Thomas J. Dryer

Who was Thomas J. Dryer?

Thomas Jefferson Dryer was a newspaper publisher, Freemason, mountain climber, and politician in the Western United States.

He was born on January 10, 1808, in Ulster County, New York. Dryer founded the Weekly Oregonian, which has survived as the daily Oregonian, and served as its publisher. He was also the editor of the California Courier in San Francisco, California.

Dryer made the first documented ascent of Mount St. Helens on August 27, 1853, with three companions. He has also been reported as the first to climb Mount Hood, on August 8, 1854; those reports have been disputed. In 1856, Dryer served in the Territorial Legislature representing Multnomah and Washington Counties as a Whig. The following year, he was elected and served at the Oregon Constitutional Convention.

Dryer became a Republican and supported Abraham Lincoln in the election of 1860. Dryer was appointed U.S. Commissioner to the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1861 by President Abraham Lincoln, through the influence of Senator Edward Baker. Dryer was buried at Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland.