Doctor Ira Leonard Babcock (c. 1808 – March 21, 1888) was an American pioneer and doctor in the
Oregon Country. A native of New York, he was selected as the first Supreme Judge with probate powers in February 1841 in what would become 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 ...
.
[
]
Although the meeting where he was selected did not produce an acting government, he also took over the
executive
Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to:
Role or title
* Executive, a senior management role in an organization
** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators
** Executive dir ...
and legislative powers as the first person in Oregon's history. The meeting was the first of several
meetings
A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments. Meetings can be used as form of group decision making.
Defin ...
, presided by him since 1842, that led to a
Provisional Government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...
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 ...
in May 1843.
Early life
Babcock was born in the state of New York around 1808 where he received medical training.
[ He came to what was then the unorganized Oregon Country from New York while working for the ]Methodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was the Methodist Episcopal Church's 19th-century conversion efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Local Indigenous cultures were introduced to western culture and Christianity. Superintendent Jason Lee was the principal leader fo ...
run by Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to:
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* Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...
.[Corning, Howard M. (1956). ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, p 16.] Babcock arrived in Oregon in 1840 aboard the ship ''Lausanne
, neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...
'' with his wife and one son.[
] They traveled with Jason Lee’s reinforcements for the mission that was re-located to present day Salem, Oregon. The ''Lausanne'' had sailed around Cape Horn and included future governor George Abernethy
George Abernethy (October 7, 1807 – March 2, 1877) was an American politician, pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government based in the Willamette Valley, an area later a part of the American sta ...
and the Reverend Gustavus Hines.
Judgeship
Babcock was selected at the Champoeg Meeting in David Leslie's home on February 18, 1841, to be the first Supreme Judge for the settlers of the region. There was a need for a probate court in order to deal with the estate of Ewing Young
Ewing Young (1799-February 9, 1841) was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled in what was then the northern Mexico frontier territories of Santa Fe de Nuevo México and Alta California before settling in the Oregon Country. ...
. Young had become a wealthy rancher due to his economic activities that included participation in the Willamette Cattle Company
The Willamette Cattle Company was formed in 1837 by pioneers in the Willamette Valley of present-day Oregon, United States. The company was formed with the express purpose of purchasing cattle in Mexican California. Nearly 750 head of cattle and ...
in 1837. At the same time Babcock's election had also been a compromise after French Canadians had failed to elect William J. Bailey
William J. Bailey (January 13, 1807 – February 5, 1876) was a British-born physician who migrated to the United States, where he became a pioneer and politician in the Oregon Country, particularly the Willamette Valley. Bailey participated in the ...
for Governor as well as English Americans had failed to elect Babcock.[DR. IRA L. BABCOCK](_blank)
biography from Oregon Government, retrieved 15 May 2017[A History of Oregon, 1792-1849](_blank)
retrieved 15 May 2017 As the settlers were not able to agree on the form of the discussed government, Babcock also received executive and in fact legislative duties because there had been no copy of the New York laws in the country that had been proposed for usage.
In 1842, Babcock helped to organize the Oregon Institute as a school for the children of the American settlers.[ After holding the Supreme Judge title for two years, in which he had presided over a constitutional committee of six people at several Champoeg or so called ''Wolf Meetings'', Babcock also was President at the discussions on May 2, 1843, when he called for a vote and the settlers thereby gave themselves a ]Provisional Government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...
by narrowly accepting the committee's report with 52–50 votes. Shortly after that he took his family to the Sandwich Islands
The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Ku ...
for one year. After returning he was elected as Supreme Judge again, but left Oregon permanently in November 1844. After leaving Oregon he joined the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
and served as a surgeon.[ In 1870, he returned to Oregon on a visit.
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Babcock, Ira L.
1808 births
1888 deaths
Methodist Mission in Oregon
Champoeg Meetings
Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court
Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon
Oregon pioneers
Physicians from Oregon
Year of birth uncertain
United States Army Medical Corps officers
19th-century American judges