The False Alienage Scandal
Republican gubernatorial candidate John H. McGraw fends off rumors he is a foreign-born citizen.
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.
The ridiculously false story that John H. McGraw is an alien, which was first printed in the Olympia Tribune, was revived by the Tacoma Ledger. The story alleged that McGraw was born in New Brunswick and not a naturalized citizen. McGraw explicitly denied this, stating, 'I am a native of Barker plantation, Penobscot county, Maine, and I was born there on October 4, 1850.' He further noted that he held office as a justice of the peace in Maine and served as sheriff of King County for eight years, noting his citizenship was never questioned.
“The story is so ridiculous that it needs no denial.”
Political 'birtherism' or citizenship attacks are a persistent trope in American elections. John McGraw went on to win the governorship, suggesting that even in the 1890s, smear campaigns were a standard part of the Washington political landscape.
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