William W. Chapman
Encyclopedia
William Williams Chapman (August 11, 1808 – October 18, 1892) was an American politician and lawyer in Oregon
and Iowa
. He was born and raised in Virginia
. He served as a United States Attorney
in Iowa when it was part of the Michigan
and Wisconsin
territories, and then represented the Iowa Territory
in the United States House of Representatives
. He later immigrated to the Oregon Country
, where he served in the Oregon Territorial Legislature
.
After settling in Portland
he helped to found The Oregonian
newspaper and promoted economic interests in the city. He also was involved with building Canyon Road
near Portland, and fought in the Rogue River War in Oregon. In later years he served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly
and promoted the expansion of railroads from Portland. Chapman Square, a park in downtown Portland, is named for him and was built on land he sold to the city.
, (now West Virginia
) on August 11, 1808. His father died when William was fourteen, at which time he left home to earn his own way. He was educated in the public schools, and then took a job as a court clerk, while studying law on his own time. In 1832, after reading law
, he earned his law license and began practice in Middleton.
Chapman married Margaret F. Ingraham in 1832, and had seven children with her. They moved to Macomb, Illinois
in 1833, then to what is now Burlington, Iowa
(then part of Michigan Territory
) in 1835, where they were among the first settlers. The next year he became a prosecuting attorney, and was then appointed by United States President Andrew Jackson
as United States Attorney
for the Michigan Territory.
was formed from the western section of the Michigan Territory. Chapman became the first U.S. Attorney for this new territory when it was created. He was elected as colonel of the militia in 1836 after moving to what is now Dubuque, Iowa
. Then in 1838, the Iowa Territory
was carved from the Wisconsin Territory.
Chapman was elected as Iowa Territory's first non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives
. A Democrat, he served from September 10, 1838 to October 27, 1840, spanning portions of the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Congresses. While in Congress he introduced legislation for a pre-emption law
, the first to do so in Congress. His efforts secured for Iowa the land grant of 500000 acres (2,023.4 km²) for the support of common schools, and a congressional report on Iowa's boundary dispute with Missouri that was favorable to Iowa.
After his term expired, Chapman returned to Iowa, relocating in 1843 to Agency City in Wapello County
. In 1844, he served as a delegate to Iowa’s Constitutional Convention
, which was held in Iowa City
and led to the entry of Iowa into the Union as the 29th state in 1846. Chapman left Iowa in 1847, traveling the Oregon Trail
to the Oregon Country
.
with Great Britain
the previous year. In Oregon, Chapman settled first in what was then Marysville
, and is now Corvallis, in the Willamette Valley
. In 1848, he relocated to Salem
, where he learned of the California Gold Rush
while at court at Knox Butte. Chapman went to California
for a brief time and had some success in the gold fields before returning in 1849 to Oregon, which had become the Oregon Territory
in 1848.
He accompanied Joseph Lane
, the newly-appointed governor of the territory, on his return trip to Oregon. Chapman was elected to the first session of the Oregon Territorial Legislature
later in 1849, representing Champoeg County
(now Marion) in the legislature's lower house. After the legislature finished its session, he moved to Oregon City
and then Portland
, both downstream of Salem on the Willamette River
. Later in 1849, he took a trip to San Francisco, California
, where he recruited Thomas J. Dryer
to move to Portland and start a newspaper. He also purchased The Gold Hunter newspaper and moved the assets of the paper to Portland. In 1850, The Oregonian
began publishing as a weekly newspaper in Portland. Dryer served as the publisher with Chapman as a co-founder. Chapman gave the paper its name. The assets of The Gold Hunter were used to start the paper.
Chapman purchased land in Portland from Stephen Coffin and Daniel H. Lownsdale
in 1850, which he then cleared and built a home. This is now the site of the Multnomah County Courthouse. In Portland, he was a promoter of the city and helped to get Canyon Road
built to ensure the city would become the commercial center of Oregon. Chapman practiced law, and in October 1851 he was held in contempt of court by Oregon Supreme Court
justice Orville C. Pratt
. Chapman was ordered to be sent to jail in the county seat of Hillsboro
for 20 days and disbarred, but never went to jail and the order was revoked when Pratt was replaced on the court by justice Thomas Nelson
. Chapman had accused Pratt of mistreating lawyers in an affidavit.
Chapman left Portland in 1853 for Fort Umpqua
in Southern Oregon
. There he engaged in cattle ranching while keeping his Portland law practice. He served as a lieutenant colonel in the militia during the Rogue River War that was fought from 1855 to 1856 against the Native Americans
in Southern Oregon. After the war he returned to Corvallis in 1856 before moving to Eugene
in 1857. Chapman was appointed as surveyor general of Oregon
and served from 1857 to 1861 when he returned to Portland. He left this federal government position due to his opposition to the election of Abraham Lincoln
as U.S. President. Oregon entered the Union as the 33rd state in 1859.
