Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 23.djvu/271



EDUCATION IN CONVENTION OF 1857 223

out as influential state leaders are Judge G. H. Williams, 8 who was mayor of Portland and played a prominent part in national politics, M. P. Deady, who was a district judge and took an active part in molding state politics; L. F. Grover, who later as governor and senator was active in protecting and improving the state's interests; Jesse Applegate, an organizer of the early government; Delazon Smith, a senator, and David Logan, an energetic lawyer. With delegates as these and others like them, the convention was amply capable of forming a con- stitution.

President Deady appointed as a committee 9 on edu- cation and school lands, Messrs. Peebles, Boise, Marple, Shattuck, Starkweather, Kinney and Robbins. Mr. J. C. Peebles, who was chairman of the committee, grew up in Pennsylvania and Indiana. He had held public positions as clerk of the House of Representatives, mem- ber of legislature, state librarian, county judge and clerk of the Senate. R. P. Boise, 10 who was reared in Massachusetts, was a college graduate and practiced law for two years. He became prosecuting attorney and later chief justice of the new state. He was chosen for the supreme bench. E. D. Shattuck was educated and taught school in Vermont. He was admitted to the bar and came to Oregon the next year. He became professor of ancient languages in the Pacific University at Forest Grove. Later he was superintendent of schools for Washington county and then probate judge. W. A. Starkweather was born in Connecticut and taught school both there and in Ohio. He was a member of the House of Representatives and a state senator. R. C. Kinney from Illinois was engaged in wool manufacturing and

8 Biographies found in H. K. Hines' History of Oregon, and in H. O. Lang's History of the Willamette Valley.

9 See Journal of the constitutional convention, p. 16.

10 Biographies found in H. O. Lang's History of the Willamette Valley, and in H. K. Hines' History of Oregon.