Zenas Ferry Moody (May 27, 1832 – March 14, 1917) was the

seventh Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season epi ...

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

from 1882 to 1887.

Early life

Zenas Ferry Moody was born on May 27, 1832, in

Granby, Massachusetts Granby is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,110 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Granby corresponds to th ...

, to Thomas Hovey and Hannah Ferry.Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956. The family immigrated to

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...

in 1851, traveling the

Isthmus of Panama The Isthmus of Panama ( es, Istmo de Panamá), also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien (), is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country ...

route. Moody was a surveyor and store keeper in

Brownsville, Oregon Brownsville is a city in Linn County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 1,694. It is the setting for the fictional town of Castle Rock, Oregon, in the 1986 film '' Stand by Me''. History Establishment Brownsville ...

until moving to Illinois in 1856. He then returned to Oregon in 1862 when he settled in

The Dalles The Dalles is the largest city of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The population was 16,010 at the 2020 census, and it is the largest city on the Oregon side of the Columbia River between the Portland Metropolitan Area, and Hermiston ...

. At The Dalles he set up a general store and was responsible for surveying the

Umatilla Indian Reservation The Umatilla Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It was created by The Treaty of June 9, 1855 between the United States and members of the Walla, Cayuse, and Umatilla tribes. It lies in nort ...

. Then in 1865 he organized the Oregon & Montana Transportation Company. During his time in The Dalles he was a major shipper of Oregon wool from

Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost ...

Politics

In 1880, he was elected to the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

. During his only term there, he also served as Speaker of the House. Then in 1882, Moody was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a populatio ...

as the seventh Governor of the state of Oregon. He took office on September 13, 1882 and served until January 12, 1887.

Family

Moody married Mary Stephenson in Brownsville on November 19, 1853. They would have five children, including

Malcolm A. Moody Malcolm Adelbert Moody (November 30, 1854 – March 19, 1925) was an American businessman and politician who served two terms as a Republican U.S. congressman from Oregon from 1899 to 1903. Early life Moody was born near Brownsville in the Ore ...

, who would serve in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

, and Ralph E. Moody, who would serve in the

and as assistant attorney general of Oregon. Zenas was the nephew of

William Montague Ferry William Montague Ferry Sr. (September 8, 1796 – December 30, 1867) was a Presbyterian minister, missionary, and community leader who founded several settlements in Ottawa County, Michigan. He became known as the father of Grand Haven and father ...

, and the cousin of U.S. Senator Thomas W. Ferry.

Death

Moody died in

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada Ontario * Bruce County ** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie ** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce * Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...

on March 14, 1917. He is buried in Salem's

City View Cemetery City View Cemetery is a privately owned cemetery in Salem, Oregon, United States that was established in 1893. Its Mount Crest Abbey Mausoleum, opened in 1914, contains the remains of eight governors of Oregon. History The cemetery was establish ...

References

External links

Z. F. Moody Biography on Oregon State Library website

Public documents of Z. F. Moody on Oregon Secretary of State website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moody, Zenas Ferry 1832 births 1917 deaths People from Granby, Massachusetts Republican Party governors of Oregon Speakers of the Oregon House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Politicians from The Dalles, Oregon Burials at City View Cemetery 19th-century American politicians People from Brownsville, Oregon