William Waldo (April 22, 1832 – November 24, 1911) was an American politician and attorney in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. Born in

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

, he came to the Oregon Country with his family that included father Daniel Waldo. He would serve in the Oregon State Senate, including as president of the body in 1885. Waldo was also a county judge,Bell, Sue
Salem Online History: Marion County Commissioners.
Salem Public Library. Retrieved on February 13, 2008. while his brother John B. Waldo would serve on 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.Gasconade County, Missouri Gasconade County is a county located in the east-central portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,794. The county seat has been Hermann since 1842. The county was named after the Gasconade River. Th ...

, on April 22, 1832, to Daniel and Malinda Lunsford Waldo.Corning, Howard M. (1989). ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 256. In 1843, the family traveled the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and 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 is now the state of Kans ...

to Oregon Country along with neighbors

Jesse Jesse may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jesse (biblical figure), father of David in the Bible. * Jesse (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Jesse (surname), a list of people Music * ''Jesse'' ( ...

and

Lindsay Applegate Lindsay Applegate (September 18, 1808 – November 28, 1892) was an American pioneer known for his participation in blazing the Applegate Trail, an alternative route of the Oregon Trail. The trail was blazed with his brothers Charles and Jesse in ...

. William joined the militia during the

Cayuse War The Cayuse War was an armed conflict that took place in the Northwestern United States from 1847 to 1855 between the Cayuse people of the region and the United States Government and local American settlers. Caused in part by the influx of disease ...

, serving for the

Provisional Government of Oregon The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected settler government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Its formation had been advanced at the Champoeg Meetings since February 17, 1841, ...

in the war against those responsible for the

Whitman Massacre The Whitman massacre (also known as the Walla Walla massacre and referred to as the Tragedy at Waiilatpu by the National Park Service) was the killing of the Washington missionaries Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa, along with eleven others ...

. In 1849, he headed south to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

for the gold mines. There he worked at Yreka before returning to Missouri in 1852. Waldo purchased and drove 300 head of cattle to Oregon in 1853 to the family's farm in the

Waldo Hills The Waldo Hills are a range of hills in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, United States. Encompassing an area of around , the hills are located east of Salem.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. The ...

. For a few years he traveled back and forth from his birth state to what was 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. O ...

, even attending the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded in ...

at one time.

Oregon

After returning to Oregon permanently, William Waldo attended

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 Salem. He then read law from future Oregon governor and Senator

La Fayette Grover La Fayette Grover (November 29, 1823May 10, 1911) was a Democratic politician and lawyer from the U.S. state of Oregon. He was the fourth Governor of Oregon, represented Oregon in the United States House of Representatives, and served one ter ...

, passing the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in 1863. After practicing law for a period he entered politics. In 1878, he joined the Oregon State Senate, representing Marion County as a Republican. He continued to serve in the 1880 and 1882 sessions of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, with no session held in 1884. During the 1885 regular and special sessions of the legislature Waldo served as the President of the Senate.

Later life and legacy

He would serve as a county judge for Marion County from July 1890 to June 1891, at that time the position was part of the Marion County Commissioners Court. William would spend summers in the

Cascade Mountains The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to Northern California. It includes both non-volcanic mountains, such as the North Cascades, a ...

exploring with his younger brother John B. Waldo and fellow politician

John Minto John Minto (born ) is a New Zealand political activist known for his involvement in various left-wing groups and causes, most notably Halt All Racist Tours. A 2005 documentary on New Zealand's Top 100 History Makers listed him as number 89. Tod ...

. His farm is now within the city of Salem. William Waldo died on November 24, 1911, at the age of 79.

Waldo Park Waldo Park is a municipal park, located in downtown Salem, Oregon, United States. It is one of the smallest city parks in the world, measuring . The park consists of a giant sequoia (one of the biggest tree species in the world) surrounded by la ...

in Salem is named in his honor.Salem Oregon Heritage Trees.
OregonLink. Retrieved December 2, 2007.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Waldo, William People from Gasconade County, Missouri Politicians from Salem, Oregon 1832 births 1911 deaths Willamette University alumni University of Missouri alumni Cayuse War Presidents of the Oregon State Senate Republican Party Oregon state senators Oregon pioneers County judges in Oregon 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Salem, Oregon American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers