Monmouth’s Samuel Thurston Politics in Oregon

by James Nalley

In 1850, as the United States was rapidly expanding into the West, the Donation Land Claim Act was enacted to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory. Subsequently, thousands of white settlers and their families made the arduous journey along the 2,170-mile Oregon Trail to claim some land and start a new life. In fact, by the time the law expired in 1855, 7,437 land patents had been issued. Arguably, the law only allowed white men and partial Native Americans (only mixed with white) to work on a piece of land for four years, after which they could legally claim it as their own. Instrumental in the passage of this law was a Bowdoin College graduate who was the first delegate from the Oregon

Territory to the U.S. Congress.

Samuel Thurston was born in Monmouth on December 3, 1816. The only child of Trueworth Thurston and Priscilla Royal, Trueworth died young, after which Priscilla moved with Samuel to Peru. According to the biographical article of Thurston by Margaret Riddle (2010), “He became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and even in his teens, he was locally known as a persuasive speaker at church revival meetings and Democratic rallies. Adults naturally encouraged him to pursue a career in the legal profession.”

After completing public school, Thurston attended Wesleyan Seminary in Readfield, and then Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Subsequently, he studied law at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, graduating with honors in 1843. In the following year, Thurston was admitted to the bar. During his studies, Thurston caught the attention of Maine’s ex-governor Robert Dunlap (1794–1859), who mentored him in his law firm. This enabled him to gain valuable first-hand experience and make many important contacts in the field.

After graduating from law school, Thurston married Elizabeth McClench, after which the couple moved to Brunswick, where he established his first law practice. In 1845, the couple moved to Burlington, Iowa, where Thurston edited the Burlington Gazette for approximately two years. Then, with the draw of the West, they (including a one-yearold son) traveled by ox team and wagon along the Oregon Trail to Hillsboro in the Oregon Territory, where he began practicing law.

As stated by Riddle, “The popu- lation of which for decades had been primarily native tribes, fur trappers, and missionaries, was rapidly changing with the increasing number of settlers.” Although this situation appears as a textbook example of American expansion, the reality was much more complex. For example, when the Organic Act of 1843 was introduced, it gave all claimants 640-acre parcels in the region. However, when the Oregon Territory was officially established in 1848, the claims were nullified. When Thurston was selected to represent the Oregon Territory in the 31st U.S. Congress (1849–1851) the following year, this was his first order of business.

Meanwhile, although the Oregon provisional government upheld the anti-slavery laws of the time, the settlers brought their own pro- and anti-slavery views with them, causing heated debates. Fueling such discussions was the fact that politicians could oppose slavery in the new territory, while allowing it to continue in the South. The slavery debate greatly slowed the process of Oregon statehood. In 1857, a territorial constitution was drawn, after which the issue was subject to a public vote. In this case, the Oregon voters upheld the anti-slavery law. However, according to Riddle, they “excluded African-Americans, as well as Hawaiians from Oregon when it became a state. Hawaiians had made up a large portion of the territory’s workforce and most soon returned to the islands.”

As for the local tribes, they struggled for their existence. For instance, the Clatsop and Tillamook tribes met with the local Superintendent of Indian Affairs in 1851 and signed respective treaties. Although the treaties were sent to Washington D.C., the processes were blocked by Oregon Territory Representative Joseph Lane, who replaced Thurston after his term. This not only created more legal problems for the tribes, (cont. on page 58)

(cont. from page 57) but they were left out of future treaties altogether.

As stated earlier, Thurston’s major political achievement was helping to pass the Donation Land Claim Act in 1850, which granted 320-acre parcels (at no charge) to qualifying U.S. citizens and 640-acre parcels to married couples who would cultivate the land for four years. Riddle stated, “The passage of this act was not an easy task, considering that influential people, including American statesman Daniel Webster, declared the Northwest worthless, and government attention was mainly focused on the growing tension between the slave and free states.”

In regard to free African-Americans, Thurston had strong words against them, as shown in the following excerpt of his 1850 address to Congress: “It is a question of life or death to us in Oregon. The negroes associate with the Indians and intermarry…then, a mixed race would ensure inimical to whites. These savages would become much more formidable than they otherwise would, and long bloody wars would be the fruits of the comingling of the races. It is the principle of self-preservation that justifies the actions of the Oregon legislature.”

Furthermore, within the Donation Land Claim Act, Section 11 was a personal vendetta against former Hudson Bay Company (HBC) agent John

McLoughlin. At one point, the British HBC and its chief agent, McLoughlin, politically dominated the region and attempted to thwart any settlement of Oregon lands. In response, Thurston planned to deny McLoughlin of any land claim in Oregon City on the basis of his citizenship. According to Riddle, “He further accused McLoughlin of repeatedly trying to stop territorial development and personally profiting from which the legislature agreed that approximately half of his land was legally subject to seizure. Despite the situation, Oregon City currently includes the McLoughlin Neighborhood District. the land sales.” However, in the book Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon (1907) by Frederick Holman, McLoughlin defended himself by stating, “I declared my intention to become an American citizen in May 1849, as anyone may see who will examine the records of the court. Mr. Thurston knew this fact – he asked me for my vote and influence. Why did he ask me for my vote if I had not one to give?? I voted and voted against him, as he well knew, and as he seems well to remember.”

In 1851, following a U.S. Congressional session in Washington, D.C., Thurston traveled by ship through the Isthmus of Panama, which was the quickest route home to Oregon at the time. On his journey, he contracted “Panama fever” (yellow fever) and died aboard the California on April 9. He was buried in Acapulco, Mexico. He was only 34 years of age.

McLoughlin’s claim was denied, after

Two years later, the Oregon territorial legislature returned his remains and re-buried him in Salem’s I.O.O.F Cemetery, currently known as the Salem Pioneer Cemetery. His service was attended by large crowds, and a publicly funded monument made of Italian marble was erected. Its inscription reads: “Here rests Oregon’s first delegate, a man of genius and learning. A lawyer and statesman. His devotions equaled his wide philanthropy, his public acts are his best eulogium.” Today, Thurston County, Washington (originally part of the Oregon Territory), is named in his honor.