Asahel Bush (June 4, 1824 – December 23, 1913) was an American newspaper publisher and businessman in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

. As publisher of the ''Oregon Statesman'' newspaper, he moved the paper to Salem when the territorial capital moved to that city. A

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

native, Bush became the first official printer for 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 ...

, and his estate is now a city park.

Early life

Asahel Bush was born in

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield metrop ...

, on June 4, 1824.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. His parents, Asahel Bush, Sr. and Sally Noble Bush, were of English descent. The younger Asahel attended public school and later Westfield Academy, then at the age of 17 moved to

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the ...

, where he became an apprentice printer. Bush later worked for a newspaper before studying law. He passed the bar in 1850 in Massachusetts, but soon left for the Oregon Territory by the steamship Panama, taking the

Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama, historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North America, North and South America. The country of Panama is located on the i ...

route.

Oregon

Bush arrived in

in late 1850 at Portland and settled in Oregon City. Once his printing press arrived, he started the ''Oregon Statesman'' newspaper in March 1851. In 1853, the capital was moved to Salem and Bush moved the newspaper there as well, where it would later become the Salem ''

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

''. In the middle of the century newspapers were partisan instruments used to further political parties. Bush's use of his paper gave him the nickname of "Bushy Bush" and he often sparred with the rival party's newspaper ''

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 ...

'' edited by Thomas J. Dryer. Bush quietly disfavored slavery in Oregon. But as an enthusiast for popular sovereignty he supported the right of white male voters to determine the question. He also strongly opposed abolitionists' moralistic and universal opposition to slavery and their support for what he termed "negro equality". For example, he published articles disparaging the abolitionist Obed Dickinson, a minister at the Salem Congregationalist Church. In one such article, the ''Statesman'' wrote, "The continuation of Mr. Dickinson's anti-slavery and negro sympathy preachings was calculated only to prevent the growth of the church, and retard the spread of religion." Bush supported the 1857 Oregon Constitutional ban on Blacks immigrating to Oregon. In 1859, Bush became the first official printer for the state of Oregon. As a Douglas Democrat, he opposed the election of Lincoln but ended up supporting the Union during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He left the newspaper business in 1863 when he sold the newspaper. In 1867, Bush along with William S. Ladd founded the Ladd and Bush Bank in Salem. Ten years later Bush would buy out Ladd and become the sole proprietor of the financial institution. He remained active in politics and was a member of the state Democratic Party's central committee, including time as the chairperson, and in 1892 was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

Later life and family

In 1854, Asahel Bush married Eugenia Zieber of Salem, with whom he would father four children: Sally, Eugenia, Estelle, and Asahel III who would be known as A. N. Bush.Asahel Bush.
Salem Online History. Retrieved on December 1, 2007. Eugenia was the daughter of one of his printer employees, and she would die at the age of 30 in 1863. Bush served as a trustee of

Willamette University Willamette University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with locations in Salem, Oregon, Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United ...

and as a regent to the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

. Asahel Bush II died on December 23, 1913, at the age of 89 in Salem and was buried at

Salem Pioneer Cemetery Salem Pioneer Cemetery (also known as the Oddfellows, I.O.O.F. Cemetery or Oddfellows Cemetery) is a cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States. It has been listed as a National Register of Historic Places since 2013, under the name Odd Fellows Ru ...

.Asahel Bush.
Salem Pioneer Cemetery. Retrieved on December 1, 2007. His estate is now preserved as Bush's Pasture Park and his home, Asahel Bush House, is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

References

External links

Bush House Museum, Salem Oregon

Images of the Bush House
from Salem Public Library's Oregon Historic Photograph Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Bush, Asahel 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) People from Salem, Oregon 1824 births 1913 deaths Burials at Salem Pioneer Cemetery Oregon pioneers American newspaper founders People from Westfield, Massachusetts Oregon Democrats American proslavery activists