Elisha Peyre Ferry (1825-1895) was the first governor of Washington State. Ferry was a Republican lawyer who had twice been Governor of Washington Territory, the only one to serve two terms. On Washington's admission as a state on November 11, 1889, he became its inaugural governor. In his first summer, he had to supervise the rebuilding of three major cities that had been largely destroyed by fire: Seattle, Ellensburg and Spokane Falls. Ill during part of his term, instead of seeking reelection in 1893, Ferry retired to Seattle, where he died from complications of pneumonia and congestive heart failure.
This image was taken during the inauguration of Governor Ferry at the Territorial Capitol building in Olympia. More than 3,000 Washingtonians celebrated their new statehood that day, marching in parades and watching the new governor take the oath of office. At the time, the population of the state had grown to nearly 350,000, up from 1,200 in 1850.
The banner in the image reads, "E. P. Ferry, First in the Hears of the People of the State of Washington"
Caption information source: https://blogs.sos.wa.gov/FromOurCorner/index.php/2014/11/from-wa-rural-heritage-celebrating-1889-inauguration
ID Number: SHS174
Date: 1889
Physical Description: 1 photographic print mounted on cardboard: b&w ; 4.5 x 6.5 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. Metadata updated as part of a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services administered by the Library Services and Technology Act, through the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State.
