George Lemuel Woods

George Lemuel Woods (born July 30, 1832 in Boone County , Missouri , † January 7, 1890 in Portland , Oregon ) was an American politician . He served from 1866 to 1870 as the 3rd governor of the state of Oregon and between 1871 and 1874 as governor of the Utah Territory .

Early years

George Woods came to Yamhill County , Oregon with his parents in 1847 . There he attended local schools and later McMinnville College. During the California gold rush, young Woods also tried his luck in the gold fields. After studying law and being admitted to the bar, he practiced in Walla Walla in the Washington Territory .

Political rise

Woods was a founding member of the Republican Party in Oregon. In 1863 he became a judge in Wasco County . In 1864 he supported the presidential campaign of Abraham Lincoln and was one of its electors. The following year he was appointed to the Idaho Territory Supreme Court . In 1866 he was elected the third governor of his country as a candidate of his party.

Governor of Oregon

George Woods took up his new office on September 12, 1866. As governor, he built a railroad that would connect Portland with California . He was also one of the founders of the Oregon Central Railroad . In April 1867, Woods changed sides and supported a California railroad company, which sparked a heated discussion in Oregon. Woods supported plans to evict the Snake Indians from their area in favor of the white settlers, even if this was contrary to the policy of the Department of War in Washington. In 1868 the Democrats tried to remove him from office by a majority in the state parliament by contesting the validity of the election. The attempt was unsuccessful.

Governor of the Utah Territory

After the end of his governorship in Oregon in September 1870, he was appointed the new Territorial Governor of Utah by President Ulysses S. Grant . He held this office between 1871 and 1875. In Utah, he became an opponent of Brigham Young , one of the earliest Mormon leaders . That led to tension there. After his time in Utah was over, he was not reappointed in 1875.

Another résumé

The next decade was Woods in California and Nevada as a lawyer worked before he returned to Oregon. He died there on January 7, 1890. George Woods was married to Louise A. McBride, with whom he had two children.

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personal data
SURNAME	Woods, George Lemuel
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	July 30, 1832
PLACE OF BIRTH	Boone County , Missouri
DATE OF DEATH	January 7, 1890
Place of death	Portland , Oregon