In this post we will looking at Idaho and its territories, Its past and present governors and current House of representative’s members.
INTRODUCTION.
An early presence of French-Canadian trappers is visible in names and toponyms: Nez Percé, Cœur d’Alène, Boisé, Payette, some preexisting the Lewis and Clark and Astorian expeditions which themselves included significant numbers of French and Métis guides recruited for their familiarity with the terrain. Idaho, as part of the Oregon Country, was claimed by both the United States and Great Britain until the United States gained undisputed jurisdiction in 1846. From 1843 to 1849, present-day Idaho was under the de facto jurisdiction of the Provisional Government of Oregon. When Oregon became a state, what is now Idaho was in what remained of the original Oregon Territory not part of the new state, and designated as the Washington Territory. Between then and the creation of the Idaho Territory on March 4, 1863, at Lewiston, parts of the present-day state were included in the Oregon, Washington, and Dakota Territories. The new territory included present-day Idaho, Montana, and most of Wyoming. The Lewis and Clark expedition crossed Idaho in 1805 on the way to the Pacific and in 1806 on the return, largely following the Clearwater River in both directions. The first non-indigenous settlement was Kullyspell House, established on the shore of Lake Pend Oreille for fur trading in 1809 by David Thompson of the North West Company. In 1812 Donald Mackenzie, working for the Pacific Fur Company at the time, established a post on the lower Clearwater River near present-day Lewiston. This post, known as “MacKenzie’s Post” or “Clearwater”, operated until the Pacific Fur Company was bought out by the North West Company in 1813, after which it was abandoned. The first attempts at organized communities, within the present borders of Idaho, were established in 1860. The first permanent, substantial incorporated community was Lewiston in 1861. After some tribulation as a territory, including the chaotic transfer of the territorial capital from Lewiston to Boise, disenfranchisement of Mormon polygamists upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in and a federal attempt to split the territory between Washington Territory which gained statehood in 1889, a year before Idaho, and the state of Nevada which had been a state since 1864, Idaho achieved statehood in 1890. Idaho was one of the hardest hits of the Pacific Northwest states during the Great Depression. Prices plummeted for Idaho’s major crops: in 1932 a bushel of potatoes brought only ten cents compared to $1.51 in 1919, while Idaho farmers saw their annual income of $686 in 1929 drop to $250 by 1932. In recent years, Idaho has expanded its commercial base as a tourism and agricultural state to include science and technology industries. Science and technology have become the largest single economic center (over 25% of the state’s total revenue) within the state and are greater than agriculture, forestry and mining combined.
IDAHO TERRITORIES.
The Territory of Idaho was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1863, until July 3, 1890, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as Idaho. By an Act of Congress dated 4 March 1863, Idaho Territory was established. This act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. Originally, Idaho Territory included all of the present states of Idaho and Montana and all but the extreme southwestern corner of what became Wyoming. All of the Territory west of the Continental Divide came from Oregon Territory and Washington Territory, and all east of the Divide came from Dakota Territory. The first Territorial Capital was Lewiston, Idaho. Two years later, the capital was moved to Boise where it continued until statehood. In 1864, Montana Territory was created, taken from the northeastern part of Idaho Territory east of the Bitterroot Range. The southeastern part of Idaho Territory at that time was returned to Dakota Territory. Four years later, in 1868, Wyoming Territory was created from Dakota Territory. Idaho was made a state on 3 July 1890. Both the United States and Great Britain claimed ownership of the land of what is now Idaho. However, in 1846, the two governments were able to come together, and they signed the Oregon Treaty.23 Dec 2018. The Territory of Idaho had sixteen territorial governors appointed by the president of the United States from the territory’s organization in 1863 until the formation of the state of Idaho in 1890. Four of these never took office, resigning before reaching the territory.
31 individuals have held the office of governor of Idaho since the state’s admission to the Union in 1890, two of whom—C. A. Bottolfsen and Cecil Andrus—served non-consecutive terms. The state’s first governor, George L. Shoup, had the shortest term of three months; Cecil Andrus served as governor the longest at 14 years. Four governors resigned, but none have died while in office. 20 governors have been Republicans while 11 were Democrats. Andrus was the last Democrat to hold the governorship in Idaho; he left office in 1995.
LIST OF GOVERNORS AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE’S MEMBERS.
