Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 2.djvu/21

Rh of Marion; Luther Elkins, I. N. Smith, of Linn; Stephen Goff, H. G. Hadley, of Lane; L. S. Thompson, of Umpqua; John F. Miller, Chauncey Nye, G. H. Ambrose, of Jackson; J. F. Burnett, B. F. Chapman, of Benton; W. S. Gilliam, R. P. Boise, of Polk; Andrew Shuck. A. B. Westerfall, of Yamhill; O. Humason, of Wasco; A. A. Durham, Z. C. Bishop, Robert Thompson, of Washington; J. W. Moffit, of Clatsop. Z. C. Bishop was elected speaker, and John McCracken clerk.

John W. Davis, of Indiana, was appointed Governor to succeed General Lane, and arrived in Oregon in December, 1853. He had been a representative in congress from Indiana, and speaker of the house of representatives. He did not find his surroundings in Oregon congenial, and in August, 1854, resigned and returned to Indiana. George L. Curry again became acting Governor, and in November, 1854, succeeded Mr. Davis as Governor, and at the same time Benjamin F. Harding was appointed Secretary and William H. Farrar District Attorney.

According to the act establishing a territorial government for Oregon, which passed congress August 14, 1848, the territory was divided into three judicial districts, in each of which the district courts were to be held by one of the justices of the supreme court.

After my arrival, by mutual agreement between us, Judge Deady took the first district, consisting of the counties of Jackson, Douglas and Umpqua; Judge Olney took the third district, consisting of Clatsop, Washington (of which Multnomah was then a part), Clackamas and Columbia, and I took the second district, consisting of Marion, Linn, Lane, Benton, Polk and Yamhill counties. These three judges together constituted the supreme court of the territory. Prior to my appointment a colored man, who with his wife and children were held