George Abernethy

Infobox Politician
name = George Abernethy


width = 120px
height =
caption =
small_

office = Governor of the Provisional Government of Oregon
term_start = 1845
term_end = 1849
predecessor = Second Executive Committee
successor = Position dissolved
constituency = Oregon Country
majority =
office2 =
term_start2 =
term_end2 =
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
constituency2 =
majority2 =
birth_date = Birth date|1807|10|7|mf=y
birth_place = New York City, New York
death_date = death date and age|1877|03|2|1807|10|7
death_place = Portland, Oregon
party =
relations =
spouse = Anne Pope
civil partner =
children =
residence =
occupation = Merchant, politician
religion =


website =
footnotes =

George Abernethy (October 7, 1807 - March 2, 1877) was an American pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government in what would become the state of Oregon in the United States. He traveled to Oregon Country as a Methodist missionary where he became involved in politics and helped found the first American newspaper west of the Rocky Mountains.

Early life

Abernethy, was born October 7 1807 in New York City.Corning, Howard M. "Dictionary of Oregon History". Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.] He was of Scottish descent. He received his education in New York as well as learning the commercial trade. In 1830, Abernethy married Anne Pope. Missionary Jason Lee recruited Abernethy in 1839 to join him at the Methodist Mission in Oregon Country. He, his wife, and two children joined the Great Reinforcements that sailed on the ship "Lausanne" around Cape Horn to the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon

Arriving on June 1 1840, Abernethy was placed in charge of the Mission’s mercantile business in Oregon City. Among his early accomplishments were building the first warehouse in the Oregon Territory, establishing the first newspaper (the "Oregon Spectator") in the Oregon Territory, and establishing good business relations with the British Hudson's Bay Company. Abernethy was also a member of the Oregon Lyceum in Oregon City.cite web
last = Hines
first = Joseph Wilkinson
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = CHAPTER VIII. The Provisional Government.
work = Touching incidents in the life and labors of a pioneer on the Pacific coast since 1853
publisher = Library of Congress
date =
url = http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/calbk:@field(DOCID+@lit(calbk056div10))
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-02-11 ] In 1842 he introduced a resolution there to hold off forming an independent country. This was adopted and counter-acted a resolution introduced by Dr. John McLoughlin of the HBC that had earlier been adopted by the Lyceum.

Governor

On June 31845, Abernethy was elected to serve as Provisional Governor of the Oregon Country, defeating Osborne Russell, a member of the outgoing Executive Committee. Abernethy and his supporters were American loyalists who believed that the Provisional Government was strictly interim until the question of U.S. and British claims on the Oregon Country were finalized. Russell, however, headed up the "Independents" faction which wished to create a Republic of the Pacific.

As provisional governor, Abernethy worked to build roads, levied the first property taxes, and sent representatives of the Provisional Government to Washington, D.C. to lobby for official U.S. territorial status. He was reelected in 1847 with the endorsement of the influential Dr. John McLoughlin over Asa Lovejoy, co-founder of Portland.

Among the more interesting prerogatives of Abernethy was his solution to the shortage of U.S. currency throughout the territory. He and eight other leading citizens established the Oregon Exchange Company, which became the de facto territorial mint for a short time. The organization minted the now-rare five dollar and ten dollar "Beaver Coins", making Oregon one of the few U.S. territories to ever mint its own currency.

The Abernethy administration technically ended when efforts to gain territorial status came to fruition on August 141848. President James K. Polk signed the Oregon Territory Act, and appointed General Joseph Lane as the first official territorial governor. Abernethy continued to carry out his duties until Governor Lane arrived at Oregon City March 51849.

Later life and legacy

After leaving office, Abernethy continued doing well in his business. Among other things he served as the Oregon City agent for the pioneer steamer "Lot Whitcomb", the first steam-powered vessel built the Willamette River and the second one built in the entire Oregon Country. Abernethy's assets were destroyed during the flood of 1861. He moved to Portland shortly after. He died in 1877 at 70 years of age. Abernethy was buried at River View Cemetery. [ [http://www.findagrave.com/php/famous.php?page=cem&FScemeteryid=39345 Find-A-Grave] ]

Today, the Abernethy Bridge in Oregon City is named in his honor. The end of the Oregon Trail, also in Oregon City, lies near an area known as Abernethy Green. Several other public works (and natural features such as streams) in Oregon are also named in his honor; though several are given the variant spelling of Abernathy.

References

*"Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896." Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1963.

External links

* [http://www.osl.state.or.us/home/lib/governors/ga.htm| Oregon State Library: Governors of Oregon] - Photograph and biography.
* [http://www.open.org/~glennab/lifeofgeorgeabernethy.htm| Life of George Abernethy] - Biography on personal family genealogy site, extensively sourced.

Further reading

*Klooster, Karl. "Round the Roses II: More Past Portland Perspectives", pg. 95, 1992 ISBN 0-9619847-1-6

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Governor of Provisional Government of Oregon
before=Second Executive Committee
years=1845-1848
after=Joseph Lane