George L. Shoup

George Laird Shoup ( born June 15, 1836 in Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, † December 21, 1904 in Boise, Idaho ) is an American politician, and in 1890 was Governor of the State of Idaho. Between 1890 and 1901 he represented his state in the U.S. Senate.

Early years and political rise

George Shoup attended the public schools of his home. In 1852 he moved to Galesburg, Illinois, where he was with his father in agriculture, especially in the livestock, works. In 1859 he joined the gold rush to Colorado. During the Civil War he entered the Union army up to colonel. He was used primarily in the southwestern United States. In 1864 he was given special leave to attend the Constituent Assembly of Colorado can. In December 1864, he finally left the army. He then worked for a short time as a dealer in Virginia City, Montana and Salmon in Idaho.

Shoup joined the Republican Party. He was treasurer and school board in Lemhi County. In 1874 he became a deputy in the territorial House of Representatives from Idaho and 1878 he was a member of the Governing Council of the Idaho Territory. From 1880 to 1884 and from 1888 to 1892 Shoup was a member of the Republican National Committee. In the years 1884 and 1885 he represented his territory on the cotton exhibition in New Orleans. He invested $ 35,000 of his personal fortune to advertise the products Idaho.

Governor of Idaho and U.S. Senator

In April 1889 George Shoup was appointed by President Benjamin Harrison for the last Territorial Governor of Idaho. On July 3, 1890 Idaho was officially state of the United States and Shoup was elected the first governor of the new state. A position he took up on 1 October 1890. But his real interest was in the U.S. Senate, in which he was even elected in 1890 as the first Class 2 senator from Idaho. For this reason, he resigned his office as Governor on December 18, 1890. After a re-election in 1895 he was able to implement his mandate in Congress from 18 December 1890 to 3 March 1901. There he was at times Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, as well as member of a committee that dealt with the territories.

After the end of his time in Congress, George Shoup retired from politics. He died in December 1904 and was buried in Boise. With his wife Lena Darnutser he had six children.