Arthur Denny Recalls the 1865 Election
Thirty years after his election to Congress, the Seattle pioneer reflects on a campaign defined by the Civil War and the assassination of Lincoln.
Wednesday of last week, June 5, was the thirtieth anniversary of the election of Arthur A. Denny to the United States Congress as a delegate from Washington territory. Those were the closing days of the civil war, and the Union sentiment ran high in this territory. Mr. Denny, always a staunch Republican, headed what was known as the Union party, and carried the day over his opponent, Col. James Tilton, by a majority of 1,138 votes out of 3,564 cast, or nearly two to one. Mr. Denny, when seen at his residence yesterday, expressed himself as willing to give such information as he possessed. 'The canvass for my election was strictly on party lines, as between Unionists and secessionists. The war had then progressed four years, and everybody was tired of it and wanted it ended. The only thing that cast a deep gloom over that campaign, but which tended to intensify the feeling, was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, April 14, 1865. I was in Olympia at the time and heard the news the next day. Of course, the feeling was very bitter, but fortunately common sense prevailed and no violence took place in this territory.'
“The only thing that cast a deep gloom over that campaign, but which tended to intensify the feeling, was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.”
Arthur Denny, a foundational figure in Seattle history, provides a rare first-person account of how national political crises—specifically the Civil War—played out in the isolated territory of Washington. His reflection reminds us that Seattle's civic identity was forged in the crucible of national partisan conflict.
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