George W. LeBreton (1810 – March 4, 1844) was a pioneer politician in the
Oregon Country and served as the official recorder in the
Provisional Government of Oregon
The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected settler government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Its formation had been advanced at the Champoeg Meetings since February 17, 1841, ...
.
Early life
LeBreton was born in 1810 in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
.
[Oregon Blue Book: Oregon Secretary of State Agency History, page 11.]
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on April 28, 2021. He then moved to
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 ...
along with Captain
John H. Couch, an early sea merchant in
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 ...
.
[
] He arrived in Oregon aboard Couch's vessel ''Maryland'' in 1840.
[Flora, Stephenie]
Emigrants to Oregon in 1840.
Oregon Pioneers. Retrieved on September 25, 2007. On February 18, 1841, he was elected as the recorder for the
Champoeg Meetings
The Champoeg Meetings were the first attempts at formal governance by European-American and French Canadian pioneers in the Oregon Country on the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Between 1841 and 1843, a series of public councils was held ...
and for the probate court that was created.
[ In 1843, when the provisional government was formed, he was again elected as the recorder, the forerunner to the office of Secretary of State.][ He was killed by a Native American named Cockstock, who was known to attack his enemies' genitals, on March 4, 1844.] Cockstock stabbed and shot LeBreton, who later died of his wounds. Cockstock was killed by Winslow Armstrong. The incident lead to the creation of the Oregon Rangers
The Oregon Rangers was the first organized militia of the white settlers located in the Willamette Valley in the contested region of the Oregon Country, later the U.S. state of Oregon. First established in 1844, the force was never called out to ...
as a militia.
See also
*List of assassinated American politicians
This is a list of assassinated American politicians sorted alphabetically. They were elected or appointed to office, or were candidates for public office.
There are 53 assassinated American politicians listed. The most common method of homicide w ...
References
Secretaries of State of Oregon
Champoeg Meetings
1810 births
1844 deaths
People from Massachusetts
Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon
Oregon pioneers
People murdered in Oregon
Assassinated American politicians
Deaths by firearm in Oregon
Deaths by stabbing in Oregon
19th-century American politicians
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