Asahel Bush
| Asahel Bush | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | June 4, 1824 Westfield, Massachusetts |
| Died |
December 23, 1913 (aged 89) Salem, Oregon |
| Occupation | Publisher |
| Spouse(s) | Eugenia Zieber |
Asahel Bush (June 4, 1824 – December 23, 1913) was an American newspaper publisher and businessman in Salem, Oregon. As publisher the Oregon Statesman newspaper, he moved the paper to Salem when the territorial capital moved to that city. A Massachusetts native, Bush became the first official printer for the state of Oregon, and his estate is now a city park.
Asahel Bush was born in Westfield, Massachusetts, on June 4, 1824. 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 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 route.
Bush arrived in Oregon 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. At this time 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 edited by Thomas J. Dryer. Though he defended slavery, he supported the Union during the American Civil War. In 1859, Bush became the first official printer for the state of Oregon. He left the newspaper business in 1863 when he sold the newspaper.
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