John Whiteaker Jr.
Born: May 4, 1820
Birthplace: Dearborn County, Indiana
Father: John Whiteaker Sr. 1786 – 1864
Mother: Nancy J. Smales 1786 – 1868
Wife: Nancy Jane Hargrave 1828 – 1912
(Buried: Masonic Cemetery, Eugene, Oregon)
Children:
John Charles Whiteaker 1854 – 1888
(Buried: Masonic Cemetery, Eugene, Oregon)
Ann Whiteaker 1857 – 1950
(Buried: Masonic Cemetery, Eugene, Oregon)
Estelle Whiteaker Jarvis 1860 – 1916
(Buried: Masonic Cemetery, Eugene, Oregon)
Benjamin “Ben” Whiteaker 1862 – 1929
(Buried: Masonic Cemetery, Eugene, Oregon)
James H. Whiteaker 1865 – 1930
(Buried: Masonic Cemetery, Eugene, Oregon)
Political Party: Democratic Party
Occupation before War:
Carpenter in Dearborn County, Indiana
Volunteered for Mexican–American War but never went into battle.
1849 – 1852: Participated in the California Gold Rush
1857 – 1858: Farmer in Willamette Valley in Lane County, Oregon
1857: Judge of the Probate Court for Lane County, Oregon
1857: Oregon Territory Representative from Lane County, Oregon
1858 – 1862: First Governor of the State of Oregon
1858: Inaugurated as the First Governor of Oregon on July 8th.
1859: Known to have not taken office officially until Congress made Oregon a State.
1858 – 1862: Dealt with Land Claims and Counter Claims as Governor.
1858 – 1862: Promoter of policies favoring home industries in Oregon.
1858 – 1862: Governor Whiteaker supported Slavery which the Abolitionists did not like.
1859: Proclaimed the fourth Thursday of December as day of Thanksgiving.
Civil War Career:
1858 – 1862: First Governor of the State of Oregon
1861 – 1862: Abolitionist attacked him as an opponent of United States.
1861: Appointed a Democrat to take the place of Republican United States Senator Edward Baker.
1862: The Democrats choose not to nominate Whiteaker for reelection.
1862 – 1866: Farmer in Lane County, Oregon
Occupation after War:
1866 – 1870: Oregon State Representative
1868 – 1869: Speaker of Oregon State House of Representatives
1876 – 1879: President of Oregon State Senate
1879 – 1881: United States Congressman from Oregon
1879: Received telegram of his urgency in Washington, D.C. and left the steamer he was on to travel by
Special Central Pacific Railroad express train.
1879 – 1881: Chairman of House Revolutionary Pensions Committee
1879 – 1881: Member of House Indian Affairs Committee
1885 – 1890: United States Collector Internal Revenue in Oregon
1889 – 1902: Owner of 10 City Blocks in Eugene, Oregon
Died: October 2, 1902
Place of Death: Eugene, Oregon
Age at time of Death: 82 years old
Burial Place: Masonic Cemetery, Eugene, Oregon
Last edited by a moderator: