George Law Curry
Encyclopedia
George Law Curry was a United States political figure and newspaper publisher predominately in what became the state of Oregon
. A native of Pennsylvania
, he published a newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri
, before traveling the Oregon Trail
to the unorganized Oregon Country
. A Democrat, Curry served in the new Oregon Territory
's government as a representative to the legislature and as Territorial Secretary before appointment as the last Governor of the Oregon Territory. Curry County
in Southern Oregon
is named in his honor.
where he published the newspaper The Reveille in St. Louis
from 1842 to 1845.
and settled in Oregon City
. Once in Oregon, Curry's experience in the newspaper business landed him a job editing the Oregon Spectator
, an early newspaper owned by George Abernethy
. Abernethy's views that politics should be kept out of the Spectator lead Curry to resign from the paper after only a year and a half. Curry's belief that this policy was censorship put him at odds with the paper's management. In 1848, he set up the Oregon Free Press in Oregon City
in competition with his former employer, the same year as the creation of the Oregon Territory
. The newspaper soon failed as the California Gold Rush
temporarily drained the territory of people and advertisers.
At the second session of the Oregon Territorial Legislature
held from 1850 to 1851, he worked as the chief clerk of the lower chamber House of Representatives. In the 1851 to 1852 session he served in the House representing Clackamas County
. Curry next served as the Secretary of the Oregon Territory
from 1853 to 1854, with the office as the first in line to succession to the Governor
.
Twice he stepped in as Acting Territorial Governor: May 19, 1853 – December 2, 1853; upon Acting Governor Joseph Lane
's return to Congress and for six months in 1854, upon the resignation of John W. Davis
. U.S. President Franklin Pierce
then officially appointed Curry to the position, which he held until Oregon Statehood in 1859. As a prominent local man, Curry was received much more favorably by the population whereas most of his predecessors were seen as outsiders from the East Coast. During the Yakima War
in 1855, Governor Curry raised a force of 2,500 volunteers and led them into battle in support of federal troops.
Oregon prepared for statehood under Governor Curry, approving a state constitution and electing John Whiteaker
as the first Governor of the State of Oregon
in 1857. On February 14, 1859; Congress passed the Oregon Statehood Bill, and President James Buchanan
signed it; creating Oregon as the thirty-third state of the Union. Upon this act, Curry's position was abolished.
. Alphonso operated Boones Ferry
and was the grandson of Daniel Boone
. Curry and Chloe had five children. After leaving office, Curry attempted a 1860 run for the United States Senate
, losing by one vote in the State Legislature
.
He served as editor of the Portland Advertiser from 1861 to 1862, followed by editing Portland's Evening Journal in 1876. He also returned to making jewelry, and settled in Boone's Landing (now Wilsonville
). George Law Curry died on July 28, 1878, at the age of 58 and was buried at Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland
. Curry County
in Southern Oregon
was created in 1855 while he was in office and was named in his honor.
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 Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, he published a newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, before traveling 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...
to the unorganized 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...
. A Democrat, Curry served in the new Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
's government as a representative to the legislature and as Territorial Secretary before appointment as the last Governor of the Oregon Territory. Curry County
Curry County, Oregon
Curry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 2010, its population was 22,364. The county is named for George Law Curry, a governor of the Oregon Territory. The seat of the county is Gold Beach.-Economy:...
in Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
is named in his honor.
Early life
Curry was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 2, 1820, to Mr. and Mrs. George Curry. Though he received little formal education, he became well read and educated through self study. He also spent some of his childhood in Caracas, Venezuela. In 1831, he began a long career in the newspaper business when he started working in Boston as an apprentice printer. Curry moved west to MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
where he published the newspaper The Reveille in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
from 1842 to 1845.
Oregon
In 1846, he emigrated overland to the unorganized Oregon CountryOregon 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...
and settled in Oregon City
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
. Once in Oregon, Curry's experience in the newspaper business landed him a job editing the Oregon Spectator
Oregon Spectator
The Oregon Spectator, was a newspaper published from 1846 to 1855 in Oregon City of what was first the Oregon Country and later the Oregon Territory of the United States. The Spectator was the first American newspaper to be published west of the Rocky Mountains and was the main paper of the region...
, an early newspaper owned by George Abernethy
George Abernethy
George Abernethy was an American pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government in what would become the state of Oregon in the United States...
