James O'Neill (February 9, 1826 – July 21, 1901) was an American businessman and politician in 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 United States, Union as the Oreg ...

and the territory and state of Washington. A New York native, he was mayor of

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, and an Indian Agent in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

and Washington territories. He later served in the legislatures of the Washington Territory and the State of Washington.

Early life

O'Neill was born in Duanesburg, New York, in 1824Scott, Harvey W. (1890). ''History of Portland, Oregon with illustrations and biographical sketches of prominent citizens and pioneers''. Syracuse, N.Y.: D. Mason & Co. or 1826. He was the oldest of five children born to James E. O'Neill and the former Elizabeth Marsh.Hines, H.K. (1893). ''An Illustrated History of the State of Washington''. The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL. Pp. 319–320. Of Irish descent, his father was a shopkeeper in

Schenectady County, New York Schenectady County () is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,061. The county seat is Schenectady. The name is from a Mohawk language word meaning "on the other side of the pine lands," a te ...

, where the younger James was born. James was educated in the local public schools as well as the academies in Gallupville and Albany. After receiving his education he worked in his father store for a time before moving to Albany where he worked as a store clerk. From 1849 to 1851 he was in business for himself in Albany, and in 1851 he moved to New York City and continued his business until 1853. He married Caroline M. Grinnell of New York in 1849, and they had one daughter, Kate. Caroline died in 1871.

Oregon

In 1853, O'Neill moved to the

, traveling by ship to

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

where he then traveled by land across the Isthmus. He then continued by ship to Oregon. In Oregon, he settled in Oregon City where he worked as an agent for Wells Fargo & Company until 1857. A few years after arriving he moved across the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

to Portland. A Whig Party supporter, he attended that party's first Oregon convention in 1855 in Corvallis. On April 7, 1856, O'Neill was elected as the seventh mayor of Portland, replacing George W. Vaughn. He was re-elected the next year, becoming the city's first two-term mayor, but was replaced on November 4, 1857, by William S. Ladd before the end of his second term. In 1858, O'Neill returned to New York briefly, and then returned to Portland as a merchant, remaining until 1861. He switched political allegiance to the Republican Party when that party was formed . His brother, Captain Daniel O'Neill (born 1826) was a steamship captain in Oregon.Corning, Howard M. (1989). ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 179.

Idaho and Washington

In 1863, he was working as an interpreter for the Office of Indian Affairs in the Idaho Territory.Office of Indian Affairs – Records of the Idaho Superintendency.
University of Idaho. Retrieved on March 24, 2008. O'Neill worked out of Lapwai and in 1865 was working as an Indian agent for the Nez Perce Agency in Idaho. He continued in that position through 1867. He then moved to Cheweela on the

Colville Indian Reservation The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation located in Washington (state), Washington state, U.S. It is inhabited and managed by the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which are List of federally recognized tribes in ...

and continued working for the Office of Indian Affairs. From 1868 until 1878 he was back in New York. O'Neill returned to Washington in 1878 and worked as a farmer for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe. He kept that position until resigning in 1887. During this time he also served as postmaster for Chewelah, while in 1881 he served in the Washington Territorial House of Representatives of the

Washington Territory The Washington Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

representing Spokane and Stevens counties. While in the House he worked to pass the bill incorporating the city of Spokane Falls (now Spokane) in 1881. In 1888, O'Neill was elected as auditor for Stevens County, serving for two years. James O'Neill was elected to the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Washington State Capitol, Legis ...

in 1889 when Washington became a state. He represented the Second District, made up of Spokane and Stevens counties and served as chairman of the mines committee and of the Indian Affairs committee. In 1892, he served as a delegate to the Seattle Convention. He died on July 21, 1901, in Spokane, Washington, and was buried in Fairmount Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Oneill, James 19th-century mayors of places in Oregon Mayors of Portland, Oregon Members of the Washington Territorial Legislature People from Oregon Territory People from Washington Territory Washington (state) state senators United States Indian agents 1826 births 1901 deaths People from Stevens County, Washington People from Duanesburg, New York Oregon Whigs Washington (state) Republicans Oregon Republicans Idaho Republicans People from Lapwai, Idaho 19th-century members of the Washington State Legislature