John Whiteaker

**John Whiteaker** (May 4, 1820 – October 2, 1902) was an American politician, a Democrat, and served as the first state Governor of Oregon from 1859 until 1862.

Born in Dearborn County, Indiana to farmers, Whiteaker only spent six months of formal schooling, and as a result, was almost entirely self-educated. Before moving west, he had performed odd jobs, carpentry, and volunteered for military service during the Mexican War, although his unit was never called into battle. In 1849, he joined the California Gold Rush, earning enough to move his family to a farm in Lane County, Oregon. Once in Oregon he became active in Democratic Party activities, Elected to office first as Judge of the Probate Court for Lane County (1856), then as a legislator in the Territorial Legislature (1857).

## Governorship

Oregon was preparing for statehood in 1857, as voters had just approved a state constitution. Whiteaker was selected as a Democratic faction's nominee in the first state gubernatorial election, held in June 1858. Whiteaker won by a margin of 1,138, and was innagurated July 8, 1858. He did not assume office until word that Congress had passed Oregon's statehood bill on February 14, 1859. Technicaly, Oregon had two governors in the interrum, as Territorial Governor George Law Curry, was legally in charge until the state government-in-waiting was legally empowererd to take control.

Once in office, the new governor set out to untangle the large amounts of land claims and counter claims on public lands. He also promoted economic policies favoring home industries, products that Oregonians could make self-sufficiently. Although nicknamed "Honest John", this did not deflect his controversial stands on issues of national importance. Whiteaker held pro-slavery views which did not sit well with apopulation mostly in the abolitionist camp. Opponents often used this to attack him as a traitor as the United States descended into the Civil War.

Whiteaker was not nominated again by the Democrats in the 1862 election, and thus left office. He did stay in local politics, winning three terms as a state representative (1866-1870), and election to the State Senate in 1870.

## Congress and "Whiteaker's Ride"

Whiteaker was elected to Congress in 1878, as Oregon's Representative-at large. The Democrats had been weakened in the House, and needed one vote to prevail in their nominee for Speaker of the House. The vote was needed by March 18, 1879. Whiteaker, all ready on his way to Washington, received word of this urgency while on a steamer between Portland and San Fransisco, California. Upon docking in San Francisco on March 12th, he was met by a railroad agent, and rushed to a special Central Pacific Railroad express train at Oakland. The regular transcontinental train was 25 hours out of Oakland, but Whiteaker's train managed to catch up with it. He arrived in Washington on the morning of March 18th, in enough time to be promptly seated by Congress and cast his vote.

The trip cost $1500 at the time, an expense widely criticized by the Democrat's political oppostition and the media. Many referred to it as "Whiteaker's ride".

Whiteaker served in Congress until 1881, retiring to his farm near Eugene.

## Later life

John Whiteaker would be called back into politics one more time, in 1885 when President Grover Cleveland appointed him as Oregon's Collector of Revenues at the U.S. Customs House in Portland. After 1890, moved back to Eugene, purchasing 10 city blocks in the central city. The area today is now known in Eugene as Whiteaker's Addition. He stayed in Eugene until his death in 1902.

## Sources

- Oregon State Library
- Klooster, Karl. _Round the Roses II: More Past Portland Perspectives_, pg. 98, 1992 ISBN 0-9619847-1-6

## Other websites

- Whiteaker's Governor's Message 1862 at Oregon State Archives
- John Whiteaker's biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

## Infobox (_governor)

- **name**: John Whiteaker
- **order**: 1<sup>st</sup>
- **office**: Governor of Oregon
- **term start**: July 8, 1858
- **term end**: September, 1862
- **predecessor**: George Law Curry
(Teritorial Governor)
- **successor**: A. C. Gibbs
- **birth date**: May 4, 1820
- **birth place**: Dearborn County, Indiana
- **death date**: October 2, 1902
- **death place**: Eugene, Oregon
- **spouse**: Nancy Jane Whiteaker
- **profession**: Farmer
- **party**: United States Democratic Party, Democrat
- **footnotes**: Innagurated in 1858, but did not assume office until statehood bill passed in February 1859. Also served in US House 1879-1881.