Peter G. Stewart
Peter Grant Stewart | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Second Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of Oregon | |
| In office 1844–1845 | |
| Constituency | Oregon Country |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 6, 1809 New York |
| Died | August 27, 1900 (aged 90) Tacoma, Washington |
| Spouse(s) | Rebecca Rawlings Cason d. 1863 Eliza Rosecrans |
| Occupation | politician, jeweler |
Peter Grant Stewart (September 6, 1809 – August 27, 1900) was a jeweler and pioneer of the
Early life
Peter G. Stewart was born in Stamford, New York, on September 6, 1809.[1] Then in 1817, he moved to Jefferson, New York, then to Middleburgh, New York, and then in 1840 to Springfield, Missouri.[1] During this time Stewart worked as jeweler and watchmaker, and married Rebecca Rawlings Cason on September 1, 1842, in Missouri. Cason was born in 1826 in Virginia.[1]
Oregon Trail
On May 22, 1843, the Stewart party left
Oregon Country
Stewart arrived in the Oregon Country in 1843.
After Pacific City, he returned to the jewelry and watch making business.[3] Stewart plied this trade in Oregon City from 1854 to 1860.[3] Then in 1861 he moved to Portland, Oregon where he and his business were burned out in 1862 and again in 1873.[3] In between fires, Peter Stewart's wife died in 1863, and he then remarried in 1872 to Eliza Rosecrans.[1] Years later Peter Stewart moved to Tacoma, Washington where he died August 27, 1900, at the age of 90.[1]
Government
In May 1844, Stewart was elected by the pioneer settlers to the Second Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of Oregon.[4] He received 140 votes to finish second in the voting and receive one of the three positions along with Osborne Russell and William J. Bailey.[4] Peter Stewart served on the Executive Committee from May 25, 1844 to July 14, 1845.[6] This committee was then replaced with a single executive and George Abernethy was elected as governor.[7] He was then chosen to be the first judge for the District Court of Clackamas County, Oregon.[3] Then in 1853 he served as surveyor for the community of Pacific City.[1] Lastly, from 1870 to 1879 Stewart served as city recorder for the town of Gervais in the Willamette Valley on French Prairie.[3]
Family
Stewart's first wife Rebecca's parents were Fendal Carr Cason, a member of the Oregon Territorial Legislature, and Rebecca Holladay Cason.[1] Oregon's first territorial recorder, John Long, was Stewart's brother-in-law.[1] Peter fathered nine children, all by his first wife: Nellie, Margaret, Frederick, James, Katherine, Charles, Catherine, Mary, and George.[1] Catherine died on the journey over the Oregon Trail and Nellie, born in 1863, was the youngest.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Peter Stewart". Oregon Pioneer Biographies. ORGenWeb. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ^ a b "William Hatchette Vaughan". The End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Retrieved 2007-03-14.
- ^ a b c d e f Oregon State Library Archived 2006-09-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c Carey, Charles Henry (1922). History of Oregon. Vol. 1. Pioneer Historical Publishing Co.
- ^ "History". City of Ilwaco, Washington. Archived from the original on 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2007-03-15.
- ^ Oregon Blue Book: Earliest Authorities in Oregon
- ^ Oregon State Archives: Governor's Records Guides