George Abernethy (The Oregon Country)

George Abernethy (October 7, 1807 – March 2, 1877) was an American Methodist missionary, entrepreneur, and a candidate for the first Governor of Oregon, which he lost to John McLoughlin. He is notable for founding the Oregon Spectator, the first newspaper printed west of the Rocky Mountains, and continues to be Oregon's primary newspaper, and minting the forerunners to the modern currency of Oregon. Abernethy died in West Boston, Oregon on March 2, 1877, and the Vancouver Convention Center bears his name, among several streams, schools, and bridges.