Charles Clark Stevenson (February 20, 1826 – September 21, 1890) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He was the fifth Governor of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

. He was a member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

Biography

Stevenson was born on February 20, 1826 in Phelps, New York. His education was from the common schools of Canada and Michigan. He married Margaret M. Rogers in November 1848 and they had two sons, Edward and Lou. They were divorced in 1880 in Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada. He then married Ellen Mary Frary on June 20, 1881 in San Francisco, San Francisco County, California.

Career

In 1859 Stevenson arrived in Ophir (later Virginia City), Nevada, where he worked in

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

milling Milling may refer to: * Milling (minting), forming narrow ridges around the edge of a coin * Milling (grinding), breaking solid materials into smaller pieces by grinding, crushing, or cutting in a mill * Milling (machining), a process of using rota ...

, and

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

. He became part-owner of the Cooper and Stevenson quartz mine. Stevenson was elected to

Nevada Senate The Nevada Senate is the upper house of the Nevada Legislature, the state legislature of U.S. state of Nevada, the lower house being the Nevada Assembly. It currently (2012–2021) consists of 21 members from single-member districts. In the previ ...

representing

Storey County Storey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,104, making it the third-least populous county, but one of the fastest-growing economies in Nevada. In 2018, over 18,000 people were emplo ...

, serving three terms. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1872 and 1884. Elected

Regent A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

of the University of Nevada, he served in that position for 11 years from 1875 to 1887. Stevenson was elected Governor in 1886, and served to 1890. During his tenure, programs were established which supported livestock and farming industries, the Stewart Indian School was created, and the University of Nevada was reconstructed. His brother, Edward A. Stevenson, was Governor of Idaho at the same time.

Death

Stevenson died of typhoid fever while in office on September 21, 1890 in

Carson City, Nevada Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

, at the age of 64. That made him the first Nevada Governor to die while in office. He is interred at Mountain View Cemetery.

References

External links

*
Charles Clark Stevenson
at the National Governors Association
Charles Clark Stevenson 1887–1890
at the Nevada State Library and Archives
Nevada Governors' Biographical Information
at the Nevada State Library and Archives

National Governors Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Charles C. 1826 births 1890 deaths People from Phelps, New York Republican Party governors of Nevada Republican Party Nevada state senators Deaths from typhoid fever 19th-century American politicians