The Man Who Would Be King of the North
President Harrison appoints Seattle’s Cornelius H. Hanford as Chief Justice of Washington Territory, cementing his role in the region's legal and political future.
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.
WASHINGTON, March 12.—The president has sent the following nominations to the senate: Arthur C. Millette, Watertown, Dak., governor of Dakota; Luther B. Richardson, Grand Forks, Dak., secretary of Dakota; Cornelius H. Hanford of Washington, chief justice of the supreme court of Washington; George W. Irwin of Montana, United States marshal for Montana; Shirley H. Chambers, United States attorney for Indiana; George S. Ratcliff of New York, as assistant secretary of the treasury; Albert G. Porter of Indiana minister to Italy; John A. Enander of Illinois, consul-general to Denmark.
The senate this afternoon confirmed the following nominations: Thomas W. Palmer, of Michigan, minister to Spain; John F. Swift, of Japan; John E. Washburn, of Massachusetts, consul-general to Switzerland; Geo. C. Tichenor, of Illinois, assistant secretary of the treasury.
Cornelius H. Hanford, nominated to be chief justice of Washington, is a resident of Seattle, where he has practiced law for years. He has been closely identified with territorial enterprises.
In 1889, Cornelius Hanford was appointed Chief Justice of the Washington Territory just months before statehood. His appointment highlights how federal patronage shaped local leadership during the transition from territory to state. Today, we still see the enduring impact of early legal figures who defined the boundaries and laws of our region.
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