Daniel H. Lownsdale
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daniel Lownsdale (1803–1862) was one of the founders of Portland, Oregon, United States.
Daniel H. Lownsdale | |
|---|---|
Daniel Lownsdale | |
| Legislator in the Provisional Government of Oregon | |
| In office 1846–1846 | |
| Constituency | Tuality District |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1803 |
| Died | 1862 (aged 58–59) |
| Resting place | Lone Fir Cemetery, Portland, OR |
| Occupation | Legislator, tanner |
Coming from Kentucky sometime before 1845, Lownsdale established the first tannery near the current location of Providence Park just west of downtown Portland.[1] Tanner Creek, which flowed by the site during the mid-19th century, was named after the tannery.[2] The creek was eventually rerouted to flow in pipes underground.[3] In 2005 Tanner Springs Park was named for this creek.[4]
Lownsdale served as a member of the Provisional Legislature of Oregon in 1846.[5] Lownsdale purchased the land that would become downtown Portland on September 22, 1848.[1] He resurveyed Portland, keeping the small blocks (200 feet per side, 64 feet streets), and adding the contiguous park blocks.[1]
He became involved with a land dispute involving the authority of the laws from the Provisional Government with Josiah Lamberson Parrish. Lownsdale would defend the matter in court in a case that would progress through the Oregon Supreme Court and to the United States Supreme Court in Lownsdale v. Parrish, 62 U.S. 290 (1858).[6]
His daughter Ruth Lownsdale married businessman and politician Eugene Semple.
Lownsdale is buried in the Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland. Lownsdale Square is named after him.
