Seth Lewelling
Lewelling in 1911
Born1820
South Carolina[1]
DiedFebruary 21, 1896(1896-02-21) (aged 75–76)
Milwaukie, Oregon
Other namesSeth Luelling
OccupationOrchardist
Known forDeveloped the Bing cherry

Seth Lewelling (1820 – February 21, 1896), alternatively spelled Luelling (including by Lewelling himself), was a pioneer orchardist from the U.S. state of Oregon, best known for developing the Bing cherry.[2] Born in 1820 in North Carolina as Seth Lewelling, he used the spelling Luelling for part of his life but returned to Lewelling in his later years.

Career

Lewelling's house, at 10966 McLoughlin Blvd., was demolished in 1940, and is now the site of a gas station.[3]

His brother Henderson Luelling (who retained the original spelling of his family's name throughout his life) came to Oregon from Iowa in 1847, bringing fruit trees in his wagon.[2] He established an orchard in Milwaukie, and Seth and their brother John came to Oregon and joined the business in 1847.[2] Seth became the sole owner of the business in 1857 and developed many new varieties of cherries, rhubarb, grapes, and golden prunes.[2] Among the cherries he developed were the Lincoln and the Black Republican.[2] In 1875, he developed the Bing cherry, the most produced sweet cherry cultivar in the United States.[1][4][5] The Bing Cherry was developed by Lewelling and his Manchurian Chinese foreman, Ah Bing, whom which the cherry is named for.[6]

Political involvement

As the names he gave to his Lincoln and Black Republican cherries might indicate, Lewelling was also involved in the founding of the Oregon Republican Party.[2]

The Lewellings played an important role in Oregon's movement for Initiative and Referendum.[7] In 1892, William S. U'Ren, then a young man, suffered a severe asthma attack, and called upon the Lewellings, who took him into their home and nursed him back to health. They had an abiding interest in political reform, and U'Ren found his life's calling through the discussions at their home; he went on to establish the initiative and referendum system, among other populist reforms.[8]

Death

Lewelling suffered a paralyzing stroke on July 1, 1895, and died at his home in Milwaukie on February 21, 1896.[1]

Legacy

Seth Lewelling is one of the 158 names of people important to Oregon's history that are painted in the House and Senate chambers of the Oregon State Capitol.[2] Lewelling's name is in the Senate chamber. Seth Lewelling Elementary School and the Lewelling neighborhood in Milwaukie are named for him.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "A Noted Pioneer Gone". Oregon City Enterprise. February 21, 1896. p. 3.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Cogswell Jr., Philip (1977). Capitol Names: Individuals Woven Into Oregon's History. Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society. p. 13.
  3. ↑ "Milwaukie History Series Articles".
  4. ↑ Peg Herring, Bing cherries are an American favorite. But who was Bing?, Oregon Progress, Oregon State University Agricultural Experiment Station, Fall 2009.
  5. ↑ Fancher Creek Nurseries; Roeding, George Christian (1906). Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection [Catalogue]. National Agricultural Library U. S. Department of Agriculture. Fresno, Calif. : George C. Roeding. p. 24.
  6. ↑ "Oregon State University". Oregon State University. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  7. ↑ The Initiative and Referendum and how Oregon got them, by Burton J. Hendrick
  8. ↑ Keane, John (2009). The Life and Death of Democracy. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1847377609., This quote was written by Seth's wife Sophronia
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