John T. Apperson
Member of the Oregon Senate
from the 3rd and 4th district
In office
1878–1881
Preceded byJohn Myers
Succeeded byJohn Myers
ConstituencyClackamas County
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 4th district
In office
1870–1871 and 1889–1890
Personal details
Born(1834-12-23)December 23, 1834
Christian County, Kentucky
DiedApril 3, 1917(1917-04-03) (aged 82)
Oregon City, Oregon
Political partyRepublican
ProfessionSteamboat owner and captain

John T. Apperson (December 23, 1834 – April 3, 1917)[1] was an American steamboat captain and military officer who also served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. He was born in Christian County, Kentucky, son of Beverly Apperson and Jane Gilbert Tubbs. He was a steamboat captain and owner on the Willamette River in the 1850s. He served as a first lieutenant in Company "E" of the Oregon Cavalry during the American Civil War.

He was sheriff of Clackamas County. He served in the Oregon House of Representatives in 1870[2] and in the Oregon State Senate[3][4] from 1878 to 1881, but was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1882. In 1889, he served again in the Oregon House of Representatives,[5] after being elected to a seat in 1888.

Steamboat owner

In 1861, Apperson built the steamboat Unio on the Willamette River at Canemah, Oregon and operated it from its launching in October 1861 to December of the same year, when Apperson sold the boat to another steamboat captain, James D. Miller.[6][7] Despite having sold Unio to Miller, Apperson as of April 1862, held a position on the boat as clerk.[8]

Death

Apperson died on April 3, 1917,[1] at his home in the Park Place neighborhood of Oregon City,[9] where he had resided with his wife, Mary Ann Elliott Apperson. He is buried at the Mountain View Cemetery, in Oregon City.

References

  1. ^ a b "Captain Answers A Last Command". Oregon City Courier. April 5, 1917. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  2. ^ "Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1870 Regular Session (6th)". Oregon State Archives. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  3. ^ "Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1878 Regular Session (10th)". Oregon State Archives. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  4. ^ "Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1880 Regular Session (11th)". Oregon State Archives. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  5. ^ "Oregon Legislators and Staff Guide: 1889 Regular Session (15th)". Oregon State Archives. Retrieved 2017-01-19.
  6. ^ Wright, E.W., ed. (1895). Lewis & Dryden's Marine History of the Pacific Northwest. Portland, OR: Lewis and Dryden Printing Co. pp. 28, 102, 135. LCCN 28001147.
  7. ^ "Capt. James Miller is now Captain of the Unio …", Morning Oregonian, Henry L. Pittock, vol. 1, no. 319, p. 5 col. 3, Dec 23, 1861
  8. ^ "Half a Century Ago … The name of the steamer Unio …", Morning Oregonian, vol. 52, no. 16, 040, p. 8 col. 7, Apr 22, 1912
  9. ^ "OAC Endowment Fund Is Permanent; J. T. Apperson Is Donor". The Sunday Oregonian. May 13, 1917. Section 1, p. 21. Retrieved 2017-01-23.

External links

Willamette Steam Navigation Company
Steamboats of the Willamette River
Authority control databases
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