. Abernethy's views that politics should be kept out of the Spectator lead Curry to resign from the paper after only a year and a half. Curry's belief that this policy was censorship put him at odds with the paper's management. In 1848, he set up the Oregon Free Press in Oregon City
Oregon City, Oregon
Oregon City was the first city in the United States west of the Rocky Mountains to be incorporated. It is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon...
in competition with his former employer, the same year as the creation of the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
. The newspaper soon failed as the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
temporarily drained the territory of people and advertisers.
At the second session of the Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon’s Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory...
held from 1850 to 1851, he worked as the chief clerk of the lower chamber House of Representatives. In the 1851 to 1852 session he served in the House representing Clackamas County
Clackamas County, Oregon
Clackamas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. The county was named after the Native Americans living in the area, the Clackamas Indians, who were part of the Chinookan people. As of 2010, the population was 375,992...
. Curry next served as the Secretary of the Oregon Territory
Oregon Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the Governor. The duties of office are: auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public...
from 1853 to 1854, with the office as the first in line to succession to the Governor
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
.
Twice he stepped in as Acting Territorial Governor: May 19, 1853 – December 2, 1853; upon Acting Governor Joseph Lane
Joseph Lane
Joseph Lane was an American general during the Mexican-American War and a United States Senator from Oregon.-Early life:...
's return to Congress and for six months in 1854, upon the resignation of John W. Davis
John Wesley Davis
John Wesley Davis was a doctor and a prominent U.S. politician during the 1840s.-Early life and education:...
. U.S. President Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
then officially appointed Curry to the position, which he held until Oregon Statehood in 1859. As a prominent local man, Curry was received much more favorably by the population whereas most of his predecessors were seen as outsiders from the East Coast. During the Yakima War
Yakima War
The Yakima War was a conflict between the United States and the Yakama, a Sahaptian-speaking people on the Northwest Plateau, then Washington Territory and now the southern interior of Eastern Washington, from 1855 to 1858.- Naming :...
in 1855, Governor Curry raised a force of 2,500 volunteers and led them into battle in support of federal troops.
Oregon prepared for statehood under Governor Curry, approving a state constitution and electing John Whiteaker
John Whiteaker
John Whiteaker was an American politician, soldier, and judge primarily in Oregon. A native of Indiana, he joined the Army during the Mexican-American War and then prospected during the California Gold Rush. After moving to the Oregon Territory he served as a judge and member of the legislature...
as the first Governor of the State of Oregon
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
in 1857. On February 14, 1859; Congress passed the Oregon Statehood Bill, and President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
signed it; creating Oregon as the thirty-third state of the Union. Upon this act, Curry's position was abolished.
Later life and family
Curry married Chloe Donnelly Boone in 1848, the daughter of ferry operator Alphonso BooneAlphonso Boone
Alphonso Boone was an American pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of Kentucky, he was the grandson of Daniel Boone, and lived much of his life in Missouri...
. Alphonso operated Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry
Boones Ferry was a cable ferry which crossed the Willamette River near present day Wilsonville, Oregon, USA, from 1847 to 1954. It was part of a major land-based thoroughfare in pioneer times linking fledging Portland with the pre-territorial government at Champoeg, and later Salem...
and was the grandson of Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
. Curry and Chloe had five children. After leaving office, Curry attempted a 1860 run for the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, losing by one vote in the State Legislature
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the House of Representatives, with 60 members elected to...
.
He served as editor of the Portland Advertiser from 1861 to 1862, followed by editing Portland's Evening Journal in 1876. He also returned to making jewelry, and settled in Boone's Landing (now Wilsonville
Wilsonville, Oregon
Wilsonville is a city primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County. Originally founded as Boones Landing due to the Boones Ferry which crossed the Willamette River at the location, the community became Wilsonville in...
). George Law Curry died on July 28, 1878, at the age of 58 and was buried at Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Curry County
Curry County, Oregon
Curry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 2010, its population was 22,364. The county is named for George Law Curry, a governor of the Oregon Territory. The seat of the county is Gold Beach.-Economy:...
in Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon
Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson, Klamath, and Josephine. It includes the Southern Oregon American Viticultural Area, which consists of the...
was created in 1855 while he was in office and was named in his honor.
Further reading
- Klooster, Karl. Round the Roses II: More Past Portland Perspectives, pg. 97, 1992 ISBN 0-9619847-1-6