John T. Apperson

John T. Apperson (December 23, 1834 – April 3, 1917) was an American steamboat captain and military officer who also served in the Oregon Legislative Assembly. He was born in Christian County, Kentucky, son of Beverly Apperson and Jane Gilbert Tubbs. He was a steamboat captain and owner on the Willamette River in the 1850s. He served as a first lieutenant in Company "E" of the Oregon Cavalry during the American Civil War.

He was sheriff of Clackamas County. He served in the Oregon House of Representatives in 1870 and in the Oregon State Senate  from 1878 to 1881, but was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1882. In 1889, he served again in the Oregon House of Representatives, after being elected to a seat in 1888.

Steamboat owner
In 1861, Apperson built the steamboat Unio on the Willamette River at Canemah, Oregon and operated it from its launching in October 1861 to December of the same year, when Apperson sold the boat to another steamboat captain, James D. Miller. Despite having sold Unio to Miller, Apperson as of April 1862, held a position on the boat as clerk.

Death
Apperson died on April 3, 1917, at his home in the Park Place neighborhood of Oregon City, where he had resided with his wife, Mary Ann Elliott Apperson. He is buried at the Mountain View Cemetery, in Oregon City.