563:). In 1858, Multnomah County held a convention of National Democrats that nominated King for two positions, county judge and probate judge. He was elected Multnomah County judge in the 1858 election, but lost the race for probate judge by 75 votes. A year later, he was elected to the Portland city council. King was re-elected to the city council two years later.
368:. Between 1850 and 1855, King was involved in several business ventures. First, he was in a mercantile partnership with J. B. V. Butler; then, later with George Kittredge. For several years, King and Kittredge sold general supplies to both retail and wholesale customers. During that period, King was also a member of the
450:
King took his seat in the Oregon House on
December 1, 1851. When the session was organized, King was elected Speaker of the House. The 1851 session was the first legislative session held in Salem. Three members of the House refused to travel to Salem, gathering instead in Oregon City. As a result,
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In 1849, King decided to run for a seat in Oregon's territorial House of
Representatives, representing the Portland area. He was elected and took his seat in the Oregon House on July 16, 1849. This was the Oregon Territory's first legislative session. He served through the 1849 session which ended
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After completing his fourth term in the House of
Representative, King returned to his business in Portland, but he remained active in local politics. By 1858, King had rejoined the Democratic Party. At that time, Oregon's Democratic Party was bitterly divided between two factions, the traditional
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Sometime between 1856 and 1857, King left the
Democratic Party and joined the Whig Party. In 1857, he decided to run for another term in the Oregon Territory's House of Representatives. By that time, Portland was part of Multnomah County, which had been created in 1954 from parts of Washington and
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to an ad hoc board of commissioners tasked with finding a location for a territorial penitentiary and overseeing construction of the facility. King and
Kittredge sold construction supplies to the firm that built the prison. After the penitentiary was built, King and Kittredge sold general supplies
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In 1851, King ran for a third term in the Oregon territorial legislature, representing
Washington County. In the 1851 election, Washington County had three seats in the House of Representatives. Seven candidates competed for the three seats. King won one of Washington County's seats, along with
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addressed the legislature highlighting the growth of the Oregon
Territory and pointing out the changes which would happen when Oregon achieved statehood. During the session, the legislature elected territorial officers and conducted other required business before adjourning on February 5, 1858.
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Shortly after arriving in
Portland, King built the area's first sawmill. However, it was destroyed in a fire soon after it began producing lumber. King also built a wood-frame commercial structure on the corner of First and Oak streets in downtown Portland. Beginning in 1849, the Reverend
455:, associate justice of the territorial supreme court, read the court's decision confirming the legislature's action that established Salem as the Oregon Territory's seat of government. King led the 1851 legislative session until the assembly adjourned on January 21, 1852.
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counties. King won
Multnomah County's seat in the legislature. The session began on December 7, 1857, and lasted through February 5, 1958. When the House was organized, King was a candidate for speaker. He was defeated for that position by
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board from 1863 to 1864. He was eventually forced to retire due to ill health. He died at his home in
Portland on November 8, 1869, at the age of 69. He was survived by his wife and six of their children. King was buried at
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to the company that operated the prison. Because of King's overlapping political connections and business interests, he and other prominent Democrats were caricatured in a series of political satire articles written by
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In 1853, King served as chairman of Washington County's Democratic convention. That same year, the federal customs and surveyor position at the Port of Portland was separated into two appointed positions. President
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attempted to create a public school district in Portland. However, they were unsuccessful due to local opposition and the difficulty in establishing a new taxing district under existing territorial law.
408:. By then, Portland had become part of Washington County which had two seats in the territorial House of Representatives. There were three candidates competing for the country's two seats, King,
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in the 176th Infantry, a New York militia unit. Two years later on June 24, 1839, he was appointed colonel of the 170th Infantry Regiment. From that time on, he was commonly known as
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The 1850 legislative session began on December 2, 1850. King served through the session which ended on February 8, 1851. This was the last legislative session held in
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In 1852, the Washington County Democratic convention nominated King for another term in the territorial House of Representatives. The convention also nominated Doctor
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612:, Mss 1142, Oregon Historical Society Research Library, Portland, Oregon; accessed via Archives West OBIS Cascade Alliance, May 15, 2021.
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of Plains and John Bonsor of Sauvie's Island to compete for the three Washington County seats in the House. However, all three lost to
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representative. In the election for speaker Butler received 16 votes while King received only 8 with both King and Butler voting for
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on September 29. During the session, the legislature charged the names of several counties; Champoeg County was changed to
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Journal of the Ninth Regular Session of the House of Representatives of the Legislative Assembly of Oregon Territory
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After leaving the legislature, King remained engaged in government affairs. The 1852 legislature appointed King,
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This turned out to be the last meeting of the House of Representative before Oregon achieved statehood in 1859.
1091:(Vol. 58, No. 2), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 1967, pp. 65–73; accessible on-line via JSTOR.