Idaho Territory was created from Dakota Territory, Nebraska Territory, and Washington Territory on March 4, 1863. Due to the long distance between Washington, D.C. and Boise, there was often a lengthy gap between a governor being appointed and his arrival in the territory; four resigned before even arriving.
| Governors of the Territory of Idaho | |||||
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Appointed by | Notes | |
| 1 | William H. Wallace July 19, 1811 – February 7, 1879 (aged 67) |
July 1863[5][6] – December 1863[5] |
Abraham Lincoln | [a] | |
| 2 | Caleb Lyon December 7, 1822 – September 8, 1875 (aged 52) |
August 1, 1864[5][6] – April 1866[8] |
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| 3 | David W. Ballard February 21, 1824 – September 18, 1883 (aged 59) |
June 14, 1866[9] – July 1870[10] |
Andrew Johnson | ||
| — | Samuel Bard May 18, 1825 – September 18, 1878 (aged 53) |
Appointed March 30, 1870[11] | Ulysses S. Grant | [b] | |
| — | Gilman Marston August 20, 1811 – July 3, 1890 (aged 78) |
Appointed June 7, 1870[11] | [c] | ||
| — | Alexander H. Conner August 5, 1831 – May 29, 1891 (aged 59) |
Appointed January 12, 1871[11] | [d] | ||
| 4 | Thomas M. Bowen October 26, 1835 – December 30, 1906 (aged 71) |
July 1871[12] – August 15, 1871[12] |
[e] | ||
| 5 | Thomas W. Bennett February 16, 1831 – February 2, 1893 (aged 61) |
December 1871[13] – December 4, 1875[14] |
[f] | ||
| 6 | David P. Thompson November 8, 1834 – December 14, 1901 (aged 67) |
April 1876[16] – May 1876[16] |
[g] | ||
| 7 | Mason Brayman May 23, 1813 – February 27, 1895 (aged 81) |
July 1876[17] – July 24, 1880[18] |
[h] | ||
| — | John Philo Hoyt October 6, 1841 – August 27, 1926 (aged 84) |
Appointed June 8, 1878[20] Appointed August 7, 1878[21] |
Rutherford B. Hayes | [i] | |
| 8 | John Baldwin Neil July 28, 1842 – October 6, 1902 (aged 60) |
August 3, 1880[22] – March 2, 1883[23] |
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| 9 | John N. Irwin December 25, 1844 – December 22, 1905 (aged 60) |
April 1883[24] – December 20, 1883[24] |
Chester A. Arthur | [j] | |
| 10 | William M. Bunn January 1, 1842 – September 19, 1923 (aged 81) |
June 26, 1884[26] – July 3, 1885[27] |
[k] | ||
| 11 | Edward A. Stevenson June 15, 1831 – July 6, 1895 (aged 64) |
September 29, 1885[28] – April 1, 1889[29] |
Grover Cleveland | ||
| 12 | George L. Shoup June 15, 1836 – December 21, 1904 (aged 68) |
April 30, 1889[30] – July 3, 1890 |
Benjamin Harrison |
Governors of the State of Idaho
Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890. Since then, the state has had 33 governors, two of whom served non-consecutive terms. The terms for governor and lieutenant governor are 4 years, commencing on the first Monday in the January following the election. Prior to 1946, the offices were elected to terms of two years. If the office of governor is vacant or the governor is out of state or unable to discharge his duties, the lieutenant governor acts as governor until such time as the disability is removed. If both the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are vacant or both those officers are unable to fulfill their duties, the President pro tempore of the Idaho Senate is next in line, and then the Speaker of the Idaho House of Representatives. After the change to four-year terms, self-succession (re-election) was not initially allowed; newly elected Governor Robert E. Smylie, formerly the state’s attorney general, successfully lobbied the 1955 legislature to propose an amendment to the state constitution to allow gubernatorial re-election, which was approved by voters in the 1956 general election. There is no limit to the number of terms a governor may serve.
