David Hill (Oregon politician)
| David Hill | |
|---|---|
| Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of Oregon | |
|
In office 1843–1844 |
|
| Preceded by | position created |
| Succeeded by | Second Executive Committee |
| Constituency | Oregon Country |
| Legislator in the Provisional Government of Oregon | |
|
In office 1844–1849 |
|
| Preceded by | position created |
| Succeeded by | position dissolved |
| Constituency | Tuality District |
| Oregon Territory House of Representatives | |
|
In office 1849–1850 |
|
| Preceded by | position created |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Wilcox |
| Constituency | Washington County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1809 Connecticut, United States |
| Died | May 9, 1850 (aged 40–41) Hillsboro, Oregon |
| Resting place |
Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery 45°31′13″N 123°00′21″W / 45.52019°N 123.00592°WCoordinates: 45°31′13″N 123°00′21″W / 45.52019°N 123.00592°W |
| Spouse(s) | Lucinda McWilliams Wilson Hill Simmons |
| Residence | Hillsboro, Oregon |
| Occupation | farmer, legislator |
David Hill (1809 – May 9, 1850), was an American pioneer and settler of what became Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. He served in the Provisional Government of Oregon in both the executive and legislative branches, and later as a legislator in the first Oregon Territorial Legislature. Hill made a transaction with the county court in 1850 that led to the renaming of Columbus to Hillsborough in honor of Hill.
David Hill’s birthplace is listed as Connecticut in some sources, but there is no record of his birth. Some accounts have him living in Virginia, others in Ohio. One account describes that Hill abandoned a wife and children in Ohio before traveling west. Another account says he had two children by his first wife.
Mr. Hill traveled on the Oregon Trail by wagon train to the Oregon Country. He arrived with Isaiah Kesley, Ralph Wilcox, Richard Williams, and Michael Moore. Once in Oregon he settled a land claim for 640 acres (2.6 km2) in Twality (sic) County, what is now Washington County, Oregon. The claim is in what is now Hillsboro with the recorded date of the claim is July 4, 1847. According to the claim record Hill started the claim in June 1842. With Kesley (Kelsey) and Williams recorded as arriving in Oregon in 1841, it is likely Hill arrived then as well. Hill likely arrived in October 1841 and then wintered with Joseph L. Meek, who he would later serve with in the legislature. David Hill married Lucinda Wilson June 4, 1846. On his land claim and built a cabin that was used for a time as the county courthouse. Also in February 1850 Hill was appointed guardian of five children of the Dunlap clan.
Hill started in politics in Oregon in 1843 when he was selected as a member of the first legislative committee that drafted the proposal for a Provisional Government in the Oregon Country, including time as its chairperson. Then he attended the Champoeg Meeting of May 2, 1843, where he voted for the creation of the Provisional Government. With the creation of this new government Hill then served as one of three members of the First Executive Committee that acted in place of a single governor.Joseph Gale and Alanson Beers were the other two members of this executive committee that served until 1844. After serving in that position David Hill was elected to the provisional legislature, and later in 1849 as a member of the territorial legislature after Oregon became a territory in 1848. David Hill disliked and opposed the Hudson's Bay Company and its representatives in his official capacity. He also was an opponent of the missionaries.
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