Columbia Lancaster (August 26, 1803 – September 15, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the first Delegate from the Territory of Washington to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

Biography

Early life

Columbia Lancaster was born in

New Milford, Connecticut New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is in western Connecticut, north of Danbury, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is th ...

, on August 26, 1803. Lancaster moved with his family to

Canfield, Ohio Canfield is a city in central Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,699 as of the 2020 census. A suburb about southwest of Youngstown, the city lies at the intersection of U.S. Routes 62 and 224 and is part of the Youngs ...

, in 1817. There he attended the common schools before he moved to Detroit, Michigan Territory, in 1824.United States Congress, Office of the Historian
"Columbia Lancaster (1803-1893),"
''Biographical Dictionary of the United States Congress, 1774-Present,'' www.bioguide.congress.gov/ In Canfield, he met and married Roseanne Jones. In Michigan he studied law and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1830 and commenced practice in

Centreville, Michigan Centreville is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of St. Joseph County. The population was 1,425 at the 2010 census. History Centreville developed around a tavern founded there in 1831 by European-American settler, ...

Politics

He was appointed prosecuting attorney of Michigan Territory by Governor

Lewis Cass Lewis Cass (October 9, 1782June 17, 1866) was an American military officer, politician, and statesman. He represented Michigan in the United States Senate and served in the Cabinets of two U.S. Presidents, Andrew Jackson and James Buchanan. He w ...

. He served in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 201 ...

in 1838. He settled in the

Willamette Valley The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the eas ...

, in

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...

, in 1847. He served as Supreme Judge of the

Provisional Government of Oregon The Provisional Government of Oregon was a popularly elected settler government created in the Oregon Country, in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Its formation had been advanced at the Champoeg Meetings since February 17, 1841, ...

from 1847 to the end of that government in 1849. He took up his residence near the mouth of the Lewis River,

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 Union as the State of Oregon. O ...

(present-day

State of Washington Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

). He was an unsuccessful candidate for Delegate to the Thirty-first Congress from Oregon before the separation of the Territories of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and Oregon. Lancaster served as member of the Oregon Territorial Council (Senate) from 1850 to 1852. During the tumultuous 1851-52 session of the Oregon Territorial Legislature Lancaster gave his allegiance to a rump group consisting of four members of the House who refused to participate with the Democratic Party majority in session at Salem.Hubert Howe Bancroft, ''The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft: Volume XXX: History of Oregon: Volume II, 1848-1888.'' San Francisco, CA: The History Company, 1888; pg. 161. Lancaster was the sole member of the Council who attempted to establish this minority faction as the legitimate Oregon Territorial Legislature in a session held at the Territorial Library in Oregon City. The rival minority assembly continued to meet in Oregon City for two weeks, marked by the spectacle of Lancaster making and seconding his own motions in the "Council" himself. Lancaster resigned his Council seat in the fall of 1852 and was replaced at a special election held December 7 of that year. When the

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

was admitted to representation, he was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-third Congress and served from April 12, 1854 to March 3, 1855. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination.

Later life

Lancaster was regent of the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region o ...

in 1862. He was also connected with the Puget Sound & Columbia River Railroad project in 1862.

Death and legacy

Lancaster died in

Vancouver, Washington Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, located in Clark County. Incorporated in 1857, Vancouver has a population of 190,915 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Was ...

, on September 15, 1893, and his body was interred in the City Cemetery. Lancaster Lake, just north of

Ridgefield, Washington Ridgefield is a city in northern Clark County, Washington, Clark County, Washington (state), Washington. The population was 10,319 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 4,763 in 2010 United States census, 2010, making ...

, is named in his honor.Pat Jolotta, ''Naming Clark County.'' Vancouver, WA: Fort Vancouver Historical Society, 1993; pg. 33. His house in Ridgefield survives and is listed on the NRHP.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lancaster, Columbia 1803 births 1893 deaths Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Washington Territory Washington (state) Democrats Members of the Oregon Territorial Legislature Members of the Michigan House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians People from New Milford, Connecticut People from Canfield, Ohio People from Centreville, Michigan People from Ridgefield, Washington 19th-century American judges