William P. Bryant (August 3, 1806 – October 10, 1860) was an American jurist from
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 served as the first chief justice of the
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Oregon Territory. United States President
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
appointed Bryant, of
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, to the court once the Oregon Territory was established in 1848. In Indiana he served in both houses of the Indiana General Assembly and was a county judge. Bryant also fought in the
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...
against Native Americans.
Early life
Bryant was born on August 3, 1806, in
Mercer County, Kentucky
Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,772. Its county seat is Harrodsburg. The county was formed from Lincoln County, Virginia in 1785 and is named for Revolutionar ...
.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. He grew up there and left home at age 18 after his mother had died when he was young and could no longer tolerate his father's religious upbringing. In 1825, Bryant moved to
Rockville, Indiana
Rockville is a town in Adams Township, Parke County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 2,607 at the 2010 census. The town is the county seat of Parke County. It is known as "The Covered Bridge Capital of the World".
History
Rockv ...
, where he would fight in the
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...
and begin practicing law. After the war he served in the
Indiana House of Representatives
The Indiana House of Representatives is the lower house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The House is composed of 100 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. House memb ...
from 1831 to 1836, followed by serving in the
Indiana State Senate
The Indiana Senate is the upper house of the Indiana General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Indiana. The Senate is composed of 50 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. Senators serve four-year terms ...
from 1836 until 1839.
Bryant started a law practice in 1840 with General T. A. Howard, and later served as a circuit court judge for Rockville. After changing political party affiliations from Whig to Democrat, he was appointed by United States President
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
to serve as chief justice of the three member Oregon Supreme Court. Bryant was appointed on August 14, 1848, the same day the new Oregon Territory was created. He migrated to the territory in 1849, arriving April 9.
Oregon
While in Oregon, Bryant purchased an island and milling operation from
George Abernethy
George Abernethy (October 7, 1807 – March 2, 1877) was an American politician, pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government based in the Willamette Valley, an area later a part of the American sta ...
in 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 ...
called Abernethy's Island. However, the island near
Oregon City
)
, image_skyline = McLoughlin House.jpg
, imagesize =
, image_caption = The McLoughlin House, est. 1845
, image_flag =
, image_seal = Oregon City seal.png
, image_map ...
was previously claimed by Doctor
John McLoughlin
John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, (October 19, 1784 – September 3, 1857) was a French-Canadian, later American, Chief Factor and Superintendent of the Columbia District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver fro ...
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
to exclude McLoughlin's claim to Oregon City and the island.
Oregon Supreme Court
On August 14, 1848, Bryant was nominated by President
Polk
Polk may refer to:
People
* James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States
* Polk (name), other people with the name
Places
*Polk (CTA), a train station in Chicago, Illinois
* Polk, Illinois, an unincorporated community
* Polk, Missouri ...
to be "chief justice of the supreme court of the United States for the Territory of Oregon" and was subsequently unanimously confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
. He held his first session of court on August 20, 1849 in Oregon City.
As the only federal judge in the territory, Bryant presided over the first criminal trial in what is now the state of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
in 1849. At that time the Oregon Territory encompassed all of present states of Oregon, Washington,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
, and parts of
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
and
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
. On May 1, 1849, a group of roughly 100 Snoqualmie and Skewahamish tribesmen showed up at Fort Nisqually. Fort Nisqually at this time was a fur trading post of the
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...
. The Native Americans were not there to attack, but eventually an American named Leander Wallace was killed by the natives.
Following the murder, U.S. troops were deployed and demanded the tribes turn over the killers. Only after giving the tribe's chief 80 blankets did they turn over anyone. These six Snoqualmies were charged with murder and Justice Bryant began the trial on October 1, 1849, at Fort Steilacoom after a grand jury returned indictments for all six. The outcome was that two, Kussus and Quallalwowt, were convicted of the murder and sentenced to hanging on October 2. On October 3, the two were hanged by U.S. Marshal
Joseph L. Meek
Joseph Lafayette "Joe" Meek (February 9, 1810 – June 20, 1875) was a pioneer, mountain man, law enforcement official, and politician in the Oregon Country and later Oregon Territory of the United States. A trapper involved in the fur trade b ...
. The total cost of the trial was $2,379.54, which included the cost of the 80 blankets. Former judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon and later justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, Alonzo A. Skinner was brought with Bryant to serve as the prosecutor.Judicial History. Yamhill County Circuit Court. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
The next year Chief Justice Bryant resigned from the court. His resignation was effective January 1, 1851.
Later years
After leaving the court, Bryant returned east. He first moved to the nation's capital in Washington, DC, before returning to Indiana and his hometown of Rockville. William Bryant died there on October 10, 1860.