Aaron E. Waite (December 26, 1813 – December 12, 1898) was an American judge and politician. He was the 4th Chief Justice of the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) 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.Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

became a state on February 14, 1859. A

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native, Waite also served in the

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. The upper chamber Council and lower chamber House of Representati ...

Early life

Aaron Waite (sometimes spelled "Wait") was born on December 26, 1813, in

Franklin County, Massachusetts Franklin County is a nongovernmental county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,029, which makes it the least-populous county on the Massachusetts mainland, and the ...

, where he was raised by his grandfather and an uncle.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. His father had died as a soldier in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

.Clatsop County District Court Judges.
Oregon Judicial Department. Retrieved on January 20, 2008. At the age of 14 he became an apprentice broom maker, working for four years until also enrolling in school for two years. Waite then moved to New York at the age of 20. Once there he taught as an assistant teacher on Long Island at Flatbush in Erasmus Hall. Waite then returned to Massachusetts before moving west in 1837 and settled in Michigan. He settled in Centreville where he studied law under judge

Columbia Lancaster Columbia Lancaster (August 26, 1803 – September 15, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the first Delegate from the Territory of Washington to the United States House of Representatives. Biography Early life Columbia La ...

and was admitted to the bar in 1842. Later he became the military secretary for governor John S. Barry of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

Oregon

In 1847, Waite headed to the Oregon Country in a wagon train of 40 wagons. This included Judge Lancaster and Lancaster's family. Once in Oregon he set up a law practice in

Oregon City, Oregon ) , image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845 , image_flag = , image_seal = Oregon City seal.png , image_map ...

, and worked on the ''

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 west of the Rocky Mo ...

'' newspaper. Waite then fought in the

Cayuse War The Cayuse War was an armed conflict that took place in the Northwestern United States from 1847 to 1855 between the Cayuse people of the region and the United States Government and local American settlers. Caused in part by the influx of disease ...

before leaving for the gold fields of California in 1849, only to return within a few years.

Politics

Upon returning he was elected as a commissioner to audit the claims from the Cayuse War. Then in 1852 he served in the Oregon Territory House of Representatives. Following an absence from the legislature he returned as a member of the upper chamber Council in 1857 and 1858 serving as a Democrat. In 1858 he ran and was elected to the Oregon Supreme Court. Prior to this the judges were appointed by the

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

as Oregon was still a territory. Wait's term began in 1859 and he served on the state's highest court until resigning on May 1, 1862. During that same time he served as the chief justice of the court. In July 1867, Waite was elected

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

by the

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

city council following the death of Thomas J. Holmes, who had died the morning after his election. Waite declined the nomination due to ill health and J. A. Chapman was elected instead.

Later years

Waite married twice and had a total of six children, of which both of his wives and four of the children died before him. After serving on the court he retired to his farm that was located in Clackamas County. In 1891 he moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, with most of his time in retirement spent managing his land holdings in the Pacific Northwest. Aaron E. Waite died on his farm near

Canby Canby may refer to: People * Canby (surname) Places

;In the United States * Canby, California * Canby, Iowa * Canby, Minnesota * Canby, Oregon * Canby Creek, a stream in Minnesota * Canby Mountains, Oregon {{disambiguation, geo ...

on December 12, 1898, at the age of 84.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waite, Aaron E. 1813 births 1898 deaths Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Chief Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court People from Franklin County, Massachusetts Oregon Democrats People from Oregon City, Oregon People from Centreville, Michigan Politicians from Portland, Oregon People from Canby, Oregon 19th-century American judges Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court