William Pickering (March 15, 1798 – April 22, 1873) was an English-born American politician who served the fifth governor of Washington territory, from 1862 to 1866. He is the member of the Republican Party.

Biography

Pickering was born in

Yorkshire, England Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. He graduated from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1820. The following year he moved to

Edwards County, Illinois Edwards County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,721. Its county seat is Albion. History Edwards County was named for Ninian Edwards, the governor of the Illinois Territory, and, lat ...

, acquiring property and involving himself in various businesses in the area of Albion, Illinois. On 9 March 1824 in Albion he married Martha Flower (1800–1838), daughter of Richard Flower and sister of

Edward Fordham Flower Edward Fordham Flower (1805–1883) was an English brewer and author who campaigned for a Shakespeare memorial theatre and against cruelty to animals. Origins Born at Marden Hill in Hertfordshire on 31 January 1805, he was the younger surviving ...

. They had five children before she died on 28 December 1838. He never remarried. He served in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

from 1842 to 1852 and was a delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1860. In 1862 President

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

offered him the choice of being either part of the United States Ministry in England or Governor of the Washington territory, known at the time as the territory of Columbia. Pickering chose the governorship, and he moved to the territorial capital,

Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...

, in June 1862, and served as governor until 1866. On September 4, 1864, he sent the first message over a transcontinental telegraph line. Under the leadership of Territorial Governor William Pickering, state government took responsibility for the care of the mentally ill. Lacking funds to build a hospital, the state contracted for the care of the mentally ill with the Sisters of Charity (now the Sisters of Providence), but, because of lack of funds, it was 19 months before the Sisters began to receive payment.About DSHS – A History of Human Services
/ref> Pickering was an active member of St. John's Episcopal Church (Olympia, Washington), serving in a leadership role in its founding as a parish in 1866. After his term, he moved back to Illinois, where he died in 1873.

Biography

References

Further reading