- William Strong (Oregon judge)
Infobox Judge
name = William Strong
imagesize =
caption =
office = 4th Associate Justice of theOregon Supreme Court
termstart = 1850
termend = 1853
nominator =
appointer =Zachary Taylor
predecessor =Peter Hardeman Burnett
successor =Cyrus Olney
office2 = Associate Justice of theWashington Supreme Court
termstart2 = 1858
termend2 = 1861
nominator2 =
appointer2 =
predecessor2 =
successor2 =
birthdate =July 15 1817
birthplace =New York
deathdate =April 10 1887
deathplace =Portland, Oregon
spouse = Lucretia RobinsonWilliam Strong (
July 15 1817 -April 10 1887 ) was an American attorney and jurist in the Pacific Northwest] . He was the 4thAssociate Justice of theOregon Supreme Court when the region was still theOregon Territory . A native ofVermont , he settled in theWashington Territory after it was created in 1853 and served in the legislature of that territory and on theWashington Supreme Court . Later he returned toOregon and settled in Portland.Early life
Strong was born on
July 15 1817 inSt. Albans, Vermont to Laura Strong and Henry Pierce Strong, a preacher.Strong, Harry. [http://www.wshs.org/wshs/columbia/articles/0402-a1.htm The Adventures of a Pioneer Judge & His Family.] COLUMBIA Magazine: Winter 2002-03. Vol. 16, No. 4. Retrieved onFebruary 1 2008 .] He earned his primary education near the town ofRushville, New York , before entering Yale College (now university) at the age of seventeen. Corning, Howard M. "Dictionary of Oregon History". Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.] William graduated from Yale in 1838 and then began teaching while also studying law. At Yale he graduated with honors and then after graduation served as a principal at a school inIthaca, New York . There in 1840 he married Lucretia Robinson, and the couple would have six children together. Then in 1840 he passed the bar and started practicing law inCleveland, Ohio where the couple remained until 1849.Political career
In August 1850 William Strong arrived in the
Oregon Territory after being appointed by President Taylor to theOregon Supreme Court the previous year. The trip to Oregon for the family started aboard the ship Supply that took them aroundCape Horn on the southern tip ofSouth America toSan Francisco, California where they transferred to asloop-of-war vessel named the Falmouth that delivered them toAstoria, Oregon on August 13. On the trip were also Strong’s wife and two children, the new secretary for the territoryEdward D. Hamilton , and the new governorJohn P. Gaines , but Strong’ oldest son Frederick died after contractingYellow Fever inRio de Janeiro, Brazil . The Strong family would then settle on a farm in Cathlamet on theColumbia River where William would file a land claim under theDonation Land Claim Act on September 27.Once in Oregon, Strong served on the supreme court from 1850 to 1853. [http://www.bluebook.state.or.us/state/elections/elections27.htm Oregon Blue Book: Supreme Court Justices of Oregon.] Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on
February 1 2008 .] His assigned district was the third, which covers all of modernWashington state where he served as a circuit riding trial level judge and as an appeals level justice. He replaced Peter H. Burnett who had served under the provisional government, but declined to serve on the territorial court. Strong’s first trial was held onNovember 12 1850 in Lewis County near present dayChehalis, Washington at the home of John Jackson. His brother James served as William’s court clerk while riding circuit. His annual salary for his services was $2,000. [ [http://www.clark.wa.gov/courts/superior/court-history.html Court History.] Clark County. Retrieved onFebruary 1 2008 .] In 1853, whenWashington Territory was formed out of the northern portion of the Oregon Territory, Strong became the sole judge in the territory until his term ended in November.That November he left the bench and returned to farming at Cathlamet. William Strong then served as a surveyor of a large section of land in the territory. Next on
February 27 1854 , Washington Territory GovernorIsaac Stevens appointed Strong, along with Edward Lander and Victor Monroe, to help write the new territory’s laws. After this Stevens then asked Strong to serve as his legal adviser. Next, 1855 when war with the Native Americans broke out he joined the militia and was assigned toFort Vancouver as a commander of a company ofcavalry . While in command he and his troops were ordered out to return the Cowlitz tribe to the protection of the fort, as the tribe was sequestered at the fort to protect them from possible white violence during theYakima Wars . The Cowlitz had fled after fearing an American attack after a false rumor had spread that the Cowlitz were preparing to attack American settlements. Strong was able to negotiate with the tribe and bring them back, but his men fired shots in the air in celebration that was misconstrued by nearby listeners as an actual engagement. This incident is howBattle Ground, Washington received its name.In 1856, Strong was elected to the territorial
Washington House of Representatives as a Democrat, as the Whig Party he had previously been associated with was no longer a relevant political entity.Scott, H.W. History of Portland, Oregon: with illustrations and biographical sketches of prominent citizens and pioneers. D. Mason & Co., 1890.] While in the house he represented Wahkiakum County and made an unsuccessful bid for Congress. Strong served in the territorial legislature until 1858 when he was appointed to theWashington Supreme Court , serving until 1861. PresidentJames Buchanan appointed him to the post on the high court of theWashington Territory .Personal life
On the farm at Cathlamet the family built a log cabin in early 1851, and then a frame house that was completed in March 1853. At the farm Judge Strong purchased a Native American girl named Wahkeenah as a slave to assist his wife with household tasks. Once retired from public service, in December 1862 the Strong family moved to
Portland, Oregon where William returned to private law practice. There he served as general counsel for theOregon Steam Navigation Company until 1879 when the company was sold. Then in 1883 he retired from the legal profession. Eventually his sons took over his legal practice and William Strong died onApril 10 1887 in Portland.References
External links
* [http://www.washingtonhistory.org/wshs/columbia/articles/0303-a4.htm The Creation of Washington Territory]
* [http://www.accessgenealogy.com/oregon/multnomah/reorganization-judicial.htm Reorganization of the Judicial System after the Creation of Oregon Territory]
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