Alvan Flanders (August 2, 1825 – March 14, 1894) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 8th

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

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 ...

from 1869 to 1870. A member of the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, he previously served as the

U.S. representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for

Washington Territory's at-large congressional district Until statehood in 1889, Washington Territory elected a non-voting Delegate (United States Congress), Delegate to the United States House of Representatives, at-large. List of delegates representing the district References * * Congressiona ...

from 1867 to 1869.

Biography

Born in

Hopkinton, New Hampshire Hopkinton is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,914 at the 2020 census. The town has three distinct communities: Hopkinton village, mainly a residential area in the center of the town; Contoocook, the t ...

, Flanders attended the public schools in New Hampshire, and learned the

machinist A machinist is a tradesperson or trained professional who not only operates machine tools, but also has the knowledge of tooling and materials required to create set ups on machine tools such as milling machines, grinders, lathes, and drilling ...

trade in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. He married Nancy Acorn on June 14, 1848. Later he married Elizabeth M. Smith on December 7, 1855. He had one son, Eddie.

Career

Flanders moved to

Humboldt County, California Humboldt County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,463. The county seat is Eureka. Humboldt County comprises the Eureka–Arcata–Fortuna, California Micropolitan Statistica ...

, in 1851, and there engaged in the lumber business until 1858. He moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. He was one of the founders and proprietors of the "San Francisco Daily Times". He served as member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

in 1861. He was an officer of the United States branch mint in 1861. Flanders moved to the Territory of Washington in 1863 and engaged in mercantile pursuits in

Wallula Wallula () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 179 at the 2010 census. History The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached this area April 27, 1806, on their return journey from the ...

. He became the first

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of Wallula 1865–1867. Flanders was elected as a

to the

Fortieth Congress The 40th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1867, ...

(March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1868. He was appointed by President Grant as Governor of the Territory of Washington on April 5, 1869, and served until 1870. He returned to San Francisco, at the expiration of his term.

Death

Flanders died in

on March 14, 1894. He was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts. The cemetery is ...

which no longer exists, and his re-interment location is unknown. He was related to the political Flanders family of Vermont. He was cousin to; Francis Durrell Flanders,

Benjamin Franklin Flanders Benjamin Franklin Flanders (January 26, 1816 – March 13, 1896) was a teacher, politician and planter in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1867, he was appointed by the military commander as the 21st Governor of Louisiana during Reconstruction, a ...

, and

Ralph Edward Flanders Ralph Edward Flanders (September 28, 1880 – February 19, 1970) was an American mechanical engineer, industrialist and politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the U.S. state, ...

References

External links

Washington Secretary of State

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flanders, Alvan 1825 births 1894 deaths Members of the California State Assembly Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Washington Territory Governors of Washington Territory Washington (state) postmasters Washington (state) Republicans People from Hopkinton, New Hampshire 19th-century American politicians Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (San Francisco)

Biography

Career

Death

References

Further reading

External links