Title Info: Governors Daily Record, 1884-1889, Volume B

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Search This Title:	Governors' Daily Records Search Name (Ctrl click to select multiple) Keywords Date Released From To or
Record Creator:	Governor, Office of the
Description:	The Governor’s Daily Record, Volume B, provides a daily record of executive action during the territorial period. This volume contains 1,711 individual executive actions across 347 pages spanning from August 1884 to November 1889, documenting the administrative activities of Governor Watson C. Squire (1884–1887), Acting Governor Nicholas H. Owings, and Governors Eugene Semple (1887–1889), and Miles C. Moore (1889). The records include appointments and commissions of notaries public, commissioners of deeds, probate judges, prosecuting attorneys, and military officers; pardons, commutations, and clemency actions; extradition requisitions and interstate law enforcement coordination; and proclamations for general elections and other official announcements. The volume documents several notable events including, Governor Squire's 1886 declaration and subsequent revocation of martial law in Seattle following anti-Chinese violence, and his report on those events to the U.S. Secretary of State; the commissioning of a representative to the American Exhibition in London in 1886; Governor Moore's June 1889 appeal for aid following the Great Seattle Fire; and the territorial government's transition to statehood, including Moore's April 1889 proclamation ordering elections for seventy-five Constitutional Convention delegates pursuant to the federal Enabling Act of February 22, 1889, his August 1889 proclamation ordering the ratification vote on the State Constitution and election of all first state officers, and the October 1889 commissions of the inaugural state government including Elisha P. Ferry as first Governor of the State of Washington.
Related Records:	For more information or to learn about related records, contact the Washington State Archives at (360) 586-1492, or email research@sos.wa.gov.
Access Restriction Notes:	These records are open for research.
Sources of Transfer	State Government Archives
Notes	How to Search Select "Browse this Series" to view all executive actions organized chronologically by date. Use the name selection list to find records by specific governors or acting governors. Use the keyword search box to find matching terms in the "Summary of Action" field, including any names mentioned in the records. For example, to find actions related to someone named "James," enter "James" in the keyword search box. To find specific types of executive actions, use action verbs exactly as they appear in the summaries. The most common action terms include "commissions", "appoints", "issues", "grants", and "pardons". Use the search by date option to find records from a particular time period within the volume. Action Terms Reference This reference guide contains all 20 action terms used in the Summary of Action field for Volume B of the Governor's Daily Record series. Use these exact terms when conducting keyword searches to find specific types of executive actions. Most Commonly Used Terms commissions Issuing official commissions to territorial officers including notaries public, commissioners of deeds, probate judges, prosecuting attorneys, and military officers. Example: "Governor commissions Walter Mann as Judge of the Probate Court of Douglas County." appoints Appointments to territorial positions including notaries public, commissioners of deeds, judges, military officers, and other territorial officials. Example: "Governor appoints James R. Hayden of Thurston County and Lelia J. Robinson of King County as Notaries Public." issues Issuing requisitions, warrants, executive warrants, and other official documents including extradition requisitions and commissions. Example: "Governor issues a requisition on the Governor of California for the arrest and return of John Kienappil, who is charged with obtaining money under false pretenses in Thurston County, Washington Territory." grants Granting pardons, remissions of sentence, and other official acts of clemency. Example: "Governor grants pardon to G. Seetor, remits and rebates the unexpired portion of penalty from his sentence, and authorizes his discharge from the Penitentiary of Washington Territory." pardons Pardoning convicted individuals, often by rebate of sentence for good conduct. Example: "Governor pardons by remission and rebate John Chapman, sentenced on November 27th, 1883." Less Commonly Used Terms honors Honoring requisitions from other state or territorial governors for the return of fugitives from justice (interstate extradition). records Recording official documents, correspondence, oaths of office, and other administrative communications. approves Approving official notarial seals and bonds prior to issuing commissions. commutes Commuting death sentences to life imprisonment or other reduced penalties. certifies Certifying election results for delegates, judges, and other elected officials. reappoints Reappointing individuals to territorial positions for additional terms. orders Ordering the termination of sentences or other official directives. receives Receiving requisitions from other governors or notices of resignation from appointed officials. remits Remitting fines or sentences imposed by courts. revokes Revoking and annulling previous proclamations or orders. proclaims Issuing proclamations for general elections and other official announcements. accepts Accepting resignations from appointed officials. confirms Confirming appointments to official territorial positions. acknowledges Acknowledging receipt of official oaths and documents filed for territorial officers. forwards Forwarding official reports and correspondence to federal officials. Search Tips Use exact spelling: Search terms must match exactly as shown above Try variations: Some actions appear in variant forms such as "appoint" and "appoints" or "re-appoints" Combine terms: Use multiple terms to narrow or broaden your search Consider context: Many appointments include position titles (notary, judge, commissioner) and county names Locating Specific Actions on Digitized Pages When viewing digitized images, users may encounter multiple executive actions recorded on a single page. Although each action is cataloged as a separate record in the database, the digitized image displays the complete page. To locate a specific action within the page image, refer to the unique reference number assigned to each record. The reference number indicates the page and sequence of the action. For example, the reference number "AR1-1-0-4-vB_p016-01" identifies the first action recorded on page 16 of Volume B, while "AR1-1-0-4-vB_p016-02" indicates the second action on that same page. Users can use these reference numbers to quickly navigate to the correct action within the page image. Digitization and indexing completed by Maggie Cogswell at the Washington State Archives.
Agency History:	The Office of the Governor of Washington State was established on March 17, 1853 when Isaac I. Stevens was appointed territorial governor. During the territorial period, governors were appointed by the President and reported to the U.S. Department of State and later the Department of Interior. Following Washington's admission to the Union on November 11, 1889, the governor became an elected position chosen by qualified electors for a four-year term. Elisha P. Ferry became the first state governor on November 18, 1889. The Washington State Constitution establishes the governor as the state's chief executive officer, vested with supreme executive authority and charged with faithful execution of state laws.
Preferred Citation:	Preferred Citation: [Identification of item], Governors Daily Record, 1884-1889, Volume B, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov, [date accessed].
Record Count:	1,711