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298:, selling lime and plaster to local builders. In 1837, King joined with two new partners to buy a sawmill in
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used the building as a schoolhouse. In 1850, King and other community leaders including Reverend Lyman and
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as the territory's new seat of government. It also created several new geographic jurisdictions including
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of Hillsborough, and James M. Moore of Linn City. King and Wilcox won the two seats in the 1850 election.
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1074:, Oregon State Archives, Office of the Oregon Secretary of State, Salem, Oregon, accessed July 21, 2021.
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appointed King to the surveyor of customs position. He remained in that position until 1856.
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for most of his life, (March 4, 1800 – November 8, 1869) was an American pioneer merchant and
655:, Binford and Mort Publishers, Portland, Oregon, 1971 (originally published in 1922), p. 708.
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during the 1851 legislative session. Before immigrating to Oregon, King lived and worked in
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In 1848, King once again moved his family west. This time across the country to the
986:(Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, Oregon, 2003, p. 684.
792:(Seventh Edition), Oregon Historical Society Press, Portland, Oregon, 2003, p. 300.
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they played no part in the 1851 legislative session. On January 9, 1852, Judge
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King lived and worked in Portland for the rest of his life. He served on the
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appointed King to the position of Surveyor and Inspector of Revenue for the
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1857 Regular Session (9th Territorial): December 7, 1857 – February 5, 1958
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1850 Regular Session (2nd Territorial): December 2, 1850 – February 8, 1951
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on the north side of the Columbia River (now part of Washington state) and
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1852 Regular Session (4th Territorial): December 6, 1852- February 3, 1953
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1851 Regular Session (3rd Territorial): December 1, 1851- January 21, 1952
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282:. He and his partner, Hiram Hammon, performed contract work on the
1036:, North Pacific History Company, Portland, Oregon, 1889, p. 362.
1021:, Asahel Bush Territorial Printer, Salem, Oregon, 1858, pp. 5-6.
324:. Then in 1842, he moved his family west and purchased land in
224:
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Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives
897:, Oregon State Archives, Salem, Oregon, accessed July 19, 2021.
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McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Multnomah County",
973:, Oregon State Archives, Salem, Oregon, accessed May 16, 2021.
843:, Oregon State Archives, Salem, Oregon, accessed May 16, 2021.
779:, Oregon State Archives, Salem, Oregon, accessed May 16, 2021.
709:, Oregon State Archives, Salem, Oregon, accessed May 16, 2021.
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1849 Regular Session (1st Territorial): Jul 16 – September 29
364:. He held that position until 1852, when he was replaced by
788:
McArthur, Lewis A. and Lewis L. McArthur, "Douglas County",
690:, Washington, District of Columbia, February 13, 1852, p. 2.
231:. After moving to Oregon in 1848, he became a merchant in
951:, Washington, District of Columbia, March 1, 1856, p. 3.
827:, Oregon City, Oregon Territory, December 9, 1851, p. 3.
671:, Washington, District of Columbia, June 28, 1850, p. 2.
1032:
History of the Pacific Northwest Oregon and Washington
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Portland Public Schools Board Members 1851 to Present
1126:, Oregon City, Oregon Territory, June 19, 1858, p. 2.
1085:"The Rupture of the Democratic Party in Oregon, 1858"
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heritage. As a young man, he married Mary Hadley of
1110:, Oregon City, Oregon Territory, May 15, 1858, p. 2.
967:"Territorial Government Legislators and Staff Guide"
891:"Territorial Government Legislators and Staff Guide"
837:"Territorial Government Legislators and Staff Guide"
773:"Territorial Government Legislators and Staff Guide"
741:, Oregon City, Oregon Territory, May 30, 1850, p. 3.
725:, Oregon City, Oregon Territory, May 16, 1850, p. 3.
703:"Territorial Government Legislators and Staff Guide"
639:, Albany, Oregon Territory, November 12, 1869, p. 2.
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state legislator. He served four terms in Oregon's
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651:Carey, Charles H., "Early Schools and Colleges,"
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1229:Speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives
913:, Salem, Oregon Territory, May 14, 1853, p. 3.
878:, Salem, Oregon Territory, May 11, 1852, p. 2.
808:, Salem, Oregon Territory, June 6, 1851, p. 2.
372:. In addition, he served as president of the
213:Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives
1239:Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature
1068:"Statehood Survives the Congressional Morass"
859:, New York, New York, January 31, 1852, p. 6.
757:, New York, New York, January 22, 1851, p. 5.
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52:December 1, 1851 – December 5, 1852
932:, New York, New York, March 19, 1853, p. 1.
278:By 1832, King was a partner in the firm of
1201:, Dallas, Oregon, November 13, 1869, p. 3.
1185:, Albany, Oregon, November 13, 1869, p. 2.
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1104:"Washington County Republican Convention"
1002:, Salem, Oregon, December 15, 1857, p. 1.
243:and a member of Portland's city council.
