John Newton Williamson (November 8, 1855August 29, 1943) was an American rancher and politician in 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 Oregonian, he served in both chambers of the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

representing

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

Oregon in the late 19th century. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he then served in Congress from 1903 to 1907 and was involved in the

Oregon land fraud scandal The Oregon land fraud scandal of the early 20th century involved U.S. government land grants in the U.S. state of Oregon being illegally obtained with the assistance of public officials. Most of Oregon's U.S. congressional delegation received ...

Early life

John Williamson was born in Lane County, near Junction City 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 Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...

on November 8, 1855, to Joseph and Minerva Williamson.Corning, Howard M. (1989) ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 269. He earned his education at the local schools of Salem and then at

Willamette University Willamette University is a private liberal arts college with locations in Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated ...

in that city. Williamson married Sarah V. Forrest in Albany and they had three children. In 1876, he moved to

Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...

and started in the livestock trade in

Wasco Wasco is the name of four places in the United States: Places United States * Wasco, California, a city in California ** Wasco State Prison, located in Wasco, California * Wasco, Illinois, a former hamlet (unincorporated town) in Illinois, now pa ...

and

Crook Crook is another name for criminal. Crook or Crooks may also refer to: Places * Crook, County Durham, England, a town * Crook, Cumbria, England, village and civil parish * Crook Hill, Derbyshire, England * Crook, Colorado, United States, a ...

counties. He also owned and edited the ''Prineville Review'' in Crook county from 1893 to 1896.

Political career

In 1886, he was selected as sheriff of Crook County, serving in that office until 1888. That year he was elected to serve the county in 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 ...

. In 1898, he returned to the House as a Republican during a special session of the legislature and returned for the 1899 session. Williamson was elected to the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

in 1900 and served in the 1901 and 1903 sessions, but not the special session in 1903.Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1903 Regular Session (22nd).
Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1899 Regular Session (20th).] Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on December 25, 2008.Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1901 Regular Session (21st).
Oregon State Archives. Retrieved on December 25, 2008. Williamson represented Crook, Klamath, Lake and Wasco counties, and served as president

pro tempore ''Pro tempore'' (), abbreviated ''pro tem'' or ''p.t.'', is a Latin phrase which best translates to "for the time being" in English. This phrase is often used to describe a person who acts as a ''locum tenens'' (placeholder) in the absence of ...

of the Senate in 1901. He was elected as a Republican to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

and served from March 4, 1903, to March 3, 1907. He declined to run for re-election in 1906. In 1905, Williamson was convicted along with Oregon senator

John H. Mitchell John Hipple Mitchell, also known as John Mitchell Hipple, John H. Mitchell, or J. H. Mitchell (June 22, 1835December 8, 1905) was an American lawyer, politician, and convicted criminal. He served as a Republican United States Senator from Oregon ...

and other co-conspirators on crimes involving political corruption and the illegal acquisition of public lands in the

. His conviction was overturned in 1908 by the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

in ''Williamson v. United States'', 207 U.S. 425, 28 S. Ct. 163. The court remanded the case for a new trial, but no new trial occurred.

Later years

After leaving Congress he returned to Crook County and raising livestock and other agricultural activities. Williamson returned to public life in 1922, when he was appointed as the postmaster for

Prineville Prineville is a city in and the seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant located in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 9,253 at the 2010 census. History Prineville was founded in 187 ...

, serving in the position until 1934. John Newton Williamson died on August 29, 1943, at the age of 87 in Prineville where he was buried at the Masonic Cemetery.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williamson, John N. 1855 births 1943 deaths Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Republican Party Oregon state senators Willamette University alumni Oregon postmasters Oregon sheriffs People from Prineville, Oregon People from Junction City, Oregon Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon Ranchers from Oregon