Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 9.djvu/14

 6 William D. Fenton. in 1859, but suffered defeat. It is said that disappointment in some of his political ambitions influenced him to remove from Illinois to California. He did not come directly to California, but in 1851 undertook some work on the Panama Railway, contracted the fever, and was compelled to seek a northern climate on that account. After his defeat for Con- gress in California, in 1859, Baker removed to Oregon. It will be remembered that in April, 1860, Geo. K. Shiel was nominated as the Democratic candidate for Congress, from Oregon, and David Logan, the son of Baker's old associate. Judge Logan, of Springfield, became the Republican nom- inee. Baker canvassed the state in support of the Republi- can ticket, but Shiel was elected, receiving a majority of 104 votes over Logan. Oregon at that time was divided into three political factions; the friends and supporters of Sen- ator Douglas were led by James W. Nesmith, and those op- posed to Douglas and who favored John C. Breckenridge and Joseph Lane were in the ascendency. Abraham Lin- coln meantime had been nominated for President by the Re- publican Convention at Chicago. In this situation and under these influences, the Legislative Assembly, elected in June, 1860, in the State of Oregon, convened September 10 at the State Capital at Salem. After a somewhat prolonged and bitter contest, James W. Nesmith and E. D. Baker were chosen, the one a Douglas Democrat, the other a Republi- can, and their election was brought about by a fusion of these two parties. Delazon Smith and Joseph Lane were the Democratic candidates, and Geo. H. Williams and James W. Nesmith were the independent candidates, or, more prop- erly speaking, the candidates of the Douglas wing of the party, and E. D. Baker was the candidate of the Republicans. Senator Baker was elected for the term commencing March 4, 1859. His credentials were presented by Senator Latham, of California, on December 5, 1860, and immediately upon taking the oath of office Senator Baker entered upon his public duty.