Seth Lewelling (1820 – February 21, 1896), alternatively spelled Luelling (including by Lewelling himself), was a pioneer orchardist from the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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

, best known for developing the Bing cherry. Born in 1820 in North Carolina as Seth Lewelling, he used the spelling ''Luelling'' for part of his life but returned to ''Lewelling'' in his later years.

Career

His brother Henderson Luelling (who retained the original spelling of his family's name throughout his life) came to Oregon from

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

in 1847, bringing fruit trees in his wagon. He established an orchard in

Milwaukie Milwaukie is a city mostly in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States; a very small portion of the city extends into Multnomah County. The population was 20,291 at the 2010 census. Founded in 1847 on the banks of the Willamette River, the city ...

, and Seth and their brother John came to Oregon and joined the business in 1847. Seth became the sole owner of the business in 1857 and developed many new varieties of cherries, rhubarb, grapes, and golden prunes. Among the cherries he developed were the Lincoln and the Black Republican. In 1875, he developed the Bing cherry, the most produced sweet cherry cultivar in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

.Peg Herring
Bing cherries are an American favorite. But who was Bing?
''Oregon Progress'', Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station, Fall 2009.The Bing Cherry was develop by Lewelling and his Manchurian Chinese

foreman __NOTOC__ A foreman, forewoman or foreperson is a supervisor, often in a manual trade or industry. Foreman may specifically refer to: * Construction foreman, the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew *Jury foreman, a head ju ...

, Ah Bing, whom which the cherry is named for.

Political involvement

As the names he gave to his cherries might indicate, Lewelling was also involved in the founding of the

Oregon Republican Party The Oregon Republican Party is the state affiliate of the United States Republican Party in Oregon, headquartered in Salem. The party was established in the Oregon Territory in February 1857 as the "Free State Republican Party of Oregon" and held ...

. The Lewellings played an important role in Oregon's movement for Initiative and Referendum. In 1892, William S. U'Ren, then a young man, suffered a severe asthma attack, and called upon the Lewellings, who took him into their home and nursed him back to health. They had an abiding interest in political reform, and U'Ren found his life's calling through the discussions at their home; he went on to establish the initiative and referendum system, among other populist reforms., This quote was written by Seth's wife Sophronia

Death

Lewelling suffered a paralyzing stroke on July 1, 1895, and died at his home in Milwaukie on February 21, 1896.

Legacy

Seth Lewelling is one of the 158 names of people important to Oregon's history that are painted in the House and Senate chambers of the

Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capitol, Salem. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 an ...

. Lewelling's name is in the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...

chamber. Seth Lewelling Elementary School and the Lewelling neighborhood in Milwaukie are named for him.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewelling, Seth 1820 births 1896 deaths Agriculture in Oregon Oregon pioneers Oregon Republicans People from Milwaukie, Oregon American orchardists