On April 9, 1889, Miles Moore (1845-1919) is sworn in as the 14th and final territorial governor of Washington. He serves seven months in a position that is more ceremonial than powerful, but steers the territorial government through several last-minute hiccups on its journey to statehood. Known for his attention to detail and suave manner, the governor is more a businessman than a politician. After his term, he leaves state politics and becomes a successful, well-respected banker.
Beginnings
Miles Conway Moore was born April 17, 1845, in Rix Mills, Ohio, and moved with his family to Wisconsin when he was a boy. During his teenage years he heard of the pioneers' ongoing journeys to the American West, and at the age of 18 he joined them. He arrived in Walla Walla in 1863 but moved several times before returning permanently to the city in 1869. He operated a general store for a time, but later converted it into an agricultural-tool business, said to be the first of its kind in Eastern Washington. He married Mary Baker (? -1904) in 1873 and they had three sons: Frank (1874-1936), Walter (1876-1914), and Robert (1879-1955).
A Republican, Moore served one or two terms (accounts differ) as a Walla Walla city councilman in the 1870s, and in 1877 he was elected mayor of the city and served one term. He also was chairman of the Republican Territorial Convention in 1884. This was largely the extent of his political experience, but it made little difference in Washington's territorial days. Prior to statehood the governor's position was more ceremonial than administrative, and it came with limited authority. Territorial governors were appointed by the U.S. president and served at his pleasure, and in March 1889 Democrat Eugene Semple (1840-1908) was Washington's sitting executive. But with the change from a Democratic to a Republican administration in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 1889, it was a safe bet that there would soon be a similar change in the governor's chair in Washington Territory.
Washington's Last Territorial Governor
This led to Moore's selection as the territory's last governor. His business acumen and connections had gained the notice and respect of his peers, and he was brought to the attention of the new president, Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901), shortly after his inauguration. Historian Robert Ficken writes that Moore's selection came about as the result of a deal crafted by Republican leaders in anticipation of the first state election, with Moore picked to be the last territorial governor and Elisha Ferry (1825-1895), who had already served two terms as territorial governor, chosen to be the first state governor. On March 21, Harrison appointed Moore to the position. The U.S. Senate soon ratified the appointment, and he was sworn in on April 9, 1889.
By this time it was widely expected that Washington would be a state by the end of the year. The last territorial governor was expected to enjoy a quiet, symbolic term, with "sort of sentimental value to the office, since the man who held it during the birth of the state would always be remembered," historian and professor Edmond Meany (1862-1935) incorrectly predicted in his 1915 book, Governors of Washington. Nor was Moore's seven-month term placid: Devastating fires destroyed much of the business districts of three major cities – Seattle, Ellensburg, and Spokane – in June, July, and August, respectively. There was little he could do other than issue proclamations alerting the world to the destruction, though Meany's book says that "Gov. Moore's proclamations met with instant response from all over the United States, and even from foreign countries" (Meany, 71).
But for a Signature
Moore was more involved in Washington's transition to statehood. The Enabling Act of 1889, which had been enacted that February, delineated the steps necessary: Territorial citizens would elect delegates to attend a constitutional convention to draft a proposed state constitution, which would then go to the voters for approval. Moore and two other territorial officials – Chief Justice Cornelius H. Hanford (1849-1926) and Secretary of State O. C. White – apportioned the territory into 25 districts, which each chose three delegates in an election held in May. On July 4 the convention opened in Olympia, and it ended on August 24 with the proposed constitution completed. It went to the voters on October 1 and passed by a greater than 3-to-1 margin.
There were additional steps that needed to be taken to formally secure statehood, and it was expected that it would become official around November 1. But there were surprises almost immediately. Storms blew through parts of the territory shortly after the election, downing telegraph lines and delaying reporting of some of the vote. Moore was not able to certify the election results until October 23. As required, he wrote a letter certifying the results to President Harrison, and Chief Justice Hanford prepared a certification of the constitution and attached it to the document. However, only Secretary of State White signed the certificate. On October 25 the governor sent a local attorney, J.W. Robinson (1855-?), by train to Washington, D.C., to personally deliver the documents. And then the people of Washington waited.
And waited. Robinson's trip was expected to last a week, and he timely arrived in the nation's capital – and nothing happened. On Sunday, November 3, Moore and Governor-elect Ferry telegraphed the president and asked that he issue the proclamation declaring statehood for Washington. Harrison instead telegraphed back the following day and advised the certification for the constitution was insufficient because Moore had failed to sign it as required by the Enabling Act. (Section 8 of the act reads, in part, " … if a majority of the legal votes cast shall be for the constitution the governor shall certify the result to the President of the United States ...") He directed the governor to sign another certified copy and send it to him.
Success at Last
Moore and other officials believed that his October 23 letter was sufficient to meet the certification requirement, but the governor nonetheless signed a new certificate and mailed it with a copy of the constitution to the president on November 4. Another week's delay loomed. Moore telegraphed Harrison with the text of the new certificate and advised that the documents were enroute, hoping the president would issue the proclamation. Harrison telegraphed back and insisted on the original signed certificate. Moore responded with another telegram the next day, arguing that his October 23 letter was in substantial compliance with the certification requirement. The president held firm. The press meanwhile covered every move, and irritation grew daily, as evidenced in an early-November commentary in the Chehalis County Chronicle: "Washington's territorial governor must be a terrible ignoramus. By reason of his failure to properly certify to and sign the constitution upon which the president's proclamation must issue he has delayed matters for at least a week" ("Happy 125th Birthday …").
The second round of documents arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday morning, November 11, and late that day Harrison and Secretary of State James Blaine (1830-1893) signed the proclamation admitting Washington as the 42nd state. The news was quickly telegraphed to Olympia, and the new state rejoiced. It took another week to plan the inauguration of the first state officers, which took place on November 18. Outgoing Governor Moore gave a wistful address as the inauguration ceremony for the new governor got underway, reflecting on the territory's early pioneer days and its evolution into a state:
"The old settler finds himself in the midst of a strange, new age and almost uncomprehended scenes. The old order of things has passed away, but your sturdy, self-reliant pioneer looks not mournfully into the past. He is with you in the living present, with you here today, rejoicing in the marvelous prosperity visible everywhere around him … rejoiced to see that empire, emerged from the condition of territorial vassalage, put on the robes of sovereignty" ("Gov. Moore's Address").
After Office
Moore returned to his business interests and did not run for public office again. He became vice-president of Baker-Boyer National Bank in Walla Walla in 1889, and its president in 1898, serving in that capacity until his death more than two decades later. He also maintained interests in other banks in Washington and Oregon. He was elected president of the Washington State Bankers Association in 1903 and served on the executive council of the American Bankers Association between 1909 and 1912. In addition, he served for some years on the board of trustees at Whitman College in Walla Walla, becoming its president in 1913. Miles Moore died December 18, 1919, in Walla Walla.
