William Strong

William Strong (July 15, 1817 – April 10, 1887) was an American attorney and jurist in the Pacific Northwest. He was the 4th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court when the region was still the Oregon Territory. A native of Vermont, he settled in the Washington Territory after it was created in 1853 and served in the legislature of that territory and on the Washington Supreme Court. Later he returned to Oregon and settled in Portland.

Early life Strong was born on July 15, 1817, in St. Albans, Vermont to Laura Strong and Henry Pierce Strong, a preacher. He earned his primary education near the town of Rushville, New York, before entering Yale College (now university) at the age of seventeen. William graduated from Yale in 1838 and then began teaching while also studying law. His assigned district was the third, which covers all of modern Washington state where he served as a circuit riding trial level judge and as an appeals level justice. In 1853, when Washington Territory was formed out of the northern portion of the Oregon Territory, Strong became the sole judge in the territory until his term ended in November. While in the house he represented Wahkiakum County and made an unsuccessful bid for Congress. Strong served in the territorial legislature until 1858 when he was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court, serving until 1861. President James Buchanan appointed him to the post on the high court of the Washington Territory.

Personal life On the farm at Cathlamet the family built a log cabin in early 1851, and then a frame house that was completed in March 1853. At the farm Judge Strong purchased a Native American girl named Wahkeenah as a slave to assist his wife with household tasks. Once retired from public service, in December 1862 the Strong family moved to Portland, Oregon where William returned to private law practice. There he served as general counsel for the Oregon Steam Navigation Company until 1879 when the company was sold. Then in 1883 he retired from the legal profession. Eventually his sons took over his legal practice and William Strong died on April 10, 1887, in Portland.