| Governors of the State of Idaho | |||||||||
| No. | Governor | Term in office | Party | Election | Lt. Governor[l] | ||||
| 1 | George L. Shoup June 15, 1836 – December 21, 1904 (aged 68) |
October 1, 1890 – December 18, 1890 (resigned)[m] |
Republican | 1890 | N. B. Willey | ||||
| 2 | N. B. Willey March 25, 1838 – October 20, 1921 (aged 83) |
December 18, 1890 – January 2, 1893 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
John S. Gray | ||||
| 3 | William J. McConnell September 18, 1839 – March 30, 1925 (aged 85) |
January 2, 1893 – January 4, 1897 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1892 | F. B. Willis | ||||
| 1894 | F. J. Mills | ||||||||
| 4 | Frank Steunenberg August 8, 1861 – December 30, 1905 (aged 44) |
January 4, 1897 – January 7, 1901 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic[n] | 1896 | George F. Moore[n] | ||||
| 1898 | J. H. Hutchinson[n] | ||||||||
| 5 | Frank W. Hunt December 16, 1861 – November 25, 1906 (aged 44) |
January 7, 1901 – January 5, 1903 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1900 | Thomas F. Terrell | ||||
| 6 | John T. Morrison December 25, 1860 – December 20, 1915 (aged 54) |
January 5, 1903 – January 2, 1905 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1902 | James M. Stevens | ||||
| 7 | Frank R. Gooding September 16, 1859 – June 24, 1928 (aged 68) |
January 2, 1905 – January 4, 1909 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1904 | Burpee L. Steeves | ||||
| 1906 | Ezra A. Burrell | ||||||||
| 8 | James H. Brady June 12, 1862 – January 13, 1918 (aged 55) |
January 4, 1909 – January 2, 1911 (lost election) |
Republican | 1908 | Lewis H. Sweetser | ||||
| 9 | James H. Hawley January 17, 1847 – August 3, 1929 (aged 82) |
January 2, 1911 – January 6, 1913 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1910 | |||||
| 10 | John M. Haines January 1, 1863 – June 4, 1917 (aged 54) |
January 6, 1913 – January 4, 1915 (lost election) |
Republican | 1912 | Herman H. Taylor[o] | ||||
| 11 | Moses Alexander November 13, 1853 – January 4, 1932 (aged 78) |
January 4, 1915 – January 6, 1919 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1914 | |||||
| 1916 | Ernest L. Parker | ||||||||
| 12 | D. W. Davis April 23, 1873 – August 5, 1959 (aged 86) |
January 6, 1919 – January 1, 1923 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1918 | Charles C. Moore | ||||
| 1920 | |||||||||
| 13 | Charles C. Moore February 26, 1866 – March 19, 1958 (aged 92) |
January 1, 1923 – January 3, 1927 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1922 | H. C. Baldridge | ||||
| 1924 | |||||||||
| 14 | H. C. Baldridge November 24, 1868 – June 8, 1947 (aged 78) |
January 3, 1927 – January 5, 1931 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1926 | O. E. Hailey | ||||
| 1928 | W. B. Kinne (died October 1, 1929) |
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| Vacant | |||||||||
| O. E. Hailey (appointed October 25, 1929) |
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| 15 | C. Ben Ross December 27, 1876 – March 31, 1946 (aged 69) |
January 5, 1931 – January 4, 1937 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1930 | G. P. Mix | ||||
| 1932 | George Hill | ||||||||
| 1934 | G. P. Mix | ||||||||
| 16 | Barzilla W. Clark December 22, 1880 – September 21, 1943 (aged 62) |
January 4, 1937 – January 2, 1939 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1936 | Charles C. Gossett | ||||
| 17 | C. A. Bottolfsen October 10, 1891 – July 18, 1964 (aged 72) |
January 2, 1939 – January 6, 1941 (lost election) |
Republican | 1938 | Donald S. Whitehead | ||||
| 18 | Chase A. Clark August 21, 1883 – December 30, 1966 (aged 83) |
January 6, 1941 – January 4, 1943 (lost election) |
Democratic | 1940 | Charles C. Gossett | ||||
| 19 | C. A. Bottolfsen October 10, 1891 – July 18, 1964 (aged 72) |
January 4, 1943 – January 1, 1945 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1942 | Edwin Nelson | ||||
| 20 | Charles C. Gossett September 2, 1888 – September 20, 1974 (aged 86) |
January 1, 1945 – November 17, 1945 (resigned)[p] |
Democratic | 1944 | Arnold Williams | ||||
| 21 | Arnold Williams May 21, 1898 – May 25, 1970 (aged 72) |
November 17, 1945 – January 6, 1947 (lost election) |
Democratic | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
Vacant | ||||
| A. R. McCabe (appointed March 20, 1946) |
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| 22 | C. A. Robins December 8, 1884 – September 20, 1970 (aged 85) |
January 6, 1947 – January 1, 1951 (re-election not allowed) |
Republican | 1946 [q] |
Donald S. Whitehead | ||||
| 23 | Leonard B. Jordan May 15, 1899 – June 30, 1983 (aged 84) |
January 1, 1951 – January 3, 1955 (re-election not allowed) |
Republican | 1950 | Edson H. Deal | ||||
| 24 | Robert E. Smylie October 31, 1914 – July 17, 2004 (aged 89) |
January 3, 1955 – January 2, 1967 (lost renomination) |
Republican | 1954 | J. Berkeley Larsen | ||||
| 1958 | W. E. Drevlow[r] | ||||||||
| 1962 | |||||||||
| 25 | Don Samuelson July 27, 1913 – January 20, 2000 (aged 86) |
January 2, 1967 – January 4, 1971 (lost election) |
Republican | 1966 | Jack M. Murphy[o] | ||||
