George Lemuel Woods
George Lemuel Woods ( born July 30, 1832, Boone County, Missouri, † January 7, 1890 in Portland, Oregon) was an American politician. He held office from 1866 to 1870 as the third Governor of the State of Oregon and 1871-1874 as governor in the Utah Territory.
Early years
George Woods came in 1847 with his parents in the Yamhill County in Oregon. He attended local schools and later the McMinnville College. During the California gold rush, the young Woods tried his luck on the goldfields. After studying law and qualifying as a lawyer, he practiced in Walla Walla in Washington Territory.
Political rise
Woods was one of the founding members of the Republican Party in Oregon. In 1863 he became a judge in Wasco County. In 1864 he supported the presidential campaign of Abraham Lincoln, and was one of the electors. The following year he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Idaho Territory. In 1866 he was elected as a candidate of his party for the third governor of his country.
Governor of Oregon
George Woods took up his new post on September 12, 1866. As Governor, he pursued the construction of a railroad that would connect Portland with California. He also was one of the founders of the Oregon Central Railroad. In April 1867 Woods moved but the sides and supported a California railway company, which triggered a fierce debate in Oregon. Woods backed plans to expel the Snake Indians from their territory in favor of the white settlers, even if contrary to the policy of the War Department was in Washington. In 1868, the Democrats tried to remove him, with their majority in the state parliament of his office by challenging the validity of the election. The attempt was unsuccessful.
Governor in Utah Territory
After the end of his governorship in Oregon in September 1870, he was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant to the new territorial governor of Utah. This office he held from 1871-1875. In Utah, he was an opponent of Brigham Young, an early Mormon leaders. This has led to tensions. After his time in Utah, he was not reappointed in 1875.
Further CV
The next ten years was Woods in California and Nevada worked as a lawyer before he returned to Oregon. He died on 7 January 1890. George Woods was married to Louise A. McBride, with whom he had two children.