William Henson Wallace

William Henson Wallace (born July 19, 1811 in Troy , Ohio , † February 7, 1879 in Steilacoom , Washington Territory ) was an American politician ( Republican Party ) and in 1861 the fourth Territorial Governor of Washington and between 1863 and 1864 the first Territorial Governor of the Idaho Territory .

Early years

Wallace attended elementary school in Indiana . After studying law and being admitted to the bar, he began working in his new profession. In 1837 he moved to Iowa , which was then still part of the Wisconsin Territory . After the establishment of the independent Iowa Territory a year later, he was elected to that area's parliament. At the same time he became a colonel in the newly established militia of the territory. In Fairfield he was also the head of the Treasury ( Receiver of Public Money ).

Political career

In the following years Wallace applied several times unsuccessfully to be sent to Congress as a representative of the Iowa Territory . In 1853 he moved to the Washington Territory, where he was a member of the Territorial Governing Council between 1855 and 1856. At times he was even its president. In 1861 he was appointed the new territorial governor to succeed Richard D. Gholson . Wallace did not take up this office because he had since been elected as a Territory delegate to the US House of Representatives. Between March 4, 1861 and March 3, 1863, he served in Washington, DC .

After resigning from Congress, Wallace was named the first governor of the newly created Idaho Territory by President Abraham Lincoln . He held this office between March 10, 1863 and February 1, 1864. He made Lewiston the capital of this area. The new governor arrived there in July 1863. Wallace was also elected to the US House of Representatives in Idaho. This ended his time as governor on February 1, 1864. Until March 3, 1865 he stayed again in Congress in Washington. Here he experienced the final phase of the civil war .

After leaving Congress in March 1865, Wallace returned to the Washington Territory. There he was a probate judge in Pierce County until his death in 1879 .

Others

Wallace was still in Washington on the night of the Lincoln attack. He was invited by Lincoln to accompany him to Ford's Theater . Wallace was one of several people who declined the invitation. During this visit to the theater, Lincoln was murdered. David Wallace , the older brother of William Wallace, was the sixth Governor of Indiana between 1837 and 1840 . His nephew Lew Wallace was a Union General in the Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, and author of the novel Ben Hur .

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personal data
SURNAME	Wallace, William Henson
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	July 19, 1811
PLACE OF BIRTH	Troy , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH	February 7, 1879
Place of death	Steilacoom, Washington