83:Oregon Territory House of Representatives
40:Oregon Territory House of Representatives
1142:, Portland, Oregon, April 6, 1859, p. 3.
320:In 1839, he bought into another mill in
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370:Portland and Valley Improvement Company
259:, on March 4, 1800. His family was of
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872:"Washington Co. Democratic Convention"
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404:King ran for re-election in 1850 as a
393:, and Vancouver County was changed to
374:Portland and Valley Plank Road Company
1259:Politicians from Danbury, Connecticut
1214:List of Oregon Legislators by Session
1158:, Salem, Oregon, April 8, 1861, p. 2.
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525:. When the session began, Governor
306:for building construction projects.
488:newspaper in 1852 under the title
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610:William M. King Papers, 1832-1873
482:. The satires were published in
389:, Tualatin County was changed to
1072:Crafting the Oregon Constitution
821:"Legislative Assembly of Oregon"
665:"Appointments by the President"
490:Treason, Stratagems, and Spoils
735:"Candidates Washington County"
309:In 1835, King was appointed a
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211:. This included one term as
16:Oregon pioneer and legislator
1269:19th-century American people
1089:Pacific Northwest Quarterly
1015:"Tuesday, December 8, 1857"
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653:General History of Oregon
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1244:County judges in Oregon
1156:Weekly Oregon Statesman
1120:"We Committed an Error"
1093:(subscription required)
1083:Hendrickson, James E.,
1057:(subscription required)
1053:Weekly Oregon Statesman
1004:(subscription required)
1000:Weekly Oregon Statesman
984:Oregon Geographic Names
953:(subscription required)
934:(subscription required)
915:(subscription required)
911:Weekly Oregon Statesman
880:(subscription required)
876:Weekly Oregon Statesman
861:(subscription required)
810:(subscription required)
806:Weekly Oregon Statesman
790:Oregon Geographic Names
759:(subscription required)
692:(subscription required)
684:"Surveyors and Customs"
673:(subscription required)
641:(subscription required)
568:Portland Public Schools
209:territorial legislature
1179:"Another Pioneer Gone"
926:"From Washington City"
284:Pennsylvania extension
930:New York Daily Herald
857:New York Daily Herald
755:New York Daily Herald
996:"Oregon Legislature"
633:"Death of Col. King"
539:Democrats (known as
235:, and was later the
137:Danbury, Connecticut
907:"County Convention"
853:"Later from Oregon"
802:"Washington County"
751:"Affairs in Oregon"
606:"Biographical Note"
431:which later became
356:In 1850, President
75:Benjamin F. Harding
561:National Democrats
551:and supporters of
519:Nathaniel H. Gates
197:William Myron King
1199:Polk County Times
1195:"Col. W. M. King"
945:"Washington City"
573:Lone Fir Cemetery
445:Zebulon C. Bishop
443:Ralph Wilcox and
391:Washington County
326:Palmyra, Missouri
296:Rutland, New York
251:King was born in
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241:Multnomah County
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483:
468:
466:candidates.
457:
449:
441:
414:
410:Ralph Wilcox
403:
383:
369:
355:
346:Horace Lyman
342:
335:
319:
315:Colonel King
314:
308:
279:
277:
250:
237:county judge
221:Pennsylvania
201:Colonel King
200:
196:
195:
149:(1869-11-08)
100:Constituency
90:
70:Succeeded by
63:Ralph Wilcox
47:
18:
1254:1869 deaths
1249:1800 births
553:Joseph Lane
549:Asahel Bush
515:Polk County
417:Oregon City
257:Connecticut
178:Mary Hadley
58:Preceded by
1223:Categories
1034:(Volume 1)
579:References
555:(known as
534:Later life
464:Whig Party
439:counties.
288:Erie Canal
269:Middlebury
247:Early life
183:Profession
130:1800-03-04
547:) led by
506:Clackamas
91:In office
48:In office
406:Democrat
290:and the
233:Portland
229:Missouri
217:New York
186:Merchant
165:Democrat
543:or the
433:Douglas
286:of the
273:Vermont
261:English
253:Danbury
38:of the
36:Speaker
473:, and
304:cement
227:, and
205:Oregon
175:Spouse
110:(1857)
421:Salem
311:major
265:Welsh
557:Soft
513:, a
437:Coos
435:and
263:and
239:for
225:Ohio
169:Whig
156:, US
144:Died
139:, US
124:Born
559:or
521:of
401:).
1225::
1197:,
1181:,
1154:,
1138:,
1122:,
1106:,
1087:,
1070:,
1051:,
1041:^
1017:,
998:,
969:,
959:^
947:,
928:,
909:,
893:,
874:,
855:,
839:,
823:,
804:,
775:,
765:^
753:,
737:,
721:,
705:,
686:,
667:,
635:,
617:^
608:,
586:^
492:.
447:.
376:.
328:.
317:.
271:,
255:,
223:,
219:,
167:;
132:)
128:(
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