Papers belonging to John Wesley North, American pioneer, lawyer, politician, and industrialist.

John Wesley North (1815-1890) was a lawyer, politician, industrialist, and pioneer. He graduated from Wesleyan University and first practiced law in New York; he later practiced in Minnesota, Nevada and California. He married Ann Hendrix Loomis of Dewitt, New York; they had six children. North was appointed surveyor general in 1861 and associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Nevada in 1862 by President Abraham Lincoln. He was instrumental in the settlement of Minneapolis in 1849 and Northfield, Minnesota in 1855, and Washoe City, Nevada in 1861. North moved his family to Knoxville, Tennessee in 1869 to pursue business opportunities and social reform. Then in 1870, he established the colony of Riverside, California and organized the Southern California Colony Association. North also practiced law in San Francisco and later promoted the founding of Oleander, near Fresno, California, where he died in 1890.

18.67 Linear Feet (24 boxes, 2 volumes, 1 envelope, 2 oversize folders)

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