Cornelius C. Beekman

Cornelius C. Beekman (January 27, 1828 – February 22, 1915) was a Wells-Fargo Express agent and banker in Jacksonville, Oregon, United States. He is the namesake of the Cornelius C. Beekman House and the Beekman Native Plant Arboretum.

Early life Beekman was born in 1828 in Dundee, New York, to parents Benjamin Beekman and Lydia Compton. The elder Beekman trained his son to be a carpenter. Beekman attended public school in Yates County and remained in the area until 1850.

Career In 1853, Beekman became a delivery rider for Cram, Rogers & Co., and he rode a trail through the Siskiyou Mountains two or three times a week carrying gold dust, letters, and parcels between Yreka, California, and Jacksonville, Oregon. He relocated to Jacksonville in that year, and when Cram Rogers failed in 1856, he opened the Beekman Express Company and continued along the same route.

For a time, Beekman was paid five percent of the estimated value of the gold dust he transported, and the gold dust amounted to more than $15,000,000 over the duration of his service. Beekman also received one dollar for each letter and newspaper he transported.

Philanthropy Beekman served as a regent of the University of Oregon, and with Henry Failing he established there the Failing-Beekman Prize in 1880 for best oration at the time of graduation.

Beekman helped to found the First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville. He helped to establish the community of Medford, Oregon as one of the four property owners of the original town site.