Philip Leget Edwards (July 14, 1812 – May 1, 1869) was an American educator from the state 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 ...

and first teacher 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 ...

. After teaching 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 ...

, he traveled to 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 ...

with

Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to: Entertainment *Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder *Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor * Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...

and helped establish 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 ...

. He was also involved with 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 ...

before returning to Missouri where he became a lawyer and was on officer in the militia fighting against the Mormons. After moving to California, he served in the state assembly.

Early life

Philip Edwards was born in

Breckinridge County, Kentucky Breckinridge County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,432. Its county seat is Hardinsburg, Kentucky. The county was named for John Breckinridge (1760–1806), a Kentucky Attorney ...

, on July 14, 1812.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1989. p. 79. His parents were the former Jane Cunningham and John Edwards. The family moved to

one year after his birth. After receiving his education he was a teacher in that state from 1833 to 1834.

Oregon Country

In 1834, missionary

was heading west to start a mission in the

when he was passing through Missouri. Edwards was living in

Richmond, Missouri Richmond is a city in Ray County, Missouri, and part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 6,013 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Ray County. History Richmond was platted in 1828. The comm ...

, at the time and agreed to join Lee's group.Horner, John B. (1921). ''Oregon: Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature''. The J.K. Gill Co.: Portland. p. 69-70 He and Courtney M. Walker joined the rest of the group at

Independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

and headed west. These missionaries traveled with mountain men and traders including Nathaniel Wyeth's group across the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

, reaching the pass on June 15, 1834, and

Fort Vancouver Fort Vancouver was a 19th century fur trading post that was the headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Columbia Department, located in the Pacific Northwest. Named for Captain George Vancouver, the fort was located on the northern bank of th ...

on September 16.Carey, Charles Henry. (1922). ''History of Oregon''. Pioneer Historical Publishing Co., p. 334 That fall the group started building a mission along 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 b ...

north of present-day

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

. Edwards was engaged in farming much of his time at the mission. From 1835 to 1836 Edwards taught school to both Native Americans and the children of French-Canadian settles of the

French Prairie French Prairie is located in Marion County, Oregon, United States, in the Willamette Valley between the Willamette River and the Pudding River, north of Salem. It was named for some of the earliest settlers of that part of the Oregon Country, Fr ...

at a small school at

Champoeg Champoeg ( , historically Horner, John B. (1919). ''Oregon: Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature''. The J.K. Gill Co.: Portland. p. 398.) is a former town in the U.S. state of Oregon. Now a ghost town, it was an important settlement in the W ...

. As such, he was the first school teacher in what became the state of Oregon. He was part of the

in 1837, traveling to California with

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. ...

and others to purchase cattle and drive them back to 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 east, ...

. Edwards served as the treasurer of the group and kept a journal of the trip. In 1838, he wrote a memorial to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

concerning the conditions in the Oregon Country, and then accompanied Jason Lee back east to deliver the document as Lee recruited more people for the mission.

Political career

Edwards was elected to the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

in 1842 to represent Ray County as a Whig. In the

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

he served as the chairman of the judiciary committee. In 1844, he was a delegate to the Whig Presidential Convention in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, serving as the chairman of the state's delegation. In California, he was the Whig Party's candidate for Congress in the 1852 election, losing to

Milton Latham Milton Slocum Latham (May 23, 1827 – March 4, 1882) was an American politician, who served as the sixth governor of California and as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator. Latham holds the distinction of having the shortest governorship in ...

. He served as a Whig legislator in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

after winning election to the lower chamber in September 1854. He represented the 9th district and

Sacramento County Sacramento County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,585,055. Its county seat is Sacramento, which has been the state capital of California since 1854. Sacramento County is the ...

and served as the chair of the judiciary committee.

Later years

Edwards then returned to Missouri where he became an attorney, passing the bar in 1840. Later in 1840, he married there to Mary Venable Allen, who bore him two daughters. Edwards joined the Missouri militia in 1841 to fight against the Mormons, and attained the rank of Colonel. In 1842, he published the ''Sketch of the Oregon Territory, Or, Emigrants' Guide''. Edwards moved west again in 1850, settling in

Nevada County, California Nevada County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California, in the Sierra Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 102,241. The county seat is Nevada City. Nevada County comprises the Truckee-Grass Valley, CA Micropolitan ...

, in September. Philip Leget Edwards died on May 1, 1869, at the age of 56.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Philip L. People of the American Old West 1812 births 1869 deaths People from Richmond, Missouri People from Breckinridge County, Kentucky People from Nevada County, California Educators from Oregon Oregon pioneers Members of the California State Assembly Members of the Missouri House of Representatives Missouri Whigs California Whigs 19th-century American politicians Educators from Missouri 19th-century American educators