William H. Willson

William Holden Willson (April 14, 1805 – April 17, 1856) was a pioneer of the U.S. state of Oregon and the founder of its capital city, Salem. A native of New Hampshire, he immigrated to the Oregon Country in 1837 to work at the Methodist Mission, and there would participate in the Champoeg Meetings. Willson served as the first treasurer of the Provisional Government of Oregon.

Early life William Willson was born on April 14, 1805, in the state of New Hampshire. On the East Coast of the United States he worked as a whaler, a cooper, and as a carpenter on a ship. Willson was recruited to work at the Methodist Mission founded by the Reverend Jason Lee in the Willamette Valley as a layperson. They had three children. In 1844, he was wounded in the Cockstock Incident. In 1845, he was elected as the president of the bench in the Champoeg District. Willson owned a bookstore in Salem at one time, and when his daughter Frances married Joseph K. Gill in 1866, Gill took over the store. The land he donated for a park in Salem is located next to the Oregon State Capitol and was named Willson Park in his honor.