Charles Stewart Voorhees (June 4, 1853 – December 26, 1909) was an American lawyer and a two-term

delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (United ...

to the U.S. Congress from the

Territory of Washington 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 p ...

Biography

Voorhees was born in Covington, Indiana on June 4, 1853, a son of Anna Hardesty Voorhees and

Daniel Wolsey Voorhees Daniel Wolsey Voorhees (September 26, 1827April 10, 1897) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senator from Indiana from 1877 to 1897. He was the leader of the Democratic Party and an anti-war Copperhead during the ...

, who served in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate from Indiana. He attended Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and in 1873 he graduated from Georgetown College in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, June 26, 1873. After graduating from college, Voorhees studied law. He attained

admission to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1875 and commenced practice in

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

. In 1882, Voorhees moved to Washington Territory with his friend

John L. Wilson John Lockwood Wilson (August 7, 1850November 6, 1912) was an Law of the United States, American lawyer and Politics of the United States, politician from the U.S. states of Indiana and Washington (U.S. state), Washington. He served in the United ...

, and settled in Colfax to establish a law practice. From 1882 to 1886 he served as prosecuting attorney of

Whitman County Whitman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,973. The county seat is Colfax, and its largest city is Pullman. The county was formed from Stevens County in 1871. It is name ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, in 1884 Voorhees was elected as Washington's territorial delegate. He was reelected in 1886 and served in the 49th and 50th Congresses (March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889). During the 50th Congress, the U.S. House and Senate passed the

Enabling Act of 1889 The Enabling Act of 1889 (, chs. 180, 276–284, enacted February 22, 1889) is a United States statute that permitted the entrance of Montana and Washington into the United States of America, as well as the splitting of Territory of Dakota ...

, which provided the process for Washington Territory to achieve statehood. In 1888, Voorhees lost reelection to Republican

John B. Allen John Beard Allen (May 18, 1845January 28, 1903) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Washington from 1889 to 1893. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the United States represent ...

, who served as delegate until Washington joined the Union as a state in November 1889. After leaving Congress, Voorhees resumed the practice of law in Colfax. He later moved to Spokane, where he continued the practice law. He died in Spokane on December 26, 1909. Voorhees was buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Spokane.

Family

In 1888, Voorhees married Frances "Fanny" Belle Vajen, the daughter of a prominent

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

businessman. They were the parents of a daughter, Anna Belle.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Voorhees, Charles Stewart 1853 births 1909 deaths Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Washington Territory Washington (state) Democrats People from Covington, Indiana Politicians from Terre Haute, Indiana People from Colfax, Washington Politicians from Spokane, Washington 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Spokane, Washington Georgetown College (Georgetown University) alumni