Benjamin F. Hayden (September 11, 1822 – October 29, 1908) was an American attorney and politician in the state of

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 ...

. A native of

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, he moved to the West Coast with the California Gold Rush in 1849 and to Oregon in 1852. A Democrat, he served in the Oregon House of Representatives, including the 1870 session as speaker of the body.

Early life

Hayden was born in

Logan County, Kentucky Logan County is a county in the southwest Pennyroyal Plateau area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,432. Its county seat is Russellville. History The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who ...

, on September 11, 1822, but grew up in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

.Colmer, Montagu, and

Charles Erskine Scott Wood Charles Erskine Scott Wood or C.E.S. Wood (February 20, 1852January 22, 1944) was an American author, civil liberties advocate, artist, soldier, attorney, and Georgist. He is best known as the author of the 1927 satirical bestseller, '' Heavenly ...

. ''History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon''. Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co, 1910. p. 268-269. As a young man he moved to

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

before traveling west to California in 1849 for the gold rush. In 1850, Hayden returned to Missouri where he married Zerelda Gibson (b. 1832) who was from

Lincoln County, Missouri Lincoln County is located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 59,574. Its county seat is Troy. The county was founded December 14, 1818, and named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln o ...

Oregon

In 1852, the couple moved to what was then the

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. O ...

, settling in

Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk: * Polk County, Arkansas * Polk County, Florida * Polk County, Georgia * Polk County, Iowa * Polk Count ...

in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the eas ...

. Hayden took up a

Donation Land Claim The Donation Land Claim Act of 1850, sometimes known as the Donation Land Act, was a statute enacted by the United States Congress in late 1850, intended to promote homestead settlements in the Oregon Territory. It followed the Distribution-Preem ...

in the

Eola Hills The Eola Hills are a range of hills northwest of Salem, Oregon, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It ...

near the community of Eola. There he was one of the early settlers and served as the first judge of Polk County in 1852. In 1855, the Rogue River War began in

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 Jackson may refer to: People and fictional charac ...

, with Hayden forming a company of troops and serving as captain of the company. Following service in the war against the Native Americans, he returned to the practice of law in 1856 and was a prominent lawyer in the Willamette Valley. In 1857, he was elected to represent Polk and Tillamook counties 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 ...

.Oregon Legislative Assembly (9th Territorial) 1857 Regular Session.
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on May 30, 2008. In 1870, Hayden was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives as a Democrat for a two-year term. Representing Polk County, he was also selected as the speaker of the house for the 1870 legislative session.

Later years and family

Hayden would later move to Salem. He and his wife had six children, Estella, Dora, Benjamin N., Samuel Lee, and George. Oregon historian Ben Maxwell is a grandson.Benjamin F. Hayden.

Oregon State Library The State Library of Oregon in Salem, is the library for the U.S. state of Oregon. The mission of the State Library of Oregon is to provide leadership and resources to continue growing vibrant library services for Oregonians with print disabil ...

. Retrieved on May 30, 2008. Benjamin Hayden died on October 29, 1908, in Salem and was buried at the Salem Pioneer Cemetery.Benjamin F. Hayden.
Salem Pioneer Cemetery. Retrieved on May 30, 2008.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, Benjamin 1822 births 1908 deaths People from Polk County, Oregon People from Logan County, Kentucky Speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Oregon state court judges Politicians from Salem, Oregon Oregon pioneers Rogue River Wars Lawyers from Salem, Oregon 19th-century American judges