Philip Leget Edwards
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Philip Leget Edwards | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Missouri House of Representatives | |
| In office 1842–1843 | |
| Constituency | Ray County, Missouri |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 9th District | |
| In office 1855–1856 | |
| Constituency | Sacramento County, California |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 14, 1812 |
| Died | May 1, 1869 (aged 56) California |
| Party | Whig |
| Spouse | Mary Venable Allen |
| Profession | Educator, lawyer |
Philip Leget Edwards (July 14, 1812 – May 1, 1869) was an American educator from the state of Kentucky and first teacher in what became the state of Oregon. After teaching in Missouri, he traveled to the Oregon Country with Jason Lee and helped establish the Methodist Mission. He was also involved with the Willamette Cattle Company before returning to Missouri where he became a lawyer and was on officer in the militia fighting against the Mormons. After moving to California, he served in the state assembly.
Oregon Country
In 1834, missionary Jason Lee was heading west to start a mission in the Oregon Country when he was passing through Missouri.[3] Edwards was living in Richmond, Missouri, at the time and agreed to join Lee's group.[1][4] He and Courtney M. Walker joined the rest of the group at Independence and headed west.[3] These missionaries traveled with mountain men and traders including Nathaniel Wyeth's group across the Rocky Mountains, reaching the pass on June 15, 1834, and Fort Vancouver on September 16.[3][5] That fall the group started building a mission along the Willamette River north of present-day Salem, Oregon. Edwards was engaged in farming much of his time at the mission.[6]
From 1835 to 1836 Edwards taught school to both Native Americans and the children of French-Canadian settles of the French Prairie at a small school at Champoeg.[1] As such, he was the first school teacher in what became the state of Oregon.[1] He was part of the Willamette Cattle Company in 1837, traveling to California with Ewing Young and others to purchase cattle and drive them back to the Willamette Valley.[1] Edwards served as the treasurer of the group and kept a journal of the trip.[1][2] In 1838, he wrote a memorial to the United States Congress concerning the conditions in the Oregon Country, and then accompanied Jason Lee back east to deliver the document as Lee recruited more people for the mission.[1]
