George Earle Chamberlain

George Earle Chamberlain ( * January 1, 1854 in Natchez, Mississippi, † July 9, 1928 in Washington DC ) was an American politician and from 1903 to 1909, the eleventh Governor of the State of Oregon.

Early years and political rise

George Chamberlain was born on a plantation near Natchez. He attended local schools and then worked from 1870 to 1872 in a shop in Natchez. Subsequently, he studied until 1876 Law at the Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. In the same year he moved to Oregon, where he found employment as a teacher in Linn County. Between 1877 and 1879 he was employed by the district administration. Since 1879 he worked as a lawyer in Albany. During this time he briefly took part in an Indian war and co-founded a temperance. In addition, he edited the newspaper " States Rights Democrat ."

Between 1880 and 1884 he sat as an MP in the House of Representatives from Oregon. He was then 1884-1886 District Attorney in the third judicial district of his state. Between 1891 and 1894, Chamberlain was Minister of Justice ( Attorney General ) of Oregon. In the meantime, he worked as a lawyer before he was 1900-1902 District Attorney in the fourth judicial district. In 1902 he was elected as a Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Oregon.

Governor and Senator

George Chamberlain took office on January 15, 1903. During his tenure he protected the fishing of his state by fixing its specific fishing seasons, and made for the improvement of infrastructure, especially in the field of transport. He built from the waterways to create a rival to the railroad, which should lead to a reduction in freight rates. Chamberlain was also against corrupt land speculators. In 1904, he was confirmed by the voters in his office. But he still came back before the end of his second term on 28 February 1909 by his office because he had been elected to the U.S. Senate.

Between 4 March 1909 and the March 3, 1921 Chamberlain represented his state in Congress. There he was, as all senators, a member of various standing committees. He was involved among other things in the drafting of the Act convening the First World War.

After the end of his time in Congress Chamberlain remained in Washington, where he worked as a lawyer. Between 1921 and 1923 he was a member of the U.S. Shipping Board, an agency of the federal government. George Chamberlain died in 1928 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He was married to Sallie Newman Welch, with whom he had six children.