Alonzo Gesner
Encyclopedia
Alonzo Gesner was an American land surveyor, Indian agent, and politician in the state of Oregon
. A native of Illinois
, he immigrated as a boy to the Oregon Country
with is family where he became a deputy surveyor for the United States government. A Republican, he also was appointed as an Indian agent to the Warm Springs Reservation and later was a member of the Oregon State Senate
.
, to Reuben A. Gesner and his wife Mary V. Bailey on March 2, 1842. His father was a native New Yorker who moved to Illinois in 1834 where he married Bailey of Kentucky. The family took the Oregon Trail
in 1845 to the unorganized Oregon Country and settled in the Willamette Valley
. Gesner’s parents took up a land claim in the Champoeg District (now Marion County
) southwest of the now city of Salem
. Once Oregon became a U.S. territory in 1848, Congress passed the Donation Land Claim Act
in 1850, and the Gesners were able to secure their claim to their farm. The younger Gesner was educated at Willamette University
in Salem before a brief teaching career. He taught in Independence
in 1865 where he was the first teacher in a new school and the first teacher for that school district.
Valley in the southern portion of the Willamette Valley. Gesner continued in the business until 1908, in the process surveying public lands primarily in western Oregon and some in what became the state of Washington. Gesner married Rhoda E. Neal on October 14, 1875. In 1882, he and Wilkins bought the Oregon Statesman newspaper, though Gesner sold-out his share eight months later.
to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation
in Central Oregon
after accepting an appointment from U.S. President Chester A. Arthur
. The next year he left the position after 18 months as a new administration was in power in Washington, DC. He was also a member of Oregon’s militia for nine years, including nearly three years as a captain.
Gesner was elected as the surveyor of the city of Salem in 1889 and served until 1891. In 1894, he was elected to the Oregon State Senate
as a Republican. Serving a four-year term, he represented District 4 that included both Clackamas and Marion counties. Gesner was in both the 1895 and 1897 sessions of the legislature, with the 1897 session fruitless as the Oregon House of Representatives
failed to organize.
, the Masonic Order, and the Sons of the American Revolution
. Both a brother and nephew also worked as surveyors. Alonzo Gesner died in Salem on March 6, 1912, at the age of 70 and was buried at Salem Pioneer Cemetery
.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A native of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, he immigrated as a boy to the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
with is family where he became a deputy surveyor for the United States government. A Republican, he also was appointed as an Indian agent to the Warm Springs Reservation and later was a member of the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
.
Early life
Alonzo Gesner was born in Coles County, IllinoisColes County, Illinois
Coles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 53,873, which is an increase of 1.3% from 53,196 in 2000. Its county seat is Charleston, which is also the home of Eastern Illinois University....
, to Reuben A. Gesner and his wife Mary V. Bailey on March 2, 1842. His father was a native New Yorker who moved to Illinois in 1834 where he married Bailey of Kentucky. The family took the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
in 1845 to the unorganized Oregon Country and settled in the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
. Gesner’s parents took up a land claim in the Champoeg District (now Marion County
Marion County, Oregon
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...
) southwest of the now city of Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. Once Oregon became a U.S. territory in 1848, Congress passed the Donation Land Claim Act
Donation Land Claim Act
The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850 was a statute enacted by the United States Congress intended to promote homestead settlement in the Oregon Territory in the Pacific Northwest...
in 1850, and the Gesners were able to secure their claim to their farm. The younger Gesner was educated at Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
in Salem before a brief teaching career. He taught in Independence
Independence, Oregon
Independence is a city in Polk County, Oregon, United States, on the west bank of the Willamette River along Oregon Route 51, and east of nearby Monmouth. It is part of the Salem Metropolitan Statistical Area...
in 1865 where he was the first teacher in a new school and the first teacher for that school district.
Career
Gesner left teaching after a single year to pursue manual labor and spent a year chopping firewood to enable him to buy a 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) farm near his parent’s property. In 1872, he started working in the land surveying field, working for Jasper Wilkins, a deputy surveyor for the federal government. The following year he went into the business himself, receiving a contract to survey land in the McKenzie RiverMcKenzie River
The McKenzie River is a tributary of the Willamette River in western Oregon in the United States. It drains part of the Cascade Range east of Eugene and flows into the southernmost end of the Willamette Valley. It is named for Donald MacKenzie, a Scottish Canadian fur trader...
Valley in the southern portion of the Willamette Valley. Gesner continued in the business until 1908, in the process surveying public lands primarily in western Oregon and some in what became the state of Washington. Gesner married Rhoda E. Neal on October 14, 1875. In 1882, he and Wilkins bought the Oregon Statesman newspaper, though Gesner sold-out his share eight months later.
Public service
In 1872, when he started surveying land he was elected as Marion County’s surveyor. Gesner won election again and served from 1876 to 1878 as well. On March 2, 1884, he became the Indian agentIndian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
to the Warm Springs Indian Reservation
Warm Springs Indian Reservation
The Warm Springs Indian Reservation consists of 1,019.385 sq mi in north central Oregon, in the United States, and is occupied and governed by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.-Tribes:...
in Central Oregon
Central Oregon
Central Oregon is a geographic region in the U.S. state of Oregon and is traditionally considered to be made up of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties. Other definitions include larger areas, often encompassing areas to the north towards the Columbia River, eastward towards Burns, or south...
after accepting an appointment from U.S. President Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
. The next year he left the position after 18 months as a new administration was in power in Washington, DC. He was also a member of Oregon’s militia for nine years, including nearly three years as a captain.
Gesner was elected as the surveyor of the city of Salem in 1889 and served until 1891. In 1894, he was elected to the Oregon State Senate
Oregon State Senate
The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the state-wide legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the State Senate, representing 30 districts across the state,...
as a Republican. Serving a four-year term, he represented District 4 that included both Clackamas and Marion counties. Gesner was in both the 1895 and 1897 sessions of the legislature, with the 1897 session fruitless as the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
failed to organize.
Later years and family
Gesner had three children with his wife Rhoda; Leroy, Rhoda and Stella. He was a member of the Ancient Order of United WorkmenAncient Order of United Workmen
The Ancient Order of United Workmen was a fraternal organization in the United States and Canada, providing mutual social and financial support after the US Civil War. It was the beginning of the American network of fraternal benefit societies.-History:...
, the Masonic Order, and the Sons of the American Revolution
Sons of the American Revolution
The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution is a Louisville, Kentucky-based fraternal organization in the United States...
. Both a brother and nephew also worked as surveyors. Alonzo Gesner died in Salem on March 6, 1912, at the age of 70 and was buried at Salem Pioneer Cemetery
Salem Pioneer Cemetery
Salem Pioneer Cemetery is a cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States.-Overview:...
.