. Chapman then returned to the practice of law. He also worked to secure Portland’s economic future by promoting the construction of the railroad line to California to link with the transcontinental rail line. From 1870 to 1876 he started three companies with the goal of creating a railroad connecting Portland to the Union Pacific’s transcontinental railroad. Chapman’s proposed line would have traveled through the Columbia River Gorge
to The Dalles, Oregon
, where it would then travel southeast to Salt Lake City, Utah
, linking to the Union Pacific line.
In 1868, he returned to the legislature, representing Multnomah County in the Oregon House of Representatives
as a Democrat
. While in the legislature, he worked to get a $30,000 government subsidy to purchase and operate a large steam tugboat at the mouth of the Columbia River
. This vessel was used to pilot ships across the Columbia Bar
and thus improved maritime commerce for Portland. In 1870, he sold two blocks of land in downtown to the City of Portland
, which would become the Plaza Blocks
between Third and Fourth avenues at Main Street.
William Williams Chapman died in Portland on October 18, 1892, at the age of 84, and was buried at Lone Fir Cemetery
in that city. Chapman School in Portland was named in his honor.
Chapman Square, part of the Plaza Blocks parks with Lownsdale Square, is also named in his honor. Chapman and Lownsdale Squares, also called the Plaza Blocks, were purchased from Chapman for $1200. Lownsdale Square contains the Spanish-American War Memorial, erected after Harvey Scott
wrote an editorial pleading for a monument to the war on June 18, 1899. The monument includes the statue of a soldier dressed for the Spanish-American War
sculpted by Douglas Tilden
. While the granite base is inscribed with Roman numerals
indicating 1904, the base was not received until October 1905, and the monument was not dedicated until May 30, 1906, Memorial Day
. The final cost of the monument was $14,722, paid for by donations following Scott's plea. The monument also contains two howitzer
s, donated by Henry E. Dosch
, which he found buried in the beach near Fort Sumter
. Dosch noted the howitzers had been used by both sides in the American Civil War
. There is also a drinking fountain in the square, donated to the city by the Ladies Auxiliary of Company H (of the Second Oregon Volunteer Regiment). The fountain was a design of John H. Beaver, dedicated on September 2, 1914.
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...
and Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. He was born and raised in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He served as a United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
in Iowa when it was part of the Michigan
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...
territories, and then represented the Iowa Territory
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...
in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. He later immigrated 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...
, where he served in 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...
.
After settling 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...
he helped to found The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
newspaper and promoted economic interests in the city. He also was involved with building Canyon Road
Canyon Road
Canyon Road is a road connecting Beaverton and Portland, Oregon, United States. It was the first road between the Tualatin Valley and Portland and contributed significantly to Portland becoming the area's major deep water port, and subsequent early growth of the city.The total modern length is...
near Portland, and fought in the Rogue River War in Oregon. In later years he served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly
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...
and promoted the expansion of railroads from Portland. Chapman Square, a park in downtown Portland, is named for him and was built on land he sold to the city.
Early life
William Chapman was born in Clarksburg, VirginiaClarksburg, West Virginia
Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, (now West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
) on August 11, 1808. His father died when William was fourteen, at which time he left home to earn his own way. He was educated in the public schools, and then took a job as a court clerk, while studying law on his own time. In 1832, after reading law
Reading law
Reading law is the method by which persons in common law countries, particularly the United States, entered the legal profession before the advent of law schools. This usage specifically refers to a means of entering the profession . A small number of U.S...
, he earned his law license and began practice in Middleton.
Chapman married Margaret F. Ingraham in 1832, and had seven children with her. They moved to Macomb, Illinois
Macomb, Illinois
Macomb is a city in and the county seat of McDonough County, Illinois, United States. It is situated in western Illinois southwest of Galesburg. The population was 18,588 at the 2000 census. Macomb is the home of Western Illinois University.- Geography :...
in 1833, then to what is now Burlington, Iowa
Burlington, Iowa
Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,663 in the 2010 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in the 2000 census. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area including West Burlington, Iowa and Middletown, Iowa and...
(then part of Michigan Territory
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan...
) in 1835, where they were among the first settlers. The next year he became a prosecuting attorney, and was then appointed by United States President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
as United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Michigan Territory.
Iowa
In 1836, the Wisconsin TerritoryWisconsin Territory
The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...
was formed from the western section of the Michigan Territory. Chapman became the first U.S. Attorney for this new territory when it was created. He was elected as colonel of the militia in 1836 after moving to what is now Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque, Iowa
Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....
. Then in 1838, the Iowa Territory
Iowa Territory
The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Iowa.-History:...
was carved from the Wisconsin Territory.
