David Hill (1809 – May 9, 1850) was an American

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...

and

settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...

of what became Hillsboro,

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 ...

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 ...

. He served in 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, a ...

in both the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dir ...

and

legislative A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known as p ...

branches A branch, sometimes called a ramus in botany, is a woody structural member connected to the central trunk of a tree (or sometimes a shrub). Large branches are known as boughs and small branches are known as twigs. The term ''twig'' usually ...

, and later as a

legislator A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...

in the first

Oregon Territorial Legislature Oregon's Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory. The upper chamber Council and lower chamber House of Representati ...

. Hill made a transaction with the

county court A county court is a court based in or with a jurisdiction covering one or more counties, which are administrative divisions (subnational entities) within a country, not to be confused with the medieval system of ''county courts'' held by the high ...

in 1850 that led to the renaming of Columbus to Hillsborough in honor of Hill.

Early life

David Hill’s birthplace is listed as

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

in some sources, but there is no record of his birth. Some accounts have him living in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, others in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. One account describes that Hill abandoned a wife and children in Ohio before traveling west. Another account says he had two children by his first wife.

Oregon

Mr. Hill traveled 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 ...

wagon train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

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 ...

. He arrived with Isaiah Kesley, Ralph Wilcox, Richard Williams, and

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

. Once in Oregon he settled a land claim for in Twality (sic) County, what is now

Washington County, Oregon Washington County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon and part of the Portland metropolitan area. The 2020 census recorded the population as 600,372, making it the second most populous county in the state and most populous "Wash ...

. The claim is in what is now Hillsboro with the recorded date of the claim is July 4, 1847. According to the claim record Hill started the claim in June 1842. With Kesley (Kelsey) and Williams recorded as arriving in Oregon in 1841, it is likely Hill arrived then as well. Hill likely arrived in October 1841 and then wintered with

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 ...

, who he would later serve with in the legislature.Tobie, Harvey Elmer. ''No Man Like Joe: The Life and Times of Joseph L. Meek''.

Binfords & Mort Binford & Mort Publishing is a book publishing company located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1930, the company was previously known as Metropolitan Press and Binfords & Mort. At one time they were the largest book publisher in t ...

. 1949. p. 100. David Hill married Lucinda Wilson June 4, 1846. On his land claim and built a cabin that was used for a time as the county courthouse. Also in February 1850 Hill was appointed guardian of five children of the Dunlap clan.

Politics

Hill started in politics in Oregon in 1843 when he was selected as a member of the first legislative committee that drafted the proposal for a Provisional Government in the Oregon Country, including time as its chairperson. Then he attended the

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 ...

Meeting A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments. Meetings can be used as form of group decision making. Defini ...

of May 2, 1843, where he voted for the creation of the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...

. With the creation of this new government Hill then served as one of three members of the First Executive Committee that acted in place of a single governor.

Joseph Gale Joseph Goff Gale (April 29, 1807 – December 13, 1881) was an American pioneer, trapper, entrepreneur, and politician who contributed to the early settlement of the Oregon Country. There he assisted in the construction of the first sailing vesse ...

and

Alanson Beers Alanson Beers (August 19, 1808 – February 20, 1853) was an American pioneer and politician in the early days of the settlement of the Oregon Country. A blacksmith by trade, he was a reinforcement for the Methodist Mission in what would become the ...

were the other two members of this executive committee that served until 1844. After serving in that position David Hill was elected to the provisional

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 ...

, and later in 1849 as a member of the territorial legislature after Oregon became a territory in 1848. David Hill disliked and opposed 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 ...

and its representatives in his official capacity. He also was an opponent of the missionaries. Elected Positions in Oregon:

Hillsboro

In 1850, Hill sold part of his land to the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

for the site of the first Washington County Courthouse. This quarter section of his land claim was to be sold off as a townsite. $200 of the proceeds of the sale of the land was to be paid to Hill, with the rest being kept by the county. The townsite was to be named Hillsborough per the court's order on February 2, 1850, several months before Hill died in May. As Hill died before collecting the proceeds, his widow was paid by the probate court.

Mrs. Hill

David Hill's wife in Oregon was his second wife. Lucinda Hill, however had a total of four husbands. Two before Hill and Wheelock Simmons after, with Simmons the only one to outlive Lucinda. Born on July 2, 1810, Mrs. Hill first married John McWilliams in 1828.Genealogical Material in Oregon Donation Land Claims: Supplement to Volume I. Lottie L. Gurley. Genealogical Forum of Portland After him, she married William Wilson who then died on their journey to Oregon in

The Dalles The Dalles is the largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city on the Oregon side of the Columbia River between the Portland Metropolitan Area, and Hermiston ...

. Lucinda was then the step-mother to William Lewis Wilson, the son of her second husband. Then after David Hill’s death, she married Simmons before dying herself on November 4, 1879.

Death and legacy

There are no known pictures or portraits of Hill. He was six feet one inch tall with black hair. Slim, with a sallow complexion. On May 9, 1850, David Hill died of unknown causes. At the time he was still an active member of the legislature that was then in session. After the assembly of the two houses on Friday May 10, 1850 it was announced that Hon. David Hill had died the previous day, and "after adoption of the usual resolutions" all were adjourned until 10am the following Monday morning in observance. Hill died without a will and his wife was appointed as administratrix of his estate with

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

and Michael Moore, and Ralph Wilcox as appraisers. David Hill Elementary school in Hillsboro, which was originally established in 1888, was named in his honor, but the school closed in 2008. Hill is buried at the

Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery The Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery is a pioneer cemetery in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. It is located at the west end of the city along the Tualatin Valley Highway and adjacent to Dairy Creek. The cemetery comprises three formerly private cem ...

on TV Highway near Dairy Creek. The cemetery is located on his former land claim, and is near the first recording of a bridge built in Oregon, crossing Dairy Creek.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. David Hill Winery in Forest Grove is located on a hill named David Hill and the winery is named partly in his honor, though the hill is named for William David who owned a vineyard in the area. Hill's name is one of 158 memorialized in the frieze of the two chambers of the Oregon Legislative Assembly at 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 ...

, with his located in the House of Representatives chamber.Cogswell, Philip Jr. (1977). ''Capitol Names: Individuals Woven Into Oregon's History''. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society. HillsboroDavidHill

Gravemarker

:''"David Hill'' :''1809-1850'' :''Came to Oregon Country 1842.'' :''Voted for provisional government'' :''at Champoeg May 2, 1843.'' :''Chairman executive committee which'' :''virtually made him first governor of'' :''Oregon Country.'' :''Founder of Hillsboro"''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, David Politicians from Hillsboro, Oregon Champoeg Meetings Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature 1809 births 1850 deaths Burials at Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery Oregon pioneers American city founders 19th-century American politicians