Hiram Aldrich Straight (March 7, 1814 – January 8, 1897) was an American farmer and legislator in what became the state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. A native of New York state, he would live in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

before traveling the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...

to what was then the

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long Oregon boundary dispute, dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been demarcat ...

. In Oregon, he would serve in the

Provisional Legislature of Oregon The Provisional Legislature of Oregon was the Unicameralism, single-chamber legislative body of the Provisional Government of Oregon. It served the Oregon Country of the Pacific Northwest of North America from 1843 until early 1849 at a time whe ...

and the

Oregon Territorial Legislature Oregon's Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory. The upper chamber Council and lower chamber House of Represent ...

Early life

Hiram Straight was born on March 7, 1814, in

Washington County, New York Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,302. The county seat is Fort Edward. The county was named for U.S. President George Washington. The county is part of the Capital Dis ...

, to Lydia Fanning Straight and Elisha Straight.Corning, Howard M. (1989). ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing. p. 235. By 1838 he moved to

Iowa Territory The Territory of Iowa was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Iowa. The remai ...

where he married Susan Lasswell (born in 1817) near the town of Burlington. The couple would have seven children together, including George, Julia, Cyrus Branson, Mary Etta, Jane, Hiram Jr., and John. In 1843, Straight and the family would take the

to what was then the

, arriving at

Oregon City, Oregon Oregon City is the county seat of Clackamas County, Oregon, United States, located on the Willamette River near the southern limits of the Portland metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 37,572. Established in 1829 ...

.Flora, Stephenie
Emigrants to Oregon in 1843.
Oregon Pioneers. Retrieved on February 18, 2008.

Oregon

The Straight family settled on at the mouth of Abernethy Creek on the

Clackamas River The Clackamas River is an approximately tributary of the Willamette River in northwestern Oregon, in the United States. Draining an area of about , the Clackamas flows through mostly forested and rugged mountainous terrain in its upper reaches, a ...

. There he farmed this land that would later become his donation land claim, and was a member of the

Oregon Lyceum The Oregon Lyceum or Pioneer Lyceum and Literary Club was founded in Oregon City, Oregon Country around 1840. The forum was a prominent fixture for the leading pioneer settlers during its brief existence. It would begin publishing the first Americ ...

in Oregon City. In 1845 and 1846, Straight was elected to and served in the

representing the Clackamas District, now

Clackamas County, Oregon Clackamas County ( ) is one of the List of counties in Oregon, 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county sea ...

. In 1846, the

Oregon boundary dispute The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in ...

was settled and in 1848 the region south of the 49th degree became the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...

. In 1850, Straight served on the jury that convicted five members of the Cayuse tribe of murder and sentenced them to death for their role in the

Whitman Massacre The Whitman massacre (also known as the Whitman killings and the Tragedy at Waiilatpu) was the killing of American missionaries Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, along with eleven others, on November 29, 1847. They were killed by a small group of C ...

. He was the foreman of the jury in this trial that had followed the

Cayuse War The Cayuse War (1847–1855) was an armed conflict between the Cayuse people of the Northwestern United States and settlers, backed by the U.S. government. The conflict was triggered by the Whitman massacre of 1847, where the Cayuse attacked a ...

; see

Cayuse Five The Cayuse Five were five members of the Cayuse people, Cayuse of Oregon who were hanging, hanged for murder in 1850 following their attack on a mission settlement. Their names were Clokomas, Isiaasheluckas, Kiamasumkin, Telakite, and Tomahas&mdas ...

Straight was elected to the

1855 for the 1855 to 1856 session. He served for that single session as a member of the Democratic Party representing Clackamas County. Hiram Straight continued to farm until his death on January 8, 1897, at the age of 82 at Canemah, which is now within Oregon City. He was buried at the family’s private cemetery in Clackamas County along with his wife. The 19-plot cemetery is one of 800 historic cemeteries in Oregon. The family home, built in 1856, is still standing.McCarthy, Dennis. Historic oak tree on the Hiram Straight homestead topples. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'', January 1, 1993.

References

External links

The Whitman Massacre Trial: A Verdict is Reached archived websiteOregon Records Management System: Verdict in Whitman Massacre TrialClackamas County
{{DEFAULTSORT:Straight, Hiram A. Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature People from Washington County, New York Politicians from Oregon City, Oregon 1814 births 1897 deaths People who traveled the Oregon Trail People from Iowa Territory