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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1888 | 12 |
| 1889 | 26 |
| 1891 | 17 |
| 1892 | 58 |
| 1893 | 44 |
| 1894 | 48 |
| 1895 | 16 |
221 stories matching governor
- Seattle Lost the Ship Canal Fight in One Olympia Night
The 1892 Democratic state convention rejected the Lake Washington ship canal, humiliated King County's delegates and nominated Henry J. Snively for governor — setting off a political feud over Seattle's waterfront future.
- One Day Late: The Veto That May Hang a Man
A clerk's date stamp, a messenger who cannot recall which day he ran an errand, and a condemned Italian at Tacoma whose last chance at a new appeal may have expired in the paperwork.
- The State’s Office is a ‘Sailor’s Boarding House’: Olympia’s Desperate Search for a Capitol
With state officers scattered across the city in “miserably-ventilated” rooms and valuable records stored in sheds, Representative Collins introduces a bill to erect a temporary building on business property.
- The Governor Who Stood Between Corporations and the Workingman
When railroads threatened to use militia to break a strike in 1873, Governor Elisha Ferry refused to deploy state power until the laborers were paid, carving out a legendary reputation for fairness.
- The Governor Tells Olympia to Tighten Its Belt
In 1895, Governor McGraw used his message to demand retrenchment, railroad reform and a quick end to the U.S. Senate fight so lawmakers could get to the people's business.
- The Surprise Nomination of a Seattle Banker
John H. McGraw reluctantly accepts the Republican nomination for governor after King County delegates refuse to let him withdraw—selling a self-made banker as the antidote to ward politics.
- The Governor’s Dilemma: Can Washington Skip Congress to Become a State?
Territory’s top lawyers clash over whether the Governor can unilaterally call a constitutional convention to bypass federal delays in statehood.
- Aftermath of the Roslyn Mine Explosion
As families bury their dead in double-funerals, the Governor orders a strict investigation into the safety and ventilation failures that caused the catastrophe.
- Deadlock in Olympia: A Governor Says No and the Senate Seat Stays Empty
Governor McGraw refuses a U.S. Senate seat, George Turner is pushed forward, and Ankeny's backers dig in as Populists threaten to break the deadlock.
- The Governor’s Dilemma: The Hand-Me-Down Prison
When Washington became a state, the federal government tried to offload the McNeil Island Penitentiary and its prisoners to state control—but Governor Elisha Ferry wasn't having it.
- John H. McGraw Inaugurated as Governor
In an ceremony marked by fair skies, John H. McGraw assumes the governorship of Washington, succeeding Elisha P. Ferry.
- The Integrity of John Kinnear: A Political Exit
After two terms in the legislature and a key role in the constitutional convention, one of King County’s most popular Republicans bows out of the governor’s race to keep the peace.
- A Governor Says Order First, Arbitration Later
From Seattle, Washington’s governor endorses Cleveland’s Pullman strike crackdown and argues arbitration must wait until the law is obeyed.
- Capitol Commission Infighting Leads to Firing
Governor McGraw removes John McBeavy from the state capitol commission following a volatile dispute over the selection of architectural plans.
- The Senatorial Deadlock
A bitter, weeks-long political war at the state capital reaches a boiling point as George Turner accuses Governor McGraw of leaking a private negotiation.
- The Governor and the 'Commonweal' Marchers
A scathing look at the politics of 'passing the buck' as governors react to the roving industrial armies of the 1894 depression.
- The Fight to Keep Cheney Normal School Open
Students petition Governor McGraw to honor their contract with the state after the institution faces closure due to budget cuts.
- A Militia Camp Kickback Scandal Ends in a Fistfight
Tom Box, the Tacoma concessionaire at Camp McGraw, was reduced to the ranks after admitting he lied about paying for exclusive camp privileges — then he called Gen. Curry a liar and took a punch in O'Brien's office.
- Seattle Democrats Bolt Their Own Party Over the Lake Washington Canal
Furious that the state convention caved to Pierce County and denounced the Lake Washington canal, King County Democrats vow to vote the Republican ticket — and to knife their own party from top to bottom.
- The Prohibition Party Names a Full Ticket — and a Woman-Suffrage Lawyer for Governor
Meeting in Tacoma, Washington’s Prohibitionists nominated Judge Roger S. Greene and adopted a platform demanding national prohibition, votes for women, labor arbitration and a Saturday half-holiday.
- The Governor Candidate and the Orphans' Trust
A Democratic nominee for governor was accused of holding back a dead father's trust fund while spending money on coal land and election expenses.
- The Governor Who Wasn't: How a Walla Walla Businessman Became Washington's First Territorial Governor
In March 1889, President Harrison appointed Miles Moore to steer the territory toward statehood, bypassing Eastern political machines in favor of local 'home rule.'
- The 'Dude' Who Would Be Governor
Seattle society gossip roils as the city's political elite take aim at Colonel James Hamilton Lewis, a man whose refined dress is branded a disqualifying scandal.
- The Sheriff Who Would Be Governor
A political endorsement of John H. McGraw, framing his tenure as sheriff and his 'moral courage' as the ideal preparation for state leadership.
- The Inaugural Ball Power Play
A mayor's boast of political reconciliation backfires when the Governor refuses to share the spotlight.