George W. LeBreton (1810 – March 4, 1844) was a pioneer politician in the Oregon Country and served as the official recorder 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, ...

Early life

LeBreton was born in 1810 in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

.Oregon Blue Book: Oregon Secretary of State Agency History, page 11.
Oregon Secretary of State. Retrieved on April 28, 2021. He then moved to

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 ...

along with Captain John H. Couch, an early sea merchant in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. He arrived in Oregon aboard Couch's vessel ''Maryland'' in 1840.Flora, Stephenie
Emigrants to Oregon in 1840.
Oregon Pioneers. Retrieved on September 25, 2007. On February 18, 1841, he was elected as the recorder for the

Champoeg Meetings The Champoeg Meetings were the first attempts at formal governance by European-American and French Canadian pioneers in the Oregon Country on the Pacific Northwest coast of North America. Between 1841 and 1843, a series of public councils was held ...

and for the probate court that was created. In 1843, when the provisional government was formed, he was again elected as the recorder, the forerunner to the office of Secretary of State. He was killed by a Native American named Cockstock, who was known to attack his enemies' genitals, on March 4, 1844. Cockstock stabbed and shot LeBreton, who later died of his wounds. Cockstock was killed by Winslow Armstrong. The incident lead to the creation of the

Oregon Rangers The Oregon Rangers was the first organized militia of the white settlers located in the Willamette Valley in the contested region of the Oregon Country, later the U.S. state of Oregon. First established in 1844, the force was never called out to ...

as a militia.

References

Secretaries of State of Oregon Champoeg Meetings 1810 births 1844 deaths People from Massachusetts Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon Oregon pioneers People murdered in Oregon Assassinated American politicians Deaths by firearm in Oregon Deaths by stabbing in Oregon 19th-century American politicians {{Oregon-bio-stub

Early life

See also

References