George Flavel

George Flavel
Undated photo of Flavel (c. 1860)
Born	(1823-11-17)November 17, 1823 Portadown, Northern Ireland, or Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. (sources differ)
Died	July 3, 1893(1893-07-03) (aged 69) Astoria, Oregon, U.S.
Resting place	Ocean View Cemetery, Warrenton, Oregon, U.S.
Occupation	Maritime pilot, businessman
Net worth	$1.9 million (1893)
Spouse(s)	Mary Christina Boelling (m. 1854; his death 1893)

Captain George Flavel /dʒɔːrdʒ flʌvɛl/ (November 17, 1823 — July 3, 1893) was an Irish American maritime pilot and entrepreneur. Born in 1823, Flavel relocated from the East coast of the United States to Oregon in 1849, where he became one of the first bar pilots licensed in the state. Flavel would go on to amass a fortune with a business managing pilot boats on the Columbia River, making him one of the first millionaires in Oregon's history.

George Flavel was born in 1823. Some sources state he was born in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, while others state his birthplace as Norfolk, Virginia, where he had resided in his early life. Flavel was of Irish descent. As a young man in 1849, Flavel relocated by ship to the West coast. He sailed around Cape Horn and also spent time in California during the state's Gold Rush era before relocating to Astoria, Oregon, then a settlement based around John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company. Flavel settled in Astoria after a stint as captain of the brig John Petty.

Flavel began his career as a sea captain managing ship routes from the Pacific Ocean up the Columbia River and to the Willamette River. In 1850, he was given command of the Goliah, the second tug boat ever built in the United States, driving the boat between Sacramento and San Francisco, California. The following year, in December 1851, he earned his marine piloting license from the state of Oregon.