William Irving (steamship captain)

William Irving
William Irving
Born	1816 Annan, Dumfriesshire Scotland
Died	August 28, 1872 (aged 55–56) New Westminster, British Columbia
Occupation	steamship captain
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Dixon
Children	Mary, John 1854, Susan, Elizabeth, Nellie

William Irving was a steamship captain and entrepreneur in Oregon, US and British Columbia, Canada. The Irvington neighborhood in Portland, Oregon is named in his honor and in New Westminster, British Columbia his home, "Irving House", is now a heritage site.

He was one of the earliest pioneers of steamer travel in the Pacific Northwest and is remembered as one of the most successful and popular captains of the era.

William Irving was born in 1816 in Annan, Dumfriesshire Scotland. In 1831, he journeyed to Boston, Massachusetts and by the age of twenty-five he was a licensed steamship captain.

In 1849 he traveled to Oregon, stopping along the way in Sacramento, California, where he worked unloading cargo during the California Gold Rush before continuing on to Portland. He purchased Block 12 of the Portland townsite and began a transportation business that delivered lumber by steamer up from California to Portland.

In 1851 he married 18-year-old Elizabeth Dixon who had just arrived in Oregon from Indiana the previous year. William built his new bride a large house along the river and they stayed there for nine years and had five children: Mary, John, Susan, Elizabeth, and Nellie.

When the family moved to British Columbia in 1859, their Portland home was taken over by Elizabeth's sister and her husband, George Shaver and would be called the "Shaver House".

After his death in 1872, his wife would return to Portland and continue to manage the family's holdings. His daughter Elizabeth would marry and also build a home in the neighborhood in 1884, named the "Spencer House", which still exists today and has the honor of being the oldest in the neighborhood.

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