William J. Bailey
| William J. Bailey | |
|---|---|
| Second Executive Committee | |
|
In office 1844–1845 |
|
| Preceded by | First Executive Committee |
| Succeeded by | George Abernethy |
| Constituency | Oregon Country |
| Provisional Legislature of Oregon | |
|
In office 1848–1849 |
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| Constituency | Champoeg County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 13, 1807 England |
| Died | February 5, 1876 Champoeg, Oregon |
| Spouse(s) | 1) Margaret Jewett Smith 2) Julia M. Sheil |
William J. Bailey (January 13, 1807 – February 5, 1876) was a British-born physician who immigrated to the United States, where he became a pioneer and politician in the Oregon Country, particularly the Willamette Valley. Bailey participated in the Champoeg Meetings that led to the creation of a provisional government in Oregon. Bailey was selected as a member of that government, first on the Executive Committee and later in the Provisional Legislature of Oregon.
William Bailey was born in Great Britain on January 13, 1807. In England he was said to have studied medicine, before emigrating with his mother to the United States sometime before 1834. In the U.S. he enlisted in the Navy and traveled to the West Coast as a seaman, but deserted his ship in San Francisco. There is no evidence that he practiced medicine in the United States.
William Bailey moved to Oregon from California in 1835, settling in the Willamette Valley. Bailey's group included John Woodward, George K. Gay, and John Turner. On this journey north, the group fought with the Rogue River Indians, losing four of their eight members of the party. Woodward, Gay, Bailey, and Turner were the survivors. Years later, Bailey and Gay murdered a Native American youth in the same area in retaliation during a cattle drive north from California. Bailey was working in the Willamette Cattle Company cattle drive from Mexican-owned California to Oregon. Leading the cattle drive was Ewing Young. In 1834 his party had killed several Rogue River natives on their journey to Oregon. This prompted their retaliation against Bailey's party the following year.
When the wealthy Ewing Young died without a will or known heir in February 1841, discussions about forming a settler government based in the Willamette Valley began. During these settler meetings, Bailey was selected as chairman of the committee to draft a constitution and laws for the region. The plans fell through due to the opposition by French-Canadians and instead only a probate court was established. Many participants in the talks were active in the later Champoeg Meetings, which led to the creation of the Provisional Government of Oregon.
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