Doctor Ira Leonard Babcock (c. 1808 – March 21, 1888) was an American pioneer and doctor in the

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 ...

. A native of New York, he was selected as the first Supreme Judge with probate powers in February 1841 in what would become the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Although the meeting where he was selected did not produce an acting government, he also took over the

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive di ...

and legislative powers as the first person in Oregon's history. The meeting was the first of several

meetings A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments. Meetings can be used as form of group decision making. Defin ...

, presided by him since 1842, that led to a

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

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 May 1843.

Early life

Babcock was born in the state of New York around 1808 where he received medical training. He came to what was then the unorganized Oregon Country from New York while working for the

Methodist Mission The Methodist Mission was the Methodist Episcopal Church's 19th-century conversion efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Local Indigenous cultures were introduced to western culture and Christianity. Superintendent Jason Lee was the principal leader fo ...

run by

Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to: Entertainment *Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder *Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor * Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...

.Corning, Howard M. (1956). ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, p 16. Babcock arrived in Oregon in 1840 aboard the ship ''

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR ...

'' with his wife and one son. They traveled with Jason Lee’s reinforcements for the mission that was re-located to present day

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary bet ...

. The ''Lausanne'' had sailed around Cape Horn and included future governor

George Abernethy George Abernethy (October 7, 1807 – March 2, 1877) was an American politician, pioneer, notable entrepreneur, and first governor of Oregon under the provisional government based in the Willamette Valley, an area later a part of the American sta ...

and the Reverend Gustavus Hines.

Judgeship

Babcock was selected at the Champoeg Meeting in David Leslie's home on February 18, 1841, to be the first Supreme Judge for the settlers of the region. There was a need for a probate court in order to deal with the estate of

Ewing Young Ewing Young (1799-February 9, 1841) was an American fur trapper and trader from Tennessee who traveled in what was then the northern Mexico frontier territories of Santa Fe de Nuevo México and Alta California before settling in the Oregon Country. ...

. Young had become a wealthy rancher due to his economic activities that included participation in the

Willamette Cattle Company The Willamette Cattle Company was formed in 1837 by pioneers in the Willamette Valley of present-day Oregon, United States. The company was formed with the express purpose of purchasing cattle in Mexican California. Nearly 750 head of cattle and ...

in 1837. At the same time Babcock's election had also been a compromise after French Canadians had failed to elect William J. Bailey for Governor as well as English Americans had failed to elect Babcock.DR. IRA L. BABCOCK
biography from Oregon Government, retrieved 15 May 2017A History of Oregon, 1792-1849
retrieved 15 May 2017 As the settlers were not able to agree on the form of the discussed government, Babcock also received executive and in fact legislative duties because there had been no copy of the New York laws in the country that had been proposed for usage. In 1842, Babcock helped to organize the

Oregon Institute The Oregon Institute was an American school located in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country during the 19th century. Begun in 1842, it was the first school built for European Americans west of Missouri. Founded by members of the Methodist Mi ...

as a school for the children of the American settlers. After holding the Supreme Judge title for two years, in which he had presided over a constitutional committee of six people at several Champoeg or so called ''Wolf Meetings'', Babcock also was President at the discussions on May 2, 1843, when he called for a vote and the settlers thereby gave themselves a

by narrowly accepting the committee's report with 52–50 votes. Shortly after that he took his family to the

Sandwich Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Ku ...

for one year. After returning he was elected as Supreme Judge again, but left Oregon permanently in November 1844. After leaving Oregon he joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

and served as a surgeon. In 1870, he returned to Oregon on a visit.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Babcock, Ira L. 1808 births 1888 deaths Methodist Mission in Oregon Champoeg Meetings Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Members of the Provisional Government of Oregon Oregon pioneers Physicians from Oregon Year of birth uncertain United States Army Medical Corps officers 19th-century American judges