William Owen Bush
| William Owen Bush | |
|---|---|
William Owen Bush
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| Born |
July 4, 1832 Clay County, Missouri |
| Died | February 13, 1907 (aged 74) Olympia, Washington |
| Occupation | Farmer, politician |
| Political party | Republican Party |
| Spouse(s) | Mandana Kimsey |
| Children | George, John Shotwell, Mandana Isabella |
| Parent(s) | George Washington Bush, Isabella James |
William Owen Bush (July 4, 1832 – February 13, 1907) was an American farmer and politician who was elected to the inaugural legislature of Washington state after its admission to the United States in 1889. He is noted for introducing the legislation that established Washington State University, for being the first African-American to serve in the Washington legislature, and for his tireless promotion of Washington agriculture.
Bush was born in Clay County, Missouri on July 4, 1832. He was the son of George Washington Bush, a celebrated settler and veteran of the War of 1812 who inherited a portion of the substantial fortune of his father, Matthew, and Isabella James.
In 1844, at the age of 12, William Owen Bush traveled with his father, mother, and siblings from Missouri to Oregon in the company of five other families (including that of Michael Simmons, who would eventually found the city of Tumwater, Washington). By the time the family had reached the territory, the Provisional Government of Oregon had enacted legislation prohibiting land ownership by blacks. Undeterred, the elder Bush moved his family north, across the Columbia River, into what would eventually become the Territory of Washington (though was at the time contested land). There, the elder Bush went to work for the Hudson's Bay Company and eventually established a farm in Thurston County.
William Owen Bush's ancestry has been the subject of some confusion. Some of his descendants denied that his grandfather, Matthew, had any African ancestry at all. However, he himself identified as African-American, and was described in contemporary accounts as a negro. Bush's father, George Washington Bush, was of mixed race, while his mother was of German descent.
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