George H. Atkinson
George Henry Atkinson | |
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Congregational | |
Offices held | Superintendent of Missions of Congregational Churches of Oregon and Washington Territory |
George Henry Atkinson (May 10, 1819 – February 25, 1889) was an American missionary and educator in what would become the state of Oregon. In Oregon, he served as a pastor for several churches, helped found what would become Pacific University, and pushed for legislation to create a public school system in Oregon Territory. The Massachusetts native later served as the county schools superintendent in Clackamas County and Multnomah counties.
Early life
The Reverend George Atkinson was born on May 10, 1819, in
Oregon
Upon arrival the family settled at Oregon City, Oregon as the first Oregon missionary sent by the American Home Missionary Society[2][1] On June 21, 1848, Atkinson was given charge of the Congregationalist Church in Oregon City, which would not build a church building until 1850.[3] In January 1849 he then helped organize the First Congregational Society of Oregon City.[3] The church would later become the Atkinson Memorial Congregational Church.[3] George Atkinson would serve as minister for 15 years at the church, and helped to found the Clackamas County Female Seminary.[1][4] He also helped to found Tualatin Academy in Forest Grove along with Tabitha Moffatt Brown and Harvey L. Clark.[1] Atkinson had been given instructions by the missionary board to start an academy before leaving for Oregon.[5] The school was incorporated on September 29, 1849, and Atkinson served as a trustee of the school that would later become Pacific University.[1]
Also in 1849, Atkinson pushed for laws to create public schools, earning him the title of "Father of Oregon schools" by educators.[6] He proposed that education should be at no cost to students with financial support coming through taxes, a permanent fund to provide financing should be established, control of the schools should be at the local level, the schools should allow religious freedom, and teachers should be certified to meet professional standards.[7] Once public education laws were passed, George Atkinson became the first superintendent of schools in Clackamas County.[1] In 1865, he moved to Portland and became the pastor of the First Congregational Church as well as school superintendent for Multnomah County.[1]
Later life
In 1872, George Atkinson left his church to begin missionary work.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Corning, Howard M. (1956). Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 14.
- ^ The Home Missionary (The Home Missionary, Volumes 23-24 (June 1850) ed.). New York: Executive Committee of the American Home Missionary Society. 1851. p. 45. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
The society now has *two missionaries* in Oregon the arrival of one, Rev. *George H. Atkinson,* and his settlement at Oregon City, were announced in the last Report. In November, the Rev. *Horace Lyman* and *Mrs. Lyman* arrived and were subsequently stationed at Portland.
- ^ a b c AMC Chronological History. Archived 2007-08-14 at the Wayback Machine Atkinson Memorial Church. Retrieved on February 18, 2008.
- ^ Bain, Read (1920). "Educational Plans and Efforts by Methodists in Oregon to 1860". Oregon Historical Quarterly. 21. Oregon Historical Society.
- ^ Horner, John B. (1919). Oregon: Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature. The J.K. Gill Co.: Portland.
- ^ History. Archived 2007-06-27 at the Wayback Machine Oregon Education Association. Retrieved on February 18, 2008.
- ^ Oregon History Project: Education, Arts, and Letters: Establishing a Framework for Learning. Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved on November 1, 2007.
Further reading
- Rockwood, "Diary of Rev. George H. Atkinson, D. D., 1847-1858," Oregon Historical Quarterly 40 (June, 1939).
- Sevetson, Donald J. George Atkinson, Harvey Scott, and the Portland High School Controversy of 1880. Oregon Historical Quarterly. vol. 108, #3. Fall 2007.
- photographic portrait (with blemish)
External links
Media related to George Henry Atkinson at Wikimedia Commons
- End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center: The End of the Missions
- Eells, Myron. Biography of Rev. G. H. Atkinson. F.W. Baltes, 1893.
- Sevetson, Donald J.: OREGON VOICES: George Atkinson, Harvey Scott, and the Portland High School Controversy of 1880. Oregon Historical Quarterly. Fall 2007.