Asa Lovejoy

Asa Lovejoy, along with William Overton, was the first person to make the Donation Land Claim in the original Portland townsite (itself now part of Old Town/Chinatown). It was Overton that suggested that the location was ideal, but didn't have the money to cover the fifty-cent filing fee. Lovejoy, a lawyer from Boston who was residing in Oregon City at the time, made the claim and the two men shared joint ownership until Overton traded his share to Francis Pettygrove.