Celebrating George Bush, Black American Farmer of the PNW

Last week, Washington State University announced that it would name its newest variety of spring wheat after George Bush and his son William Owen Bush. The wheat variety, "Bush soft white spring wheat," is a high yield spring wheat just released this year.

Who was George Bush?

Not to be confused with former Presidents of the United States, George Washington Bush was born in Pennsylvania circa 1779, the son of a free African American and an Irish maid. George moved to Illinois around 1799 and entered the cattle business, served in the War of 1812 then moved to Missouri in 1820 to continue his business on new land.

A dream deferred in Oregon

Feeling the pressure of racism, the Bush family packed up in 1844 and headed west for new opportunities. Their destination: Oregon. However, upon arriving, the Bushes found they were not welcome. Don Trosper, Public History Manager with the Olympia Tumwater Foundation, told KUOW:

... the word that came back is that they hadn't escaped racism at all, because the Americans on the American side of the river made an ordinance that any people of color who tried to settle there would get periodic whippings.

Not to be dissuaded from their dreams, the Bushes turned northward, to the British side of the Columbia River, eventually settling the town of Tumwater, Washington.

A founding farmer of the PNW

The story of the Bush family is long, but his legacy is longer. Bush Prarie continued to exist into the 20th century. William Owen Bush, George's son, was the first black person to serve in the Washington Legislature and was known for his wheat on a national level.

So much is owed to the care, determination, and fortitude of the Bush family: from Washington State's foundational laws, to the founding of Tumwater, to remarkable wheat farming that established the PNW as a provider of winter and spring wheat. WSU's new wheat strain is only a small nod to the great legacy we should all seek to honor in the Pacific Northwest.