James W. Nesmith | |
|---|---|
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| United States Senator fromOregon | |
| In office March 4, 1861 – March 3, 1867 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Lane |
| Succeeded by | Henry W. Corbett |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Oregon'sAt-large district | |
| In office December 1, 1873 – March 3, 1875 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph G. Wilson |
| Succeeded by | George Augustus La Dow |
| 4th Supreme Judge of theProvisional Government of Oregon | |
| In office December 25, 1844 – August 9, 1845 | |
| Preceded by | Ira Babcock |
| Succeeded by | Peter Hardeman Burnett |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Willis Nesmith (1820-07-23)July 23, 1820 |
| Died | June 17, 1885(1885-06-17) (aged 64) |
| Resting place | south bank of Rickreall Creek |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Lawyer |
James Willis Nesmith (July 23, 1820 – June 17, 1885) was anAmerican politician and lawyer fromOregon. Born inNew Brunswick to American parents, he grew up inNew Hampshire andMaine. A Democrat, he moved toOregon Country in 1843 where he entered politics as a judge, a legislator in theProvisional Government of Oregon, aUnited States Marshal, and after statehood aUnited States senator andRepresentative.
Nesmith's grandson,Clifton N. McArthur, and son-in-law,Levi Ankeny, both later served in Congress.
James Nesmith was born in what is now theCanadian province ofNew Brunswick (which was aBritish colony at the time) while his parents were on a visit from their home inWashington County, Maine, on July 23, 1820.[1] Of Scottish and Irish heritage, his father was William Morrison Nesmith and his mother the former Harriet Miller.[2] About 1828, James and his father moved toClaremont, New Hampshire, where he received a limited education.[1] In 1838, Nesmith moved toOhio, followed byIowa in 1842 where he waited to immigrate to Oregon Country.[2] Nesmith planned on traveling theOregon Trail withElijah White in 1842, but was late to arrive and instead left the next spring withMarcus Whitman after working as a carpenter in the interim at Fort Scott inKansas.[2]
In 1843, Nesmith arrived in Oregon where he studied law and was admitted to thebar before being selected to serve as Supreme Judge of theProvisional Government of Oregon in 1845.[2][3] He finished his term in 1846 and moved toPolk County where he took a land claim, began farming, and married Pauline Goff on June 21, with whom he would have seven children.[2] In 1847, he was elected to theProvisional Legislature of Oregon from Polk County, and served briefly in the 1848 session before resigning.[2][4]
Nesmith next served as a captain during theCayuse War against Native Americans inEastern Oregon from 1847 to 1848.[2] When news of theCalifornia Gold Rush reached theWillamette Valley in 1848, he traveled south to the gold fields, remaining until 1849.[2] In 1849, he returned to Polk County where he purchased a flour mill onRickreall Creek near the county seat ofDallas.[2] There Nesmith engaged in agricultural pursuits in the community that was for a timenamed after him, as well as stock raising.[1]
He again was a captain in the militia forces during theRogue River War in 1853 and theYakima Indian War in 1855.[2] Between the two wars he was theUnited States Marshal for theOregon Territory, replacingJoseph Meek.[2] From 1857 to 1859 he was theSuperintendent of Indian Affairs forOregon andWashington Territories.[1]
As Superintendent of Indian Affairs, Nesmith was aggressive against American Indians on Oregon's south coast, and once stated to Commissioner of Indian AffairsGeorge Manypenny that the extermination of theChetco people "would occasion no regrets at this office."[5]
On February 14, 1859, Oregon entered the Union as the 33rd state. In 1860, theOregon Legislative Assembly elected Nesmith to theUnited States Senate.[1] ADemocrat, he served from March 4, 1861, to March 3, 1867, and was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election.[1] While in the Senate, he and fellow Oregon SenatorBenjamin F Harding[6] were the only Democrats in that chamber to vote for theThirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution to abolish slavery.[2] After serving in the Senate, he was appointedMinister toAustria, but his nomination was not confirmed.[1]
After returning to Rickreall, he served as road supervisor of Polk County in 1868.[1] Nesmith was elected to the Forty-third Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of his cousin,Joseph G. Wilson, and served from December 1, 1873, to March 3, 1875.[1] He did not seek re-nomination in 1874 to the Forty-fourth Congress and returned to farming in Polk County.[2]
In addition to his cousin Joseph Wilson, Nesmith's grandson,Clifton Nesmith McArthur, was also a United States Representative from Oregon.[2]Levi Ankeny, Senator forWashington, was his son-in-law.[3]
James Willis Nesmith died inRickreall, Oregon, on June 17, 1885, at the age of 64 and was interred inPolk County on the south bank ofRickreall Creek.[1]
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 3) from Oregon 1861–1867 Served alongside:Edward D. Baker,Benjamin Stark,Benjamin F. Harding,George H. Williams | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromOregon's 1st congressional district 1873–1875 | Succeeded by |
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