William P. Bryant

Preceded by(none)

William P. Bryant

1st Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
In office 1848–1850
Preceded by	(none)
Succeeded by	Thomas Nelson
1st Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
In office 1848–1850
Nominated by	James K. Polk
Preceded by	(none)
Succeeded by	Thomas Nelson

Personal details
Born	August 3, 1806 Mercer County, Kentucky
Died	October 10, 1860(1860-10-10) (aged 54) Rockville, Indiana

William P. Bryant (August 3, 1806 – October 10, 1860) was an American jurist from Kentucky. He served as the first chief justice of the Oregon Supreme Court in the Oregon Territory. United States President James K. Polk appointed Bryant, of Indiana, to the court once the Oregon Territory was established in 1848. In Indiana he served in both houses of the Indiana General Assembly and was a county judge. Bryant also fought in the Black Hawk War against Native Americans.

Bryant was born on August 3, 1806, in Mercer County, Kentucky.^[1] He grew up there and left home at age 18 after his mother had died when he was young and could no longer tolerate his father's religious upbringing.^[1] In 1825, Bryant moved to Rockville, Indiana, where he would fight in the Black Hawk War and begin practicing law.^[1] After the war he served in the Indiana House of Representatives from 1831 to 1836, followed by serving in the Indiana State Senate from 1836 until 1839.^[1]

Bryant started a law practice in 1840 with General T. A. Howard, and later served as a circuit court judge for Rockville.^[1] After changing political party affiliations from Whig to Democrat, he was appointed by United States President James K. Polk to serve as chief justice of the three member Oregon Supreme Court.^[1] Bryant was appointed on August 14, 1848, the same day the new Oregon Territory was created.^[1] He migrated to the territory in 1849, arriving April 9.^[2]

Oregon

While in Oregon, Bryant purchased an island and milling operation from George Abernethy in the Willamette River called Abernethy's Island.^[2] However, the island near Oregon City was previously claimed by Doctor John McLoughlin.^[2] Later this became an issue between McLoughlin and Samuel R. Thurston.^[2] Thurston had worked the Donation Land Claim Act in Congress to exclude McLoughlin's claim to Oregon City and the island.^[2]

Oregon Supreme Court

On August 14, 1848, Bryant was nominated by President Polk to be "chief justice of the supreme court of the United States for the Territory of Oregon" and was subsequently unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate.^[3] He held his first session of court on August 20, 1849, in Oregon City.^[1]

As the only federal judge in the territory, Bryant presided over the first criminal trial in what is now the state of Washington in 1849.^[4] At that time the Oregon Territory encompassed all of present states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and parts of Montana and Wyoming. On May 1, 1849, a group of roughly 100 Snoqualmie and Skewahamish tribesmen showed up at Fort Nisqually.^[4] Fort Nisqually at this time was a fur trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company. The Native Americans were not there to attack, but eventually an American named Leander Wallace was killed by the natives.^[4]

Following the murder, U.S. troops were deployed and demanded the tribes turn over the killers.^[4] Only after giving the tribe's chief 80 blankets did they turn over anyone.^[4] These six Snoqualmies were charged with murder and Justice Bryant began the trial on October 1, 1849, at Fort Steilacoom after a grand jury returned indictments for all six.^[4] The outcome was that two, Kussus and Quallalwowt, were convicted of the murder and sentenced to hanging on October 2.^[4] On October 3, the two were hanged by U.S. Marshal Joseph L. Meek.^[4] The total cost of the trial was $2,379.54, which included the cost of the 80 blankets.^[4] Former judge of the Provisional Government of Oregon and later justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, Alonzo A. Skinner was brought with Bryant to serve as the prosecutor.^[5]

The next year Chief Justice Bryant resigned from the court.^[6] His resignation was effective January 1, 1851.^[7]

v t e Pioneer history of Oregon (1806–1890)
Topics	American Fur Company Columbian exchange Executive Committee Ferries Hudson's Bay Company Oregon & California Railroad Oregon boundary dispute Oregon Country Oregon Lyceum Oregon missionaries Oregon Spectator Oregon Territory Oregon Trail Oregon Treaty Organic Laws Pacific Fur Company Provisional Government
Events	Treaty of 1818 Russo-American Treaty of 1824 Willamette Cattle Company Champoeg Meetings Star of Oregon Whitman massacre Cayuse War Donation Land Claim Act Holmes v. Ford Rogue River Wars Constitutional Convention Modoc War Great Gale of 1880
Places	Albina Applegate Trail Barlow Road Canemah Champoeg Elliott Cutoff Fort Astoria Fort Dalles Fort Vancouver Fort William French Prairie Linn City Meek Cutoff Methodist Mission Oregon City Oregon Institute Philip Foster Farm Thomas and Ruckle Road Tualatin Academy Whitman Mission Willamette Trading Post
People	George Abernethy Jesse Applegate Ira Babcock Sam Barlow François Blanchet William H. Boring Elijah Bristow Tabitha Brown Matthew Deady Abigail Scott Duniway Thomas Lamb Eliot Philip Foster Peter French Joseph Gale Cornelius Gilliam David Hill Chief Joseph Joseph Kellogg H.A.G. Lee Jason Lee David Thomas Lenox Asa Lovejoy Morton M. McCarver John McLoughlin Joseph Meek Ezra Meeker James D. Miller John Minto Robert Newell Joel Palmer Osborne Russell Sager orphans Levi Scott Eliza Hart Spalding Henry Spalding William Vandevert Elijah White Marcus Whitman Narcissa Whitman Geo. H. Williams Ewing Young
Transportation	Columbia Lot Whitcomb Canemah Colonel Wright Gazelle Oregon Steam Navigation Company
Oregon history	Native peoples history History to 1806 Pioneer history Modern history

William P. Bryant

Oregon

Oregon Supreme Court

Later years

References

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