Thomas J Dryer : Ask Biography

Personal data

Date of birth

January 10, 1808

Place of birth

Ulster County, New York

Date of death

March 30, 1879

Place of death

Oregon

Political party

Whig Party

Occupation

Newspaper publisher

Member of the Oregon Territorial Legislature

In office

1856 - 1856

Constituency

Washington and Multnomah counties

Member of the Oregon Constitutional Convention

In office

1857 - 1857

Constituency

Washington and Multnomah counties

Home | Office Holder | Thomas J Dryer

Thomas Jefferson Dryer (1808 � 1879) was a newspaper publisher, Freemason, mountain climber, and politician in the Western United States.

He was born on January 10, 1808, in Ulster County, New York. Dryer founded the Weekly Oregonian, which has survived as the daily Oregonian, and served as its publisher. He was also the editor of the California Courier in San Francisco, California.

Dryer made the first documented ascent of Mount St. Helens on August 27, 1853, with three companions. He has also been reported as the first to climb Mount Hood, on August 8, 1854; those reports have been disputed. In 1856, Dryer served in the Territorial Legislature representing Multnomah and Washington Counties as a Whig. The following year, he was elected and served at the Oregon Constitutional Convention.

Dryer was appointed U.S. Commissioner to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1861 by President Abraham Lincoln, through the influence of Senator Edward Baker. Dryer was buried at Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland.

Thomas J. Dryer

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