| 26 | Cecil Andrus August 25, 1931 – August 24, 2017 (aged 85) |
January 4, 1971 – January 24, 1977 (resigned)[s] |
Democratic | 1970 | |||||
| 1974 | John V. Evans | ||||||||
| 27 | John V. Evans January 18, 1925 – July 8, 2014 (aged 89) |
January 24, 1977 – January 5, 1987 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
Vacant | ||||
| William J. Murphy (appointed January 28, 1977) |
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| 1978 | Phil Batt[o] | ||||||||
| 1982 | David H. Leroy[o] | ||||||||
| 28 | Cecil Andrus August 25, 1931 – August 24, 2017 (aged 85) |
January 5, 1987 – January 2, 1995 (not candidate for election) |
Democratic | 1986 | Butch Otter[o] (resigned January 3, 2001) |
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| 1990 | |||||||||
| 29 | Phil Batt March 4, 1927 (age 95) |
January 2, 1995 – January 4, 1999 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 1994 | |||||
| 30 | Dirk Kempthorne October 29, 1951 (age 70) |
January 4, 1999 – May 26, 2006 (resigned)[t] |
Republican | 1998 | |||||
| Vacant | |||||||||
| Jack Riggs (appointed January 30, 2001) |
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| 2002 | Jim Risch | ||||||||
| 31 | Jim Risch May 3, 1943 (age 79) |
May 26, 2006 – January 1, 2007 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | Lieutenant Governor acting as Governor |
Vacant | ||||
| Mark Ricks (appointed June 15, 2006) |
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| 32 | Butch Otter May 3, 1942 (age 80) |
January 1, 2007 – January 7, 2019 (not candidate for election) |
Republican | 2006 | Jim Risch (resigned January 3, 2009) |
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| Vacant | |||||||||
| Brad Little (appointed January 6, 2009) |
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| 2010 | |||||||||
| 2014 | |||||||||
| 33 | Brad Little February 15, 1954 (age 68) |
January 7, 2019 – Incumbent[u] |
Republican | 2018 | Janice McGeachin |
MEMBERS OF REPRESENTATIVES TO THE U.S. HOUSE FROM IDAHO.
The following is an alphabetical list of members of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Idaho. For chronological tables of members of both houses of the United States Congress from the state (through the present day), see United States congressional delegations from Idaho. It includes members who have represented both the state and the territory, both past and present.
List of members and delegates
| Member/Delegate | Years | Party | District | Electoral history |
| George Ainslie | March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883 |
Democratic | Territory | Elected in 1878. Lost re-election to Singiser. |
| Thomas W. Bennett | March 4, 1875 – June 23, 1876 |
Independent | Territory | Elected in 1874. Lost election contest to Fenn. |
| Hamer H. Budge | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1961 |
Republican | 2nd | Elected in 1950. Lost re-election to Harding. |
| Helen Chenoweth-Hage | January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001 |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 1994. Retired. |
| D. Worth Clark | January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1939 |
Democratic | 2nd | Elected in 1934. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
| Thomas C. Coffin | March 4, 1933 – June 6, 1934 |
Democratic | 2nd | Elected in 1932. Died. |
| Larry Craig | January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1991 |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 1980. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
| Mike Crapo | January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1999 |
Republican | 2nd | Elected in 1992. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
| Fred Dubois | March 4, 1887 – July 3, 1890 |
Republican | Territory | Elected in 1886. Position eliminated upon statehood. |
| Henry Dworshak | January 3, 1939 – November 5, 1946 |
Republican | 2nd | Elected in 1938. Resigned when elected U.S. senator. |
| Stephen S. Fenn | June 23, 1876 – March 3, 1879 |
Democratic | Territory | Won contested election. Retired. |
| Burton L. French | March 4, 1903 – March 3, 1909 |
Republican | At-large | Elected in 1902. Lost renomination to Hamer. |
| March 4, 1911 – March 3, 1915 |
Elected again in 1910. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
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| March 4, 1917 – March 3, 1919 |
Elected in 1916. Redistricted to the 1st district. |
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| March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1933 |
1st | Redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1918. Lost re-election to White. |
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| Russ Fulcher | January 3, 2019 – present |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 2018. Incumbent |
| Thomas L. Glenn | March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1903 |
Populist | At-large | Elected in 1900. Retired. |
| Abe Goff | January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1949 |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 1946. Lost re-election to White. |
| James Gunn | March 4, 1897 – March 3, 1899 |
