Asa Lawrence Lovejoy (March 14, 1808 – September 10, 1882) was an American pioneer and politician in the region that would become the U.S. state of Oregon.

He was part owner of the Oregon Telegraph newspaper, and worked on railroad development in the Willamette Valley after leaving politics.

[2] After leaving Boston[4] he moved west to Missouri, but left the bottom lands of that state for the unorganized Oregon Country due to poor health.

He was part of a wagon train led by Elijah White[4] that arrived at the Whitman Mission in what is now eastern Washington State.

[3] In 1843, Lovejoy and traveling companion William Overton split a claim to a 640 acres (2.6 km2) tract along the Willamette River.

[4] The two would plat sixteen blocks of the town that year; Lovejoy later sold his stake to Benjamin Stark in 1845.

[3][9] In 1846, he was the last administrator of the Ewing Young estate, whose death had precipitated the formation of the Provisional Government of Oregon.

[11] Lovejoy ran for the newly created office of governor that replaced the Executive Committee in 1845 with the adoption of the Second Organic Laws of Oregon.

[3] Lovejoy was elected to the first session of this legislature, first serving in the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives.

He endured the adventures of the plains and mountains, and here—beside the Willamette chose and wisely developed the site of the greatest city of the Columbia valley, afterward holding many offices of public trust, and passing with the esteem of all.

[24] Lovejoy died on September 10, 1882, at the age of 74 and was buried in the Masonic section at Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland.