Early Life
John Whiteaker was born in Dearborn County in the southeast corner of Indiana to farmers on May 4, 1820. His parents were John and Nancy (née Smales), and he had four siblings. Growing up he only spent six months of formal schooling and as a result, was almost entirely self-educated. Before moving west, he had performed odd jobs, carpentry, and volunteered for military service during the Mexican War, although his unit was never called into battle.
On August 22, 1847, he married Nancy Jane Hargrave and they had six children. In 1849, he joined the California Gold Rush, earning enough to move his family to Oregon. After arriving in Oregon in 1852, he settled the family on a farm in the southern portion of the Willamette Valley in Lane County. There he became active in Democratic Party activities, and was elected to office first as judge of the Probate Court for Lane County in 1856. Whiteaker then was elected as a legislator in the Territorial Legislature in 1857 representing Lane County in the House of Representatives.
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