List of Governors of Idaho Territory

This list includes territorial governors appointed by the President of the United States between 1863 and 1889 who actually took office. Because several appointees were declared ineligible and never took office, and also because of the significant travel involved to Idaho Territory at the time, the territory was governed by interim administrations on several occasions.[1]

Idaho Territory was created from Dakota Territory, Nebraska Territory, and Washington Territory on March 4, 1863. Initially, the territory included all of modern-day Idaho and Montana, and most of Wyoming. On May 26, 1864, Montana Territory was split from Idaho Territory, and most of the Wyoming portion was reassigned to Dakota Territory. The portion east of the 111th meridian was split off as part of the new Wyoming Territory on July 25, 1868, giving Idaho Territory its final borders.[2]

Due to the long distance between Washington, D.C. and Boise, there was often a lengthy gap between a governor being appointed and his arrival in the territory; four resigned before even arriving.

Image Governor Took office Left office Appointed by Notes
William H. Wallace July 1863[3][4] December 1863[3] Abraham Lincoln Resigned. [lower-alpha 1]
Caleb Lyon August 1, 1864[3][4] April 1866[6] Abraham Lincoln
David W. Ballard June 14, 1866[7] July 1870[8] Andrew Johnson
Samuel Bard Appointed March 30, 1870[9] — Ulysses S. Grant Resigned without serving. [lower-alpha 2]
Gilman Marston Appointed June 7, 1870[9] — Ulysses S. Grant Resigned without serving. [lower-alpha 3]
Alexander H. Conner Appointed January 12, 1871[9] — Ulysses S. Grant Appointed, but declined the offer.[lower-alpha 4]
Thomas M. Bowen July 1871[10] August 15, 1871[10] Ulysses S. Grant Resigned. [lower-alpha 5]
Thomas W. Bennett December 1871[11] December 4, 1875[12] Ulysses S. Grant Resigned. [lower-alpha 6]
David P. Thompson April 1876[14] May 1876[14] Ulysses S. Grant Resigned. [lower-alpha 7]
Mason Brayman July 1876[15] July 24, 1880[16] Ulysses S. Grant Suspended in June 1878 pending appointment of Hoyt; allowed to serve remainder of term after Hoyt declined the appointment. [lower-alpha 8]
John P. Hoyt Appointed June 8, 1878[18]
Appointed August 7, 1878[19]		 — Rutherford B. Hayes Initial appointment overturned after Hoyt took too long to respond to the offer.
Second appointment declined by Hoyt. [lower-alpha 9]
John Baldwin Neil August 3, 1880[20] March 2, 1883[21] Rutherford B. Hayes
John N. Irwin April 1883[22] December 20, 1883[22] Chester A. Arthur Effectively resigned in July, 1883. [lower-alpha 10]
William M. Bunn June 26, 1884[24] July 3, 1885[25] Chester A. Arthur Resigned. [lower-alpha 11]
Edward A. Stevenson September 29, 1885[26] April 1, 1889[27] Grover Cleveland [lower-alpha 12]
George Laird Shoup April 30, 1889[28] July 3, 1890 Benjamin Harrison

Idaho Territory became the State of Idaho on July 3, 1890.

Notes

  1. ↑ Resigned to take an elected seat as delegate from Idaho Territory.[5]
  2. ↑ Appointed governor but resigned in April 1870 to become postmaster of Atlanta, Georgia, before arriving in Idaho.[8]
  3. ↑ Appointed governor but resigned in December 1870 before arriving in Idaho.[8]
  4. ↑ Appointed governor but declined the offer.[8]
  5. ↑ Upon arriving in Idaho, Bowen did not like the looks of the landscape, so he decided to stay only a few weeks.[10]
  6. ↑ Resigned to take an elected seat as delegate from Idaho Territory.[13]
  7. ↑ Thompson left Idaho in May 1876 to attend the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio. He resigned in Cincinnati after he learned federal officers couldn't hold government contracts.[14]
  8. ↑ Brayman was suspended by President Hayes on June 8, 1878 and John P. Hoyt was appointed Governor of Idaho. After Hoyt refused the appointment, Brayman was allowed to serve out the remainder of his term.[17]
  9. ↑ Appointed governor on June 8, 1878, but was rejected by the United States Senate for taking too long to respond to the offer. Appointed again on August 7, 1878, but declined the offer after researching the suspension of Governor Brayman. He ended up accepting a position on the Washington Territorial Supreme Court.[17]
  10. ↑ Irwin left Idaho Territory in May 1883, never to return. He returned his paychecks from July 1883 through December 1883 to the U.S. Treasury.[23]
  11. ↑ Bunn left Idaho on April 17, 1885 for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he subsequently resigned on July 3, 1885.[22]
  12. ↑ Stevenson was a resident of Idaho when President Cleveland called him to Washington, D.C. for an interview and to personally witness his appointment.[26]

References

  1. ↑ http://goodpoliticsradio.com/id/?page_id=494
  2. ↑ Brosnan, Cornelius James (1918). History of the State of Idaho. Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 117–128. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Limbaugh p. 47
  4. 1 2 Hailey p. 166
  5. ↑ "Wallace, William Henson". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  6. ↑ Limbaugh p. 65
  7. ↑ "Territorial Government in Idaho, 1863–1869" (PDF). Idaho State Historical Society. 1963. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Limbaugh p. 90
  9. 1 2 3 Hailey p. 165
  10. 1 2 3 Limbaugh p. 92
  11. ↑ Limbaugh p. 103
  12. ↑ Poore, Perley (1875). Congressional Directory. Washington D.C.: Congressional Printing Office. p. 71. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Bennett, Thomas Warren". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Clerk of the United States House of Representatives and Historian of the United States Senate. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  14. 1 2 3 Limbaugh p. 106
  15. ↑ Limbaugh p. 114
  16. ↑ Limbaugh p. 130
  17. 1 2 Limbaugh pp. 127–129
  18. ↑ "Territorial Governors who did not server" (PDF). Idaho State Historical Society. 1988. Retrieved September 24, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Executive Branch" (PDF). Idaho Bluebook. State of Idaho. pp. 70–71. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  20. ↑ Limbaugh p. 139
  21. ↑ Limbaugh p. 147
  22. 1 2 3 Limbaugh p. 148
  23. ↑ "Notes from Washington". The New York Times. December 28, 1883. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  24. ↑ Donaldson, Thomas (1941). Idaho of Yesterday. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Printers, Ltd. p. 271. OCLC 100976.
  25. ↑ "Resignation of Gov. Bunn". The New York Times. July 14, 1885. p. 4. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  26. 1 2 Limbaugh p. 172
  27. ↑ Limbaugh pp. 179–180
  28. ↑ Limbaugh p. 181
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