Dr. John McLoughlin, the Father of Oregon

The biography traces the life and career of a physician and Hudson's Bay Company chief who managed Fort Vancouver and provided critical aid to American settlers, missionaries, and immigrant parties in the Oregon Country. It outlines his family origins, interactions with French-Canadian settlers and Indigenous peoples, and his role during periods of joint-occupancy. The account examines land claims, naturalization issues, political attacks and congressional appeals that damaged his reputation, and the efforts to vindicate his legacy. The text is supplemented by letters, speeches, official documents, and contemporary opinions that illuminate his humanitarian actions, legal struggles, and the region’s turbulent transition in governance.