Dr. Elijah White (1806–1879) was a missionary and agent for the United States government in

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 ...

during the mid-19th century. A trained physician from New York State, he first traveled to Oregon as part of 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 (missionary), Jason Lee was ...

in the Willamette Valley. He returned to the region after a falling-out with mission leader Jason Lee as the leader of one of the first large wagon trains across 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 ...

and as a sub- Indian agent of the federal government. In Oregon he used his authority to regulate affairs between the Natives and settlers, and even between settlers. White left the region in 1845 as a messenger for the Provisional Government of Oregon to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

, returning in 1850 before leaving again for California in the early 1860s.

Early life

White was born in New York, in 1806.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. There he received his education, including medical training at a school of medicine in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

. Prior to 1836 he married, and the couple had a son named Jason as well as adopting another son named George. In 1836, White accepted an appointment to join Jason Lee in Oregon Country at the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Church’s mission. White and his family sailed to the Sandwich Islands aboard the vessel ''Hamilton'', arriving in July 1836. Others on the ship bound for the mission included William H. Wilson, Alanson Beers, and Miss Anna Maria Pittman who became Lee's first wife.Horner, John B. (1919). ''Oregon: Her History, Her Great Men, Her Literature''. The J.K. Gill Co.: Portland. p. 71 On the islands both White and his wife taught to the Native Islanders until May 1837 when they continued on to Oregon.

Oregon

After arriving the family took up residence at the

along the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

at Mission Bottom. His infant son Jason drowned in 1838 after a canoe his wife and David Leslie were traveling in flipped over on the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

. His other son also drowned that year while trying to ford the Willamette River. Elijah White and Jason Lee developed animosity towards each other and differences in opinion on the direction of the mission leading to White leaving in 1841 to return to the East. In 1842, White led the first wagon train over the

that had more than 100 people. Trapper and later politician Osborne Russell served as guide to this migration.The First Men In Charge.
End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, accessed November 5, 2007. The party set out on May 16, 1842, from Elm Grove, Missouri, with 112 people, 18 wagons, and a variety of livestock.Clarke, S. A. 1905. ''Pioneer Days of Oregon History''. Portland: J.K. Gill Company. Along the journey, some in the migration grew wary of White’s leadership and L. B. Hastings was selected as leader for a time until the party split into two groups. François X. Matthieu along with several other Canadians joined the party along the way to

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 ...

. White arrived at Fort Vancouver ahead of the main party, arriving on September 20, 1842. White also returned as an official agent of the United States Government, after appointment as sub-Indian agent. Also in 1842 in his official capacity he brokered a code of conduct for the Nez Perce tribe as well as placating tensions with the Walla Walla and Cayuse tribes near the Whitman Mission in the eastern section of the region. In Oregon he served as teacher to William J. Bailey, training Bailey as a doctor. On September 22, 1842, White organized a meeting at Champoeg where he informed the settlers that he had been commissioned by the United States War Department as a sub-Indian Agent and implied that the pioneers could select him as their leader. He appointed judges to deal with disputes between Native Americans and United States citizens, and even between citizens.Gray, William Henry. 1870. ''A History of Oregon, 1792-1849, drawn from personal observation and authentic information''. Portland, Or: Harris & Holman. In 1843, White was selected as one of twelve members of the second Wolf Meeting to determine if the settlers wanted to form a government while waiting for the Oregon Question to be resolved. He was not involved in the final meetings, but in May 1843 the settlers voted 52 to 50 in favor of creating the Provisional Government of Oregon. The following year White was involved with the Cockstock Incident when the provisional government’s recorder George LeBreton was killed by a Molala by the name of Cockstock. He had tried to capture Cockstock prior to the bloodshed, and then worked to resolve tensions between the settlers and Native Americans after Cockstock and two settlers were killed. White then discovered a pass through the Oregon Coast Range to what is now Newport, Oregon in 1845 before leaving the region with a petition from the Provisional Government to the

that same year. According to historian Frances Fuller Victor, White, through his exploration and advocacy for a southern cutoff to the Willamette Valley, may have been primarily responsible for the disastrous Meek Cutoff party of 1845.

Later life

Elijah White returned to what had become 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 to promote the community of Pacific City, Washington along the Columbia River. Located near what is now Ilwaco, he partnered with James Duval Holman to sell property to settlers. White received a second commission as an Indian agent in 1861 for the region west of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

and moved to California. Doctor Elijah White died on April 3, 1879, at the age of 73.

References

External links

Elijah White (1806-1879)
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Elijah Oregon Country Methodist Mission in Oregon Champoeg Meetings People from New York (state) Oregon Trail United States Indian agents 1806 births 1879 deaths Oregon pioneers James Duval Holman in Wikipedia