Albert Edward Mead (December 14, 1861 – March 19, 1913) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the
fifth governor of Washington from 1905 to 1909.
Biography
Mead was born in
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
on December 14, 1861. There is conflicting information about his town of birth: most reliable sources say it was
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 cen ...
, but there is one claim he was born in
Ashland, Kansas
Ashland is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 783.
History
Ashland lies along what was once a military road from Fort Dodge (now Dodge City, Kansas) to t ...
.
Southern Illinois Normal University
Southern Illinois University (SIU or SIUC) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Founded in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. The university enrolls students from all 50 st ...
and at Northwestern University's Union College of Law
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law is the law school of Northwestern University, a Private university, private research university. It is located on the university's Chicago campus. Northwestern Law has been ranked among the top 14, ...
in Chicago.[
]
Career
After graduating from law school in 1885, Mead returned to Kansas to practice law for four years. He married Elizabeth "Lizzy" Pauline Brown and they had one daughter, Mary; and three sons, Wendell, Roland, and William. In 1889, he moved to Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...
. Mead served as Mayor of Blaine, Washington
Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canada–U.S. border; the Peace Arch international monument straddles the border of both countries. The population was 5,884 at the 2020 census. ...
(1892), as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives (1892), and as prosecuting attorney for Whatcom County, Washington
Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Coun ...
from 1898 to 1903. His wife, "Lizzy", died in 1898, and on May 5, 1899, he married Mina Jane Hosmer Pifer, and they had one son, Albert Vincent.
Mead's election to the governor's office in 1904 over U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
George Turner was considered a significant upset at the time. During his tenure, he supported legislation establishing a Railroad Commission, and acts establishing a State Bank Examiner, a State Tax Commission, and a State Highway Commission.
After his term as governor ended, Mead moved to Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (locat ...
, where he returned to private practice as a lawyer and served as president of the Chamber of Commerce.[
]
Death
Mead died in Bellingham on March 19, 1913, and is interred at Bayview Cemetery.
References
Further reading
* Meany, Edmond S.
Governors of Washington: Territorial and State.
' University of Washington (1915). Originally published as a series of brief biographical articles in the weekday issues of the Post-Intelligencer from September 27 to October 22, 1915.
External links
*
Washington Secretary of State.
Photo of his wife in 1905
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mead, Albert E
Mead, Albert E.
1861 births
1913 deaths
Politicians from Manhattan, Kansas
People from Bellingham, Washington
Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni
Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni
Republican Party governors of Washington (state)
19th-century American politicians
Mayors of places in Washington (state)
People from Blaine, Washington
Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives