Seth Lewelling (1820 – February 21, 1896), alternatively spelled Luelling (including by Lewelling himself), was a pioneer orchardist from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

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 ...

, best known for developing the

Bing cherry Bing is a cultivar of the wild or sweet cherry (''Prunus avium'') that originated in the Pacific Northwest, in Milwaukie, Oregon, United States. The Bing remains a major cultivar in Oregon,Zebian, Maureen. (8/11/2011) "'Bing' Those Cherries On!" ...

. Born in 1820 in North Carolina as Seth Lewelling, he used the spelling ''Luelling'' for part of his life but returned to ''Lewelling'' in his later years.

Career

His brother

Henderson Luelling Henderson William Luelling (April 23, 1809 – December 28, 1878) was an American horticulturist, Quaker, abolitionist and early Oakland, California settler. He introduced varietal fruits to the Pacific coast, first to Oregon and later to Californ ...

(who retained the original spelling of his family's name throughout his life) came to Oregon from

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

in 1847, bringing fruit trees in his wagon. He established an orchard in Milwaukie, and Seth and their brother John came to Oregon and joined the business in 1847. Seth became the sole owner of the business in 1857 and developed many new varieties of cherries, rhubarb, grapes, and golden prunes. Among the cherries he developed were the

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

and the Black Republican. In 1875, he developed the Bing cherry, the most produced

sweet cherry ''Prunus avium'', commonly called wild cherry, sweet cherry, gean, or bird cherryWorld Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition'. CRC Press; 19 April 2016. . p. 833–. is a species of cherry, a flowering plant in the rose family, ...

cultivar in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

.Peg Herring
Bing cherries are an American favorite. But who was Bing?
''Oregon Progress'', Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station, Fall 2009.The Bing Cherry was develop by Lewelling and his Manchurian

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

foreman __NOTOC__ A foreman, forewoman or foreperson is a supervisor, often in a manual trade or industry. Foreman may specifically refer to: *Construction foreman, the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew * Jury foreman, a head j ...

, Ah Bing, whom which the cherry is named for.

Political involvement

As the names he gave to his cherries might indicate, Lewelling was also involved in the founding of the

Oregon Republican Party The Oregon Republican Party is the U.S. state, state affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party in Oregon, headquartered in Salem, Oregon, Salem. The party was established in the Oregon Territory in February ...

. The Lewellings played an important role in Oregon's movement for Initiative and Referendum. In 1892,

William S. U'Ren William Simon U'Ren (January 10, 1859 – March 8, 1949) was an American lawyer and political activist. U'Ren promoted and helped pass a corrupt practices act, the presidential primary, and direct election of U.S. senators. As a progressive, U'Re ...

, then a young man, suffered a severe asthma attack, and called upon the Lewellings, who took him into their home and nursed him back to health. They had an abiding interest in political reform, and U'Ren found his life's calling through the discussions at their home; he went on to establish the initiative and referendum system, among other populist reforms., This quote was written by Seth's wife Sophronia

Death

Lewelling suffered a paralyzing

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

on July 1, 1895, and died at his home in Milwaukie on February 21, 1896.

Legacy

Seth Lewelling is one of the 158 names of people important to Oregon's history that are painted in the House and Senate chambers of the

Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capitol, Salem. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 ...

. Lewelling's name is in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

chamber. Seth Lewelling Elementary School and the Lewelling neighborhood in Milwaukie are named for him.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewelling, Seth 1820 births 1896 deaths Agriculture in Oregon Oregon pioneers Oregon Republicans People from Milwaukie, Oregon American orchardists