John D. Boon
John Daniel Boon (January 8, 1817 – July 17, 1864) was an American merchant and politician in what became the state of Oregon. A native of Ohio, he immigrated to the Oregon Country where he farmed and later operated a general store. A Democrat, he served as the Treasurer of the Oregon Territory and was the first Oregon State Treasurer. His former home and store are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Early life John Boon was born and raised in Athens, Ohio on January 8, 1817. In Ohio he was a member of the Baptist church, and in 1842 he joined the Wesleyan denomination of the Methodist Episcopal Church and trained as a minister. Boon married Martha J. Hawkins and they had seven children together. In 1845, the family moved to the Oregon Country where he settled in the Willamette Valley. In Oregon he farmed and worked at Lewis H. Judson's sawmill (formerly the Methodist Mission's sawmill) the before opening a mercantile in Salem. As a minister he married later Senator James Nesmith to Pauline Goff in 1845. Political career In 1846, Boon served a term in the Provisional Legislature of Oregon, representing Polk County. While