The Governor Who Didn't Know He Was in Charge
Lieutenant-Governor W. Lon Johnson spent his weekend in Seattle completely unaware that he had been Washington’s acting governor for two hours.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Lieutenant-Governor W. Lon Johnson was acting governor for the first time within three weeks of being sworn in, but he didn’t know it. It is true it was for only two hours, but he was the head of the state at that. On a Sunday morning, Governor Hartley went across the Oregon line to visit a Shrine hospital for crippled children for a two-hour visit and wired Johnson of the fact. The telegraph company could not locate Johnson, who had left Olympia for a weekend visit to Seattle. He did not receive the message until his return to the capital city on Monday morning.
“It is true it was for only two hours but he was the head of the state at that.”
In an era before constant digital connectivity, the reins of state power were literally tied to a telegraph line. This moment highlights the fragility of civic administration when communication delays could effectively 'ghost' the person next in line for the governorship.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.