Joseph C. Avery

Joseph Conant Avery
Legislator in the Provisional Government of Oregon
In office
1848–1849
Succeeded by Position dissolved
Constituency Benton District
Oregon Territory House of Representatives
In office
1850–1852
Constituency Benton County
Personal details
Born June 9, 1817
Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania
Died June 16, 1876
Oregon
Spouse(s) Martha Marsh
Occupation farmer, merchant, politician

Joseph Conant Avery (1817–1876) was the founder of Corvallis, Oregon, United States. Avery was the first postmaster for the community, and served as a legislator in the Provisional Government of Oregon and the government of the Oregon Territory.

Early life

Avery was born in Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania on June 9, 1817.[1] He was educated in Wilkes-Barre before moving to Illinois in 1839.[1] Avery then married Martha Marsh in 1841 before they immigrated to Oregon Country in 1845.[1]

Oregon

Joseph Avery settled at the mouth of Marys River where it flows into the Willamette River in the central part of the Willamette Valley of what would become the state of Oregon.[1] At that location he operated a ferry across the Willamette and established a farm.[1] In 1848, Avery went to the gold fields of California and mined for a brief time before using his gold to purchase mercantile goods.[1] Avery then returned to Oregon where he opened a store on his land claim where he then established a town site.[1] He surveyed and platted the area and named it Marysville.[1]

In 1848, Avery was elected and served in the final session of the Provisional Legislature of Oregon that began in December.[2] He was elected to the Oregon Territorial Legislature in 1850[3] through 1852, serving as a Whig and representing Benton County.[4] In 1853, Avery was appointed as a postal agent servicing both Washington and Oregon territories.[1] In 1856, Avery returned to the Territorial Legislature as a Democrat.[5]

Before the American Civil War, he began publishing the pro-slavery Occidental Messenger in Corvallis.[6] Joseph Avery, the father of 12 children, died on June 16, 1876.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
  2. ↑ Oregon Legislative Assembly (4th Provisional) 1848-1849 Regular Session. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on January 30, 2008.
  3. ↑ Oregon Legislative Assembly (2nd Territorial) 1850 Regular Session. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on January 30, 2008.
  4. ↑ Oregon Legislative Assembly (4th Territorial) 1852 Regular Session. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on January 30, 2008.
  5. ↑ Oregon Legislative Assembly (8th Territorial) 1856 Regular Session. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on January 30, 2008.
  6. ↑ Lansing, Ronald B. 2005. Nimrod: Courts, Claims, and Killing on the Oregon Frontier. Pullman: Washington State University Press. p. 264.
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