James Henry Dickey Henderson (July 23, 1810 – December 13, 1885) was an American farmer and politician from 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

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, he lived in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

before moving to 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 1852. He worked as a publisher, pastor, and farmer before entering politics as a Republican, and served one term in 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 ...

representing Oregon.

Early life

Born near

Salem, Kentucky Salem is a home rule-class city in Livingston County, Kentucky, in the United States. Salem is part of the Paducah micropolitan area. The population was 752 during the 2010 census, down from 769 in 2000. It the largest city in Livingston County, ...

, Henderson moved to

Missouri Territory The Territory of Missouri was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 4, 1812, until August 10, 1821. In 1819, the Territory of Arkansas was created from a portion of its southern area. In 1821, a southeas ...

in 1817 where he attended the public schools. He entered the ministry and was pastor of a church in

Washington County, Pennsylvania Washington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 209,349. Its county seat is Washington. Washington County is part of the Pittsburgh, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county i ...

from 1843 to 1851. In 1851, he returned to Missouri and published a literary magazine.

The Oregon Trail

A strong

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

, Henderson decided to leave Missouri, where slavery was allowed, and move to

. He, his wife, and five children endured an arduous six-month journey on 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 ...

and arrived in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, on October 12, 1852. The family established a homestead claim in

Yamhill County Yamhill County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 107,722. The county seat is McMinnville. Yamhill County was named after the Yamhelas, members of the Kalapuya Tribe. Yamhill Cou ...

, where they lived for four years before resettling in Eugene and establishing fruit orchards. Prior to moving to Eugene, he served on the committee that helped to establish Columbia College, which opened in 1856 in Eugene.

Political career

In 1858, Henderson was elected superintendent of Lane County schools, and then was nominated by the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

as its candidate to represent Oregon in the

. Henderson went on to defeat

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Colonel James K. Kelly in the general election. In Congress, Henderson served on the committees on the Pacific Railroad, Mines and Mining,

Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...

, and the

special committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

on the death of President Lincoln. Henderson was not renominated by his party in 1866, and returned to his agricultural pursuits in Eugene. He also continued to preach, lecture, and write. He died in Eugene on December 13, 1885 and was interred in Odd Fellows Cemetery.

References

External links

''Oregon Historical Quarterly''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, James Henry Dickey 1810 births 1885 deaths People from Salem, Kentucky Politicians from Eugene, Oregon Oregon pioneers Oregon clergy Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American clergy