Francis A. Chenoweth (May 24, 1819 – November 29, 1899) was an American lawyer and politician in the
Pacific Northwest. A native of
Ohio, he lived in
Iowa and
Wisconsin before immigrating to the
Oregon Territory. There he served in the legislature of the Oregon Territory and then the
Washington Territory, including serving as Speaker of the
Washington House of Representatives. A Democrat, he then served on the
Washington Supreme Court before returning to
Oregon where he was elected to the
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 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...
and was selected as Speaker of the body for one session.
Early life
Francis Chenoweth was born in
Clark County, Ohio, on May 24, 1819, to Rachel Morgan and Thomas C. Chenowith.
[Benton County Genealogical Society]
Pioneers of South Benton County Oregon.
RootsWeb.com. Retrieved on December 17, 2008. He moved to
Grant County, Wisconsin, where in 1842 to the age of 22 passed the Wisconsin
bar.
[Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 52.] That year he also married Maud S. Hannah Logan of
Iowa, and had two children while living in both Iowa and Wisconsin.
[
In 1849, he moved to the Oregon Territory and the next year settled on the north side of the ]Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
.[ Before moving he married Elizabeth Ann Findley in ]Oregon City
)
, image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845
, image_flag =
, image_seal = Oregon City seal.png
, image_map ...
on March 27, 1850, and they had eight children.[ Chenoweth and family settled at the new community of ]Cascade
Cascade, Cascades or Cascading may refer to:
Science and technology Science
*Cascade waterfalls, or series of waterfalls
* Cascade, the CRISPR-associated complex for antiviral defense (a protein complex)
* Cascade (grape), a type of fruit
* Bioc ...
, located at the lower set of rapids on the river. There he operated a business portaging cargo and passengers around the set of rapids.[ This consisted of a mule powered train pulling cars over a two to four mile (6 km) track.][
]
Political career
In 1852, Chenoweth was elected as a Democrat to the Oregon Territorial Legislature representing Clark
Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educat ...
and Lewis counties.[1852 Regular Session (4th Territorial).]
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on December 18, 2008. Both counties were north of the Columbia, and while in office from late 1852 to early 1853 he advocated to create a new territory on that side of the river.[ On March 2, 1853, Washington Territory was created out of the northern and eastern portions of Oregon Territory, eliminating those counties. The following year Chenoweth was elected to the Washington House of Representatives, again representing Clark County.][Levesque, Ellen]
"Members of the Territorial Legislature 1854 – 1887"
, Washington State Library, Olympia, WA, October 1989. That session he served as the Speaker of the House.Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...
to Washington Territory's Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
to replace Victor Munroe.[ He moved north to ]Island County
Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 86,857. Its county seat is Coupeville, while its largest city is Oak Harbor.
The county's name reflects the fact that it is compose ...
after leaving the court and in 1859 was again elected to the House.[
In 1863, Chenoweth returned south to what was then the state of Oregon, settling in the Willamette Valley at Corvallis in Benton County.][ He helped to incorporate the Oregon Central Railroad in 1865 as a shareholder. Now a Republican, he was elected to the Oregon House in 1866 representing Benton County.1866 Regular Session (4th).]
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on December 18, 2008. That session he also served as Speaker of the House.[ Chenoweth served as the ]district attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...
of Oregon's second judicial district (Benton County) in 1872.[
]
Later life and family
Chenoweth continued to practice law in Corvallis and live there until the 1880s.[ He helped organize and later served as the president of the Corvallis & Yaquina Bay Railroad.][ By 1885, he moved to the Kings Valley][ ] part of Benton County.[ His children were Ella, Lloyd, Elizabeth, William Preston, Lindus, Ross Francis, Heber, Somerville Samuel, Mary Theresa, and Robert Ulysses S. Grant Chenoweth.][ Francis A. Chenoweth fell ill in the summer of 1899][
]
See also
* Martial law in Pierce County
Martial law in Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County in the Washington Territory was declared on April 3, 1856, and terminated the following month. It led to a brief, but bloodless, armed conflict between conscripted forces of the Sheriff of Pi ...
References
External links
Court History
– Clark County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chenoweth, Francis A.
Justices of the Washington Supreme Court
Members of the Washington Territorial Legislature
1819 births
1899 deaths
People from Clark County, Ohio
People from Grant County, Wisconsin
People from Clark County, Washington
Politicians from Corvallis, Oregon
Speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives
Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature
19th-century American politicians
District attorneys in Oregon
Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives
Wisconsin lawyers
People from Island County, Washington
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers