Lucien Heath

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Lucien Heath

Lucien Heath (* 1819 near Buffalo , New York , † December 1888 ) was an American farmer, trader and politician .

Early years

Lucien Heath, son of a trader, was born in Erie County, New York , in 1819 and spent his childhood there. The family then moved to Michigan during his teens . The following years were overshadowed by the economic crisis of 1837 and the subsequent Mexican-American War . In 1849 he married Jane Edwards of Ohio . The couple had two sons and a daughter. In 1852 the family, consisting of Lucien and his wife Jane and their sons Henry and Frank, moved over the Oregon Trail to the Oregon Territory . Her daughter Lina had died before they left.

The Heath family settled in Polk County , part of the Willamette Valley , where they ran a farm. In 1854, Heath was appointed clerk at the Territorial Court . He later became a trustee at La Creole Academy , which opened in Dallas, Polk County in 1856 . Heath was a Polk County clerk. After moving to Salem ( Marion County moved), he worked as a trader. He also worked as the Recording Secretary for the State Agricultural Society in Marion County. In this role, he became the first finance secretary for the Oregon State Fair , which continues to this day in Oregon City .

Political career

In 1858 he was elected Secretary of State as a Democrat . His election came before Oregon was admitted to the Union . Oregon became a state on February 14, 1859. The news of this did not reach Oregon until a few weeks later. Heath took up his post on March 3, 1859. He replaced the Territorial Secretary Benjamin F. Harding . Heath moved to Salem and held the post until he left office on September 8, 1862. He was also mayor of Salem, capital of Oregon, in 1861. He then served as a clerk at the Oregon Supreme Court from 1862 to 1864 . The civil war overshadowed these years. Heath later moved to California and settled there in Santa Cruz County . He then served two terms as a Republican in the California State Assembly . His first election was in November 1882 and he was re-elected in 1884. Both times he represented the 50th district.

Late years

After the Civil War ended, Heath and his family moved south to California in 1866, where they ran a farm in Santa Cruz County. He was also there as a hardware merchant and president of the Santa Cruz County Bank. The hardware store was on Pacific Avenue in Santa Cruz . Part owner was John Byrne. Heath later entered the real estate business as a partner with Samuel Drennan. Lucien Heath died in December 1888 at the age of 69 on a business trip to the east coast of the United States and was then buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Santa Cruz.

His brother Albert was a captain in the Union Army during the Civil War, his son Frank was a landscape painter while the other son Henry followed in his father's footsteps as a merchant.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h Edward Sanford Harrison: History of Santa Cruz County, California . Edward Sanford Harrison, 1892, p. 310.
  2. ^ A b c d Margaret Koch: Artists Frank and Lillian Heath. Local History, Santa Cruz Public Libraries
  3. ^ A b c d Howard M. Corning: Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1989, p. 110.
  4. ^ Oregon Secretaries of State Biographical Sketches, 1841-Present . Oregon Blue Book
  5. ^ A b c Secretaries of State of Oregon . Oregon Blue Book
  6. ↑ George Strozuts: Salem Online History: City of Salem Mayors. Salem Public Library
  7. ^ Election history for the State of California: Lucien Heath . JoinCalifornia
personal data
SURNAME Heath, Lucien
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American farmer, trader and politician
DATE OF BIRTH 1819
PLACE OF BIRTH near Buffalo , New York
DATE OF DEATH December 1888