Andrew J. Thayer
| Andrew Jackson Thayer | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon's At-large district |
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In office March 4, 1861 – July 30, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | Lansing Stout |
| Succeeded by | George K. Shiel |
| 21st Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court | |
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In office 1870–1873 |
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| Preceded by | John Kelsay |
| Succeeded by | Lafayette F. Moser |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 27, 1818 Lima, New York |
| Died | April 28, 1873 (aged 54) Corvallis, Oregon |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Melissa D. Chandler |
Andrew Jackson Thayer (November 27, 1818 – April 28, 1873) was an attorney and Democratic U.S. congressman from Oregon. A native of New York state, he previously worked as the U.S. Attorney for Oregon. His brother was William W. Thayer, a governor of Oregon. After Congress, Thayer returned to legal work and served as a district attorney and associate justice on the Oregon Supreme Court.
Born in Lima, New York, Thayer attended public schools in New York and began a legal practice in Lima with his brother. In March 1853, he set out for Oregon, via ox team on the Oregon Trail. He arrived in Salem in August 1853, and settled on a farm near Corvallis where he farmed and continued his legal practice. In 1859, he was appointed by President James Buchanan to be U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, a position he held for six months, after which he resigned, stating that he preferred to defend rather than prosecute.
In November 1860, Thayer was elected as a Democratic United States Representative for Oregon's at-large district. Unfortunately for Thayer, this was not the only election held for Oregon's congressional seat in 1860. In June of that year, Oregon had held its general election, and George K. Shiel was elected to the same seat that Thayer claimed in November. After the June election, the Oregon House of Representatives had passed a bill moving the date of U. S. Congress elections to November, effective immediately. The Oregon Senate passed a similar bill, but that bill did not apply to the current election. Though the bills were never reconciled or signed into law, an election was held nonetheless. Thayer's election was certified and he took the seat in March 1861.
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