Matthew P. Deady diary and letters

Matthew Paul Deady (1824-1893) was a lawyer, politician, and judge in the Oregon Territory. Deady became Oregon's first U.S. District Court judge in 1859, a position he retained until his death. Deady, the oldest of five children, was born in Talbot County, Maryland on May 12, 1824. He studied law with William Kennon, Sr. and earned admission to the Ohio State Bar in 1847. In 1849 he moved to Oregon Territory and began practicing law; in 1850 he won election to the territorial legislature and in 1853 was appointed to the territorial supreme court by President Franklin Pierce in 1853. Deady was elected president of the 1857 convention to frame a state constitution; during the convention he defended slavery and the next year ran for state supreme court on a pro-slavery ticket. He won the election but accepted an appointment by President James Buchanan to the federal bench. Deady championed higher salaries for judges; indeed, he found his own salary insufficient and became a correspondent for the San Francisco Bulletin in 1863. He also served on the University of Oregon Board of Regents for 20 years; the University's first building, Deady Hall, was named for him in 1876. Deady's health began to fail in the summer of 1892; he died on March 24, 1893." [Source: Oregon Encyclopedia]