Spokane County, Washington - Chapter 31: Political History of Spokane County, 1900

Major R. H. Wimpy was the first resident of what is now Spokane county to be elected tc the Territorial Legislature from Stevens county. Hon. D. F. Percival, of Cheney, was a commissioner of Stevens county, and J. N. Glover, a justice of the peace, prior to the organization of Spokane county. Mr. Percival was a member of the Legislature from Stevens county when Spokane was organized. The first county election took place on December 8, 1879, resulting as follows: Probate judge, J. E. Labric; auditor, J. M. Nosier; sheriff, N. M. Tappan ; treasurer, A. M. Cannon ; superintendent schools. Miss Maggie Windsor ; commissioners, John Roberts, V. W. Van Wie and T. E. Jennings; J. T. Lockhart. clerk of district court for Spokane and Stevens counties. The sec(^nd election, in November. 1880, was a very lively one. This was made niemoralile by the desperate fight between Spokane Falls and Cheney f<;ir the county seat. The papers of both places were ablaze on the subject. The editors of The Spokane Times and The Chronicle \\rote vigorous articles on their side, aided apparently by The Palouse Gazette, of Colfax, and the Northwest Tribune, edited bv L. E. Kellog. wrote equally strong ones in favor of Cheney. They ai)])lied rather uncomplimentary epithets to one another, the monosyllable with two s's not unfrequently used. The result of the election on the countyseat question was Spokane Falls, 563 ; Cheney, 680; majority for Cheney over all places, 83. County officers : Councilman. James M. Graden; prosecuting attorney. S. C. Hyde; auditor. \\'. H. Bishop; sheriff. J. M. Hatton; treasurer. A. M. Cannon: probate judge, A. A. Smith : commissioners. T. E. Jennings. John Roberts. R. ^I. Bacon; school superintendent, A. J. Stexens: assessor, J. AI. Hatton; surveyor. J. Rockhold : coroner, L. P. Waterhouse ; sheep commissioner. Burrows.

In the campaign of 1882 there were three, if not four, county tickets. The election resulted as fi.illows: C(_>uncilman, C. J. Wright; representative, Jacob Stitzel ; prosecuting attorney, S. C. Hyde: auditor, W. H. Bishop:

The election of 1884 resulted as follows: Sherift', E. F. Whittier: treasurer. Sam Gray; probate judge. J. JNI. Binkley: commissioners, D. F. Anderson, Stanley Hallet, J. J. Piper; school superintendent. Miss Lizzie Haldemann; assessor, ]\I. O. !McCoy: surveyor. W. E. Runner : coroner, C. S. Penfield ; sheep commissioner, D. Webdell ; joint councilman, J.

The election of 1886 was lively for two reasons : the people voted on changing the county seat from Cheney to Spokane Falls, and also on local option. The vote on county seat resulted in favor of Spokane Falls. The county seat was removed in 1887. .\ temporary court house was erected on land donated by Col. D. P. Jenkins, which was replaced by the present magnificent building described in another chapter on Spokane city.

of Washington assembled at Olynipia, July 4, 1889. J. Z. Moore, of Spokane Falls, was elected temporary chairman, and John I. Booge, of Spokane Falls, was chief clerk. Members from Spokane county - J. Z. Moore, H. E. Allen, J. J. Browne, T. C. Griffitts, George Turner ; page, John F. Carrere, Jr.

1 896- 1 897 - Board county commissioners, L. C. Gimmell, first district, Henry Treede, chairman, second district, William R. Parks, third district, W. P. Grubb, clerk; county clerk, J. R. Low: sheriff, C. C. Dempsey; deputy sheriff's, V. J. Rutherford, Charles H. Ferguson, E. Burch, B. N. Carrier; auditor, W. P. Grubb; treasurer, George Mudgett; assessor, J. W. Daniels; superintendent of schools, Vivian Hopson; surveyor, J. W. Strack; attorney, J. A. Pierce; coroner, E. L. Kimball: physician, P. S. Byrne; justices of the peace, W. W, Saunders, Zeigler block, C. F, Backus, county court house, C. E. Bisbee, 13-14 Granite block; superior court judges. William Richardson, Leander H. Prather. State oi^cers residing in Spokane: United States Senators John L. Wilson and George Turner and Congressman W. C. Jones.

superintendent of schools. Elmer Drake; surveyor, John Wetzel: attorney, J. Z. Moore; coroner. Dr. N. M. Baker; physician, B. R. Freeman ; justices of the peace, H. L. Kennan, city hall. G. H. Leonard, county court house, C. E. Bisbee; state representatives, senate, W. H. Plummer, W. E. Runner, Herman D. Crow (in place of H. E. Houghton, deceased) ; legislature. H. E. Allen, Wallace Mount, Harry Rosenhaupt, R. N. -McLean, J. F. Sexton, P. P. Witter, .\. Harrison.