Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of OregonHolman, Frederick V.
History
Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon
Holman, Frederick V.
McLoughlin, John, 1784-1857; Oregon Territory -- History
In addition to opinions of Dr. McLoughlin set forth in the address, I
here set forth excerpts from other opinions, given by some of his
contemporaries. I have selected these out of many high opinions and
eulogies upon Dr. McLoughlin.
Judge Matthew P. Deady, in an address before the Oregon Pioneer
Association, in 1876, said:[71] "Dr. John McLoughlin was Chief Factor of
the Company [Hudson's Bay Company] west of the Rocky mountains, from
1824 to 1845, when he resigned the position and settled at Oregon City,
where he died in 1857, full of years and honor.... Although, as an
officer of the Company, his duty and interest required that he should
prefer it to the American immigrant or missionary, yet at the call of
humanity, he always forgot all special interests, and was ever ready to
help and succor the needy and unfortunate of whatever creed or clime.
"Had he but turned his back upon the early missionary or settler and
left them to shift for themselves, the occupation of the country by
Americans would have been seriously retarded, and attended with much
greater hardship and suffering than it was. For at least a quarter of a
century McLoughlin was a grand and potent figure in the affairs of the
Pacific slope.... But he has long since gone to his rest. Peace to his
ashes! Yet the good deeds done in the body are a lasting monument to his
memory, and shall in due time cause his name to be written in letters of
gold in Oregon history."
Governor Peter H. Burnett, from whose "Recollections and Opinions of An
Old Pioneer," I have already quoted, also said in that book (pp. 143,
144): "Dr. John McLoughlin was one of the greatest and most noble
philanthropists I ever knew. He was a man of superior ability, just in
all his dealings, and a faithful Christian. I never knew a man of the
world who was more admirable. I never heard him utter a vicious
sentiment, or applaud a wrongful act. His views and acts were formed
upon the model of the Christian gentleman. He was a superior business
man, and a profound judge of human nature.... In his position of Chief
Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company he had grievous responsibilities
imposed upon him. He stood between the absent directors and stockholders
of the Company and the present suffering immigrants. He witnessed their
sufferings; they did not. He was unjustly blamed by many of both
parties. It was not the business of the Company to deal upon credit; and
the manager of its affairs in Oregon was suddenly thrown into a new and
very embarrassing position. How to act, so as to secure the approbation
of the directors and stockholders in England, and at the same time not
to disregard the most urgent calls of humanity, was indeed the great
difficulty. No possible line of conduct could have escaped censure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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