John Commingers Ainsworth (June 6, 1822 – December 30, 1893) was an American pioneer businessman and steamboat owner in

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

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, he moved west to mine gold in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

before immigrating to Oregon where he piloted steamships and became a founder of the

Oregon Steam Navigation Company The Oregon Steam Navigation Company (O.S.N.) was an American company incorporated in 1860 in Washington with partners J. S. Ruckle, Henry Olmstead, and J. O. Van Bergen. It was incorporated in Washington because of a lack of corporate laws in ...

and several banks.

Early life

Ainsworth was born in Springboro, Ohio, on June 6, 1822. His parents died while he was 13 years old, so he went to work for his uncle in Farmington, Iowa. They became partners in a business selling goods from boats along the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

, but soon he split from his uncle and bought a store with a partner, which was sold at a good profit after only one year. He married a young woman, Josephine Augusta Kendall, who died fifteen months later.

American West

Ainsworth was not done partnering with his uncle. In 1844 they bought a steamboat and started a successful packet delivery service along the upper

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. Then the

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

hit in 1849, and he sold his share of the business to go to

. The Gold Rush did not live up to his expectations, so he found a job piloting a steamer on 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 ...

in Oregon. In 1851, he married the daughter of Judge S.S. White, and built a house in Oregon City. In late 1860, Ainsworth and several investors started the

(OSNC). The OSNC controlled the shipping routes of steamers, railroads, and freight lines in Washington and Oregon. In 1868, Ainsworth had an annual income of $14,651, one of the highest in the state of Oregon. By 1869, the OSNC monopolized 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 ...

transportation market. In April 1879,

Henry Villard Henry Villard (April 10, 1835 – November 12, 1900) was a German-American journalist and financier who was an influential leader and the sixth president of the Northern Pacific Railway (1881–1884) which completed its trans-continental route d ...

purchased the OSNC for its full value of $5 million. Ainsworth retired to

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

, after the sale.

Later years and family

Ainsworth served on the Portland Public Schools board from 1873 to 1879. After selling out, he entered the banking business in 1883 with the Ainsworth National Bank in Portland. In 1892, he started the Central Bank of Oakland. Ainsworth had seven children: George (with his second wife Nancy White) and John, Harry, Daisy, Laura, Maud, and Belle (with his third wife Sarah Frances "Fanny" Babbitt). Ainsworth was a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, and eventually the third Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Oregon. In 1870, Ainsworth founded the Orient of Oregon and the Valley of Portland of the Ancient and Accepted

Scottish Rite The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry is a List of Masonic rites, rite within the broader context of Freemasonry. It is the most widely practiced List of Masonic rites, Rite in the world. In some parts of the world, and in the ...

, S.J. and served as the first Sovereign Grand Inspector General of the Orient of Oregon. After retiring to California he wrote his autobiography. He died near Oakland, California, on December 30, 1893. He is the namesake of Ainsworth, Washington, as well as Ainsworth Elementary School in SW Portland. His son, John Churchill Ainsworth, (1870–1943) was a prominent Oregon businessman, Portland banker and served as chairman of the State Highway Commission from 1931 to 1932. John Churchill also donated the land in 1933 that became Ainsworth State Park.Ainsworth State Park - Oregon State Parks
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References

External links

John C. Ainsworth Papers
at the University of Oregon

from Pacific Northwest Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society

from Washington State Railroads Historical Society Museum {{DEFAULTSORT:Ainsworth, John C. 1893 deaths 1822 births Businesspeople from Oregon 19th-century American railroad executives American businesspeople in shipping People from Springboro, Ohio Oregon Steam Navigation Company

Early life

American West

Later years and family

See also

References

External links