Archives treasure #3: 1854 territorial election returns

As we await the final results for this fall’s General Election (counties certify their elections results Nov. 27), it’s worth going far back to see what Washington election results looked like when we were just a fledgling territory. Our third and final Archives treasure for November is the election returns from Washington Territory’s first election. These returns are from the Olympia Precinct on Jan. 30, 1854. That historic first election was to select county officials, members of the first Territorial Legislature and Washington’s delegate to Congress. The candidates for delegate to Congress included Columbia Lancaster, Col. Michael T. Simmons and William H. Wallace. Simmons was one of the earliest settlers in Washington and the founder of Tumwater, originally called New Market in 1845. Lancaster won the election and went to the other Washington to represent the new territory in Congress. Wallace was later appointed Governor of Washington Territory by President Lincoln in 1861.

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