W. W. Thayer

William Wallace Thayer ( born July 15, 1827 in Lima, New York, † October 15, 1899 in Portland, Oregon) was an American lawyer and politician and from 1878 to 1882, the sixth Governor of the State of Oregon.

Early years and political rise

William Thayer attended the local schools of his home before he practiced as a lawyer in Buffalo after studying law with his brother Andrew. In 1862 he moved to Oregon, where he also worked with another brother as a lawyer.

In 1863 he moved to the Idaho Territory. There he was again working as a lawyer since 1866. He was also District Attorney in the third judicial district of the territory. Between 1866 and 1867 he was also a member of the Territorial Parliament of Idaho. Then he returned to Oregon and was again attorney. In 1878 he was elected as a candidate of the Democratic Party with 79 votes ahead of the Republican C. C. Beekman as the new governor.

Governor of Oregon

William Thayer took office on 11 September 1878. In his four-year tenure, the budget deficit was reduced. He fought against corruption and trying to reduce bureaucracy and make the administration thinner. At that time land reform was carried out by law and built a hospital for the mentally handicapped. Also, the procedure for filling vacancies for judges at the Oregon Supreme Court was regulated by law.

Thayer renounced in 1882 to further candidacy and resigned on September 13 this year from his office of. In 1884 he was appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of his State. This office he held until 1889, where he was Chief Judge since 1887. After he retired into private life. William Thayer died in October 1899. He was married to Samantha C. Vincent, with whom he had a child.

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