol in Washington, DC, before returning to Indiana and his hometown of Rockville. William Bryant died there on October 10 1860.

References