Asahel Bush papers , 1850-1913

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Bush, Asahel, 1824-1913
Title
Asahel Bush papers
Dates
1850-1913 (inclusive)
Quantity
1 linear feet, (2 containers)  :  2 manuscript boxes
Collection Number
Ax 184
Summary
Asahel Bush (1824-1913) was a prominent early Oregon citizen who worked as a printer, was the founder and editor of the Oregon Statesman newspaper, and was a banker. The collection (1850-1914) contains photostat copies of correspondence.
Repository
University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Historical NoteReturn to Top

"Born in 1824 in Massachusetts, Asahel Bush (1824-1913) apprenticed as a printer in Saratoga Springs, New York, at age 17. From there he moved back to Massachusetts and studied law. In 1850 Bush came to Oregon by boat after crossing the Isthmus of Panama by train and donkey. After arriving in Portland, Bush decided to move to Oregon City, then the largest city in the territory.

Bush established the Oregon Statesman newspaper in Oregon City, in 1851, after his printing press arrived from the East. He moved the paper to Salem when it became the territorial capital in 1853.

As editor of the Statesman, he gave voice to the Democratic Party. Bush was visibly racist and defended slavery, but he also condemned Southern secession and supported the Union during the Civil War. Bush was active in politics as a member of an influential group of Salem Democrats which favored the location of the territorial capital in Salem and favored the prohibition of slavery in Oregon. He was the official territorial printer, a member (and one time chair) of the Democratic state central committee, and delegate to the 1892 Democratic National Convention. Bush was also a regent of the University of Oregon and a trustee of Willamette University.

During the 1850s[...] Asahel Bush's vitriolic editorials earned him the derisive nickname "Bushy Bush" and the enmity of rival editor Thomas Jefferson Dryer of Portland's Oregonian.

After selling the Statesman in 1861, Bush co-founded the Ladd and Bush Bank with William S. Ladd in 1867. In 1877 he bought his partner's share and became sole owner of the bank.

He married Eugenia Zieber in 1854. The two had four children before Eugenia died of tuberculosis in 1863. Asahel died in 1913.

The "Bush House" in Salem, Oregon is now a museum."

[Source: Oregon Historical Society]

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection contains photostat copies of correspondence.

Incoming and outgoing correspondence is mixed together, and letters are arranged by date, 1850-1914.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • American newspapers--Oregon--Oregon City
  • American newspapers--Oregon--Salem
  • Newspaper editors--Oregon--Salem
  • Newspaper publishing--Oregon--Salem
  • Pioneers--Oregon Territory
  • Pioneers--Oregon--Salem
  • Press and politics--Oregon
  • Printers--Oregon Territory
  • Printers--Oregon--Salem

Personal Names

  • Bush, Asahel, 1824-1913

Corporate Names

  • Democratic Party (Or.)
  • Oregon Statesman (Salem, Or.)
  • Statesman Pub. Co

Geographical Names

  • Oregon Territory--Politics and government
  • Oregon--Politics and government--1859-1950

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence
  • Photocopies