George E. Cole 1826-1906
George Edward Cole was an early Pacific Northwest pioneer and politician who arrived in Oregon in 1850 and quickly became deeply involved in the region's developing governance and infrastructure. After relocating to neighboring Washington Territory, he served as its Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 to 1865, and was subsequently appointed as the Territorial Governor of Washington by President Andrew Johnson. Following his gubernatorial tenure, Cole returned to Oregon to serve as the postmaster of Portland and later as the clerk of the United States District Court, cementing his legacy as a dedicated public servant across multiple Pacific Northwest territories.
George Edward Cole was an American politician. He is remembered as the 6th Governor and 5th Delegate from the Territory of Washington.
Biographical Overview
- Lived from 1826 to 1906
- Born: Dec 23, 1826, Covert, New York
- Died: Dec 3, 1906, Portland, Oregon
Historical Events
- No referenced events linked
Bibliography for George E. Cole
A listing of books related by subject
Early Oregon : jottings of personal recollections of a pioneer of 1850 by George E. Cole
Authored by early pioneer and future territorial governor George E. Cole, Early Oregon: Jottings of Personal Recollections of a Pioneer of 1850 provides a firsthand memoir of the grueling overland migration and the nascent civic formation of the Pacific Northwest. The book chronicles Cole's arduous journey across the plains and his subsequent immersion into the turbulent economic, social, and political landscape of the early Oregon Territory. Through unvarnished personal anecdotes and biographical sketches of prominent fellow settlers, the text offers a valuable primary source lens detailing the region's rapid transition from a rugged frontier to an organized society. A keen insight drawn from the work is how the shared trauma and logistical hurdles of overland migration forged enduring, tight-knit political networks; by relying on personal alliances cemented during the grueling 1850 crossing, early pioneers successfully translated their trail-forged bonds directly into the foundational legislative and economic power structures of the new territory.
95 pages : frontispiece (portrait) ; 20 cm
ONLINE Circulation [ 1 ]
Entry Details
Related Online Resources
- No external online resources or related links found
Last updated: 2026-09-30