William J. Bailey | |
|---|---|
| SecondExecutive Committee | |
| In office 1844–1845 | |
| Preceded by | FirstExecutive Committee |
| Succeeded by | George Abernethy |
| Constituency | Oregon Country |
| Provisional Legislature of Oregon | |
| In office 1848–1849 | |
| Constituency | Champoeg County[1] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 13, 1807 England |
| Died | February 5, 1876(1876-02-05) (aged 69) Champoeg, Oregon |
| Spouse(s) | 1)Margaret Jewett Smith 2) Julia M. Sheil |
William J. Bailey (January 13, 1807 – February 5, 1876) was a British-born physician who migrated to the United States, where he became a pioneer and politician in theOregon Country, particularly theWillamette Valley. Bailey participated in theChampoeg Meetings that led to the creation of aprovisional government in Oregon. He was selected as a member of that government, first on the executive committee and later in theProvisional Legislature of Oregon.
William Bailey was born inGreat Britain on January 13, 1807.[2] In England he was said to have studied medicine, before emigrating with his mother to the United States sometime before 1834.[2] In the U.S. he enlisted in the Navy and traveled to theWest Coast as a seaman, but deserted his ship in San Francisco.[2] There is no evidence that he practiced medicine in the United States.
William Bailey moved toOregon from California in 1835, settling in theWillamette Valley.[3] Bailey's group included John Woodward,George K. Gay, andJohn Turner.[3] On this journey north, the group fought with theRogue River Indians, losing four of their eight members of the party.[3] Woodward, Gay, Bailey, and Turner were the survivors.[3] Years later, Bailey and Gay murdered a Native American youth in the same area in retaliation during a cattle drive north from California.[4] Bailey was working in theWillamette Cattle Company cattle drive from Mexican-owned California to Oregon.[4] Leading the cattle drive wasEwing Young. In 1834 his party had killed several Rogue River natives on their journey to Oregon. This prompted their retaliation against Bailey's party the following year.[4]
When the wealthy Ewing Young died without a will or known heir in February 1841, discussions about forming a settler government based in the Willamette Valley began.[4] During these settler meetings, Bailey was selected as chairman of the committee to draft a constitution and laws for the region.[3] The plans fell through due to the opposition by French-Canadians and instead only a probate court was established.[5] Many participants in the talks were active in the later Champoeg Meetings, which led to the creation of the Provisional Government of Oregon.
During the provisional government, William Bailey served as a member of theSecond Executive Committee, along withPeter G. Stewart andOsborne Russell.[2] This body acted in place of a single executive, though it was replaced with a governor in 1845 to streamline theexecutive branch of the government. The first and only governor wasGeorge Abernethy. In 1848, Bailey was elected to the provisional legislature from the Champoeg district.[1]
In Oregon Bailey marriedMargaret Jewett Smith from theMethodist Mission on 4 March 1839.[2][6] In 1842 he sold his farm for $300 and left the Oregon Country for theUnited States of America.[6] The couple returned two years later in May 1844, having to spend $700 to purchase his old farm.[6] Selling his farm for $1,275 in 1850, the Baileys by September 1853 had established a homestead inChampoeg.[6] Bailey at this point was openly having sex with any willing native woman.[7] The couple's marriage continued to deteriorate, with Margaret fearing William's violent behaviors.[6] The two did not have any children and divorced in 1854.[2]
On 2 November 1855 Bailey remarried to Julia M. Sheil.[6] Bailey developed his property in Champoeg. He died there on February 5, 1876.[3] He was buried at St. Paul Cemetery inSt. Paul, Oregon.[2]
| Preceded by First Executive Committee withAlanson Beers David Hill Joseph Gale | Second Executive Committee Provisional Government of Oregon 1844-1845 withOsborne Russell Peter G. Stewart | Succeeded by Governor of Provisional Government George Abernethy |
