166- John H. McGraw

The History Of The Evergreen State

In 1892, John H. McGraw was elected as the second governor of the Evergreen State. At the age of 26, he traveled from Maine to Seattle in the 1870s and found employment as an Occidental Hotel clerk.
His career in politics, business, and law enforcement in the Pacific Northwest began when he enlisted in Seattle's small police department. His path took him from chief of police to sheriff of King County; in 1886, he was involved in the anti-Chinese riots.
He then pursued his legal studies and was quite quickly a Republican candidate for governor. During his tenure as governor, he backed both the Lake Washington Ship Canal Project and the University of Washington.
He participated in the 1897 gold rush after serving as governor, then after failing to strike it rich, though his health made a drastic upturn, he went back to Seattle and entered the real estate market.
Listen now to learn more about one of Washington's most interesting governors!
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