Populist | At-large | Elected in 1896. Lost re-election to Wilson. |
| John Hailey | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875 |
Democratic | Territory | Elected in 1872. Retired. |
| March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1887 |
Elected in 1884. Lost re-election to Dubois. |
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| Thomas Ray Hamer | March 4, 1909 – March 3, 1911 |
Republican | At-large | Elected in 1908. Lost renomination to French. |
| George V. Hansen | January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1969 |
Republican | 2nd | Elected in 1964. Retired to run for U.S. Senator. |
| January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1985 |
Elected in 1974. Lost re-election to Stallings. |
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| Orval H. Hansen | January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1975 |
Republican | 2nd | Elected in 1968. Lost renomination to G. Hansen. |
| Ralph R. Harding | January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1965 |
Democratic | 2nd | Elected in 1960. Lost re-election to G. Hansen. |
| Edward D. Holbrook | March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1869 |
Democratic | Territory | Elected in 1864. Retired. |
| Raúl Labrador | January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2019 |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 2010. Retired to run for Governor of Idaho. |
| Larry LaRocco | January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1995 |
Democratic | 1st | Elected in 1990. Lost re-election to Chenoweth-Hage. |
| Jim McClure | January 3, 1967 – January 3, 1973 |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 1966. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
| Robert M. McCracken | March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1917 |
Republican | At-large | Elected in 1914. Lost renomination to French. |
| Samuel A. Merritt | March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 |
Democratic | Territory | Elected in 1870. Lost renomination to Hailey. |
| Walt Minnick | January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 |
Democratic | 1st | Elected in 2008. Lost re-election to Labrador. |
| Butch Otter | January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007 |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 2000. Retired to run for Governor of Idaho. |
| Gracie Pfost | January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1963 |
Democratic | 1st | Elected in 1952. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
| Bill Sali | January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009 |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 2006. Lost re-election to Minnick. |
| John C. Sanborn | January 3, 1947 – January 3, 1951 |
Republican | 2nd | Elected in 1946. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
| Jacob K. Shafer | March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1871 |
Democratic | Territory | Elected in 1868. Lost renomination to Merritt. |
| Mike Simpson | January 3, 1999 – present |
Republican | 2nd | Elected in 1998. Incumbent |
| Theodore F. Singiser | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885 |
Republican | Territory | Elected in 1882. Lost re-election to Hailey. |
| Addison T. Smith | March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919 |
Republican | At-large | Elected in 1912. Redistricted to the 2nd district. |
| March 4, 1919 – March 3, 1933 |
2nd | Redistricted from the at-large district and re-elected in 1918. Lost re-election to Coffin. |
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| Richard H. Stallings | January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1993 |
Democratic | 2nd | Elected in 1984. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
| Willis Sweet | October 1, 1890 – March 3, 1895 |
Republican | At-large | Elected in 1890 and took seat upon statehood. Retired. |
| Steve Symms | January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1981 |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 1972. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
| William H. Wallace | February 1, 1864 – March 3, 1865 |
Republican | Territory | Elected in 1863 in anticipation of territorial status. Retired. |
| Compton I. White | March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1947 |
Democratic | 1st | Elected in 1932. Lost re-election to Goff. |
| January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1951 |
Elected in 1948. Retired to run for U.S. senator. |
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| Compton I. White Jr. | January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1967 |
Democratic | 1st | Elected in 1962. Lost re-election to McClure. |
| Edgar Wilson | March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1897 |
Republican | At-large | Elected in 1894. Retired to run for Idaho Supreme Court. |
| March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1901 |
Silver Republican | Elected in 1898. Retired. |
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| John T. Wood | January 3, 1951 – January 3, 1953 |
Republican | 1st | Elected in 1950. Lost re-election to Pfost. |