Chapman was elected as Iowa Territory's first non-voting delegate to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. A Democrat, he served from September 10, 1838 to October 27, 1840, spanning portions of the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth Congresses. While in Congress he introduced legislation for a pre-emption law
Pre-emption right
A pre-emption right is a right to acquire certain property in preference to any other person. It comes from the Latin verb emo, emere, emi, emptum, to buy or purchase, plus the inseparable preposition pre, before. It usually refers to property newly coming into existence...
, the first to do so in Congress. His efforts secured for Iowa the land grant of 500000 acres (2,023.4 km²) for the support of common schools, and a congressional report on Iowa's boundary dispute with Missouri that was favorable to Iowa.
After his term expired, Chapman returned to Iowa, relocating in 1843 to Agency City in Wapello County
Wapello County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 35,625 in the county, with a population density of . There were 16,098 housing units, of which 14,552 were occupied.-2000 census:...
. In 1844, he served as a delegate to Iowa’s Constitutional Convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
, which was held in Iowa City
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
and led to the entry of Iowa into the Union as the 29th state in 1846. Chapman left Iowa in 1847, 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 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...
.
Oregon
He left in May and arrived in November of what was still the unorganized Oregon Country. At this time the region was under the jurisdiction of the United States after the settling of the Oregon boundary disputeOregon boundary dispute
The Oregon boundary dispute, or the Oregon Question, arose as a result of competing British and American claims to the Pacific Northwest of North America in the first half of the 19th century. Both the United Kingdom and the United States had territorial and commercial aspirations in the region...
with Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
the previous year. In Oregon, Chapman settled first in what was then Marysville
Corvallis, Oregon
Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
, and is now Corvallis, 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...
. In 1848, he relocated to 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...
, where he learned of 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...
while at court at Knox Butte. Chapman went to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
for a brief time and had some success in the gold fields before returning in 1849 to Oregon, which had become 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...
in 1848.
He accompanied Joseph Lane
Joseph Lane
Joseph Lane was an American general during the Mexican-American War and a United States Senator from Oregon.-Early life:...
, the newly-appointed governor of the territory, on his return trip to Oregon. Chapman was elected to the first 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...
later in 1849, representing Champoeg 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...
(now Marion) in the legislature's lower house. After the legislature finished its session, he moved to 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...
and then 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...
, both downstream of Salem on the Willamette River
Willamette River
The Willamette River is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States...
. Later in 1849, he took a trip to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where he recruited Thomas J. Dryer
Thomas J. Dryer
Thomas Jefferson Dryer was a newspaper publisher, Freemason, mountain climber, and politician in the Western United States.He was born on January 10, 1808, in Ulster County, New York. Dryer founded the Weekly Oregonian, which has survived as the daily Oregonian, and served as its publisher...
to move to Portland and start a newspaper. He also purchased The Gold Hunter newspaper and moved the assets of the paper to Portland. In 1850, The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
began publishing as a weekly newspaper in Portland. Dryer served as the publisher with Chapman as a co-founder. Chapman gave the paper its name. The assets of The Gold Hunter were used to start the paper.
Chapman purchased land in Portland from Stephen Coffin and Daniel H. Lownsdale
Daniel H. Lownsdale
Daniel Lownsdale was one of the founders of Portland, Oregon, United States.Coming from Kentucky sometime before 1845, Lownsdale established the first tannery near the current location of Jeld-Wen Field just west of downtown. He served as a member of the Provisional Legislature of Oregon in 1846...
in 1850, which he then cleared and built a home. This is now the site of the Multnomah County Courthouse. In Portland, he was a promoter of the city and helped to get Canyon Road
Canyon Road
Canyon Road is a road connecting Beaverton and Portland, Oregon, United States. It was the first road between the Tualatin Valley and Portland and contributed significantly to Portland becoming the area's major deep water port, and subsequent early growth of the city.The total modern length is...
built to ensure the city would become the commercial center of Oregon. Chapman practiced law, and in October 1851 he was held in contempt of court by Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
justice Orville C. Pratt
Orville C. Pratt
Orville C. Pratt was an American jurist and attorney. He served as the 2nd Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court serving from 1848 to 1852. He wrote the lone dissenting opinion in the controversy over the Oregon Territory’s capital between Oregon City and Salem.-Early life:Pratt was born...
. Chapman was ordered to be sent to jail in the county seat of Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
for 20 days and disbarred, but never went to jail and the order was revoked when Pratt was replaced on the court by justice Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson (Oregon judge)
Thomas Nelson was an American attorney and judge. He was appointed as the 2nd Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court serving from 1850 to 1853. A native of the U.S. state of New York, he lived in Oregon only during his term as chief justice....
. Chapman had accused Pratt of mistreating lawyers in an affidavit.
