Hiram Aldrich Straight (March 7, 1814 – January 8, 1897) was an American farmer and legislator in what became the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. A native of New York state, he would live in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

before traveling the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what ...

to what was then the

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...

. In Oregon, he would serve in the

Provisional Legislature of Oregon The Provisional Legislature of Oregon was the single-chamber legislative body of the Provisional Government of Oregon. It served the Oregon Country of the Pacific Northwest of North America from 1843 until early 1849 at a time when no country had ...

and 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

Hiram Straight was born on March 7, 1814, in

Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington. Washington County is part of the Glen ...

, to Lydia Fanning Straight and Elisha Straight.Corning, Howard M. (1989). ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 235. By 1838 he moved to the state of

where he married Susan Lasswell (born in 1817) near the town of

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

. The couple would have seven children together, including George, Julia, Cyrus Branson, Mary Etta, Jane, Hiram Jr., and John. In 1843, Straight and the family would take the

to what was then the

, arriving at

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 ...

.Flora, Stephenie
Emigrants to Oregon in 1843.
Oregon Pioneers. Retrieved on February 18, 2008.

Oregon

The Straight family settled on at the mouth of Abernethy Creek on the

Clackamas River The Clackamas River is an approximately tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, in the United States. Draining an area of about , the Clackamas flows through mostly forested and rugged mountainous terrain in its upper reaches, a ...

. There he farmed this land that would later become his donation land claim, and was a member of the

Oregon Lyceum The Oregon Lyceum or Pioneer Lyceum and Literary Club was founded in Oregon City, Oregon Country around 1840. The forum was a prominent fixture for the leading pioneer settlers during its brief existence. It would begin publishing the first Ameri ...

in Oregon City. In 1845 and 1846, Straight was elected to and served in the

representing the Clackamas District, now

Clackamas County, Oregon Clackamas County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the Native ...

. In 1846, the

Oregon boundary dispute The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in ...

was settled and in 1848 the region south of the 49th degree became 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. Ori ...

. In 1850, Straight served on the jury that convicted five members of the Cayuse tribe of murder and sentenced them to death for their role in the

Whitman Massacre The Whitman massacre (also known as the Walla Walla massacre and referred to as the Tragedy at Waiilatpu by the National Park Service) was the killing of the Washington missionaries Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa, along with eleven others, ...

. He was the foreman of the jury in this trial that had followed 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 ...

; see

Cayuse Five The Cayuse Five were five members of the Native American tribe, the Cayuse of Oregon who were hanged for murder, in 1850. Their names were Clokomas, Isiaasheluckas, Kiamasumkin, Telakite, and Tomahas—note how these names are spelled varies ...

Straight was elected to the

1855 for the 1855 to 1856 session. He served for that single session as a member of the Democratic Party representing Clackamas County. Hiram Straight continued to farm until his death on January 8, 1897, at the age of 82 at Canemah, which is now within Oregon City. He was buried at the family’s private cemetery in Clackamas County along with his wife. The 19-plot cemetery is one of 800 historic cemeteries in Oregon. The family home, built in 1856, is still standing.McCarthy, Dennis. Historic oak tree on the Hiram Straight homestead topples. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'', January 1, 1993.

References

External links

The Whitman Massacre Trial: A Verdict is Reached archived websiteOregon Records Management System: Verdict in Whitman Massacre TrialClackamas County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Straight, Hiram A. Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature People from Washington County, New York Politicians from Oregon City, Oregon 1814 births 1897 deaths Oregon pioneers 19th-century American politicians