George Earle Chamberlain

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George Earle Chamberlain

George Earle Chamberlain (born January 1, 1854 in Natchez , Mississippi , † July 9, 1928 in Washington, DC ) was an American politician and from 1903 to 1909 the eleventh governor of the state of Oregon .

Early years and political advancement

George Chamberlain was born on a plantation near Natchez. He attended local schools and then worked in a Natchez store from 1870 to 1872. He then studied law until 1876 at Washington and Lee University in Lexington , Virginia . That same year he moved to Oregon, where he found a teaching position in Linn County . Between 1877 and 1879 he was employed by the district administration. From 1879 he worked as a lawyer in Albany . During this time he briefly took part in an Indian war and was a co-founder of a teetotaler movement. He also edited the States Rights Democrat newspaper.

Between 1880 and 1884 he was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives . He then became a district attorney in the third legal district of his state between 1884 and 1886. Between 1891 and 1894 Chamberlain was Attorney General of Oregon. In the meantime he worked as a lawyer before he became a district attorney in the fourth legal district between 1900 and 1902. In 1902 he was elected as a Democratic Party candidate for governor of Oregon.

Governor and senator

George Chamberlain took office on January 15, 1903. During his tenure, he protected his state's fisheries by setting specific fishing times and improving the infrastructure, especially in the field of transport. He expanded the waterways to create competition with the railroad, which should lead to a reduction in freight rates. Chamberlain also took action against corrupt land speculators. In 1904 he was confirmed in office by the electorate. But he resigned before the end of his second term on February 28, 1909 from his office because he had been elected to the US Senate .

Between March 4, 1909 and March 3, 1921, Chamberlain represented his state in Congress . Like all senators, he was a member of various standing committees. Among other things, he was involved in drafting the draft law for the First World War.

After his tenure in Congress, Chamberlain stayed in Washington, where he worked as a lawyer. Between 1921 and 1923 he was a member of the US Shipping Board, a federal government agency. George Chamberlain died in 1928 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He was married to Sallie Newman Welch, with whom he had six children.

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