Chapman left Portland in 1853 for Fort Umpqua
Fort Umpqua
Fort Umpqua was a trading post built by the Hudson's Bay Company in the company's Columbia District , in what is now the U.S. state of Oregon. It was first established in 1832 and moved and rebuilt in 1836....
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...
. There he engaged in cattle ranching while keeping his Portland law practice. He served as a lieutenant colonel in the militia during the Rogue River War that was fought from 1855 to 1856 against the Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
in Southern Oregon. After the war he returned to Corvallis in 1856 before moving to Eugene
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
in 1857. Chapman was appointed as surveyor general of Oregon
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...
and served from 1857 to 1861 when he returned to Portland. He left this federal government position due to his opposition to the election of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
as U.S. President. Oregon entered the Union as the 33rd state in 1859.
Later years
Upon returning to Portland he built a home at 12th and Jefferson streets in what is now Downtown PortlandDowntown Portland
Downtown Portland, the city center of Portland, Oregon, United States, is located on the west bank of the Willamette River. It is in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and is where most of the city's high-rise buildings are found....
. Chapman then returned to the practice of law. He also worked to secure Portland’s economic future by promoting the construction of the railroad line to California to link with the transcontinental rail line. From 1870 to 1876 he started three companies with the goal of creating a railroad connecting Portland to the Union Pacific’s transcontinental railroad. Chapman’s proposed line would have traveled through the Columbia River Gorge
Columbia River Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range forming the boundary between the State of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south...
to The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles, Oregon
The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...
, where it would then travel southeast to Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, linking to the Union Pacific line.
In 1868, he returned to the legislature, representing Multnomah County in 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....
as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. While in the legislature, he worked to get a $30,000 government subsidy to purchase and operate a large steam tugboat at the mouth of the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
. This vessel was used to pilot ships across the Columbia Bar
Columbia Bar
The Columbia Bar is a system of bars and shoals at the mouth of the Columbia River spanning the US states of Oregon and Washington. The bar is about wide and long....
and thus improved maritime commerce for Portland. In 1870, he sold two blocks of land in downtown to the City of Portland
Government of Portland, Oregon
The Government of Portland, Oregon, a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, is based on a city commission government system. Elected officials include a Mayor, a City Council, and a City Auditor. The mayor and commissioners are responsible legislative policy and oversee the various bureaus that...
, which would become the Plaza Blocks
Plaza Blocks
The Plaza Blocks, two courthouse squares known as Chapman Square and Lownsdale Square, are located in downtown Portland, Oregon. The blocks neighbor Terry Schrunk Plaza and are located near City Hall. The north square is named after Daniel H. Lownsdale , a native Kentuckian who settled in Portland...
between Third and Fourth avenues at Main Street.
William Williams Chapman died in Portland on October 18, 1892, at the age of 84, and was buried at Lone Fir Cemetery
Lone Fir Cemetery
Lone Fir Cemetery in the southeast section of Portland, Oregon, United States is a cemetery owned and maintained by Metro, a regional government entity. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the first burial was in 1846 with the cemetery established in 1855...
in that city. Chapman School in Portland was named in his honor.
Chapman Square, part of the Plaza Blocks parks with Lownsdale Square, is also named in his honor. Chapman and Lownsdale Squares, also called the Plaza Blocks, were purchased from Chapman for $1200. Lownsdale Square contains the Spanish-American War Memorial, erected after Harvey Scott
Harvey W. Scott
Harvey Whitefield Scott was an American pioneer, newspaper editor, and historian.Scott was born in on a farm in Illinois and migrated to Oregon with his family in 1852, settling in Yamhill County. He and his family moved near Olympia, Washington in 1853. At age 18, he fought in the American Indian...
wrote an editorial pleading for a monument to the war on June 18, 1899. The monument includes the statue of a soldier dressed for the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
sculpted by Douglas Tilden
Douglas Tilden
Douglas Tilden was a world-famous sculptor. Tilden was deaf and attended the California School for the Deaf in Berkeley, California . Tilden became deaf at the age of four after a severe bout of scarlet fever...
. While the granite base is inscribed with Roman numerals
Roman numerals
The numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
indicating 1904, the base was not received until October 1905, and the monument was not dedicated until May 30, 1906, Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
. The final cost of the monument was $14,722, paid for by donations following Scott's plea. The monument also contains two howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
s, donated by Henry E. Dosch
Henry E. Dosch
Henry Ernst Dosch - , was a German-born immigrant who served in the Civil War and later became a successful merchant, horticulturist and author in Portland, Oregon...
, which he found buried in the beach near Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
. Dosch noted the howitzers had been used by both sides in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. There is also a drinking fountain in the square, donated to the city by the Ladies Auxiliary of Company H (of the Second Oregon Volunteer Regiment). The fountain was a design of John H. Beaver, dedicated on September 2, 1914.
External links
- Iowa Official Register
- Wikisource