Albert Edward Mead was the fifth Governor of Washington, serving in that position from 1905 to 1909.

Mead was born in Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

 on December 14, 1861. There is conflicting information about his town of birth: most reliable sources say it was Manhattan, Kansas

Manhattan, Kansas

Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...

, but there is one claim he was born in Ashland, Kansas

Ashland, Kansas

Ashland is the largest city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 867.-History:...

. He received his formal education at Southern Illinois Normal University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public research university located in Carbondale, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1869, SIUC is the flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system...

 and at Northwestern University's Union College of Law in Chicago.

After graduating from law school in 1885, Mead returned to Kansas to practice law for four years. In 1889, he moved to Washington Territory

Washington Territory

The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 8, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington....

. Before being elected governor, Mead served as Mayor of Blaine, Washington

Blaine, Washington

Blaine is a city in Whatcom County, Washington, United States. The city's northern boundary is the Canadian border. Blaine is the shared home of the Peace Arch international monument...

 (1892), as a member of the Washington State House of Representatives (1892), and as prosecuting attorney for Whatcom County, Washington

Whatcom County, Washington

Whatcom County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. Its name ultimately derives from the Lummi word Xwotʼqom, meaning "noisy water." As of 2010, the population was 201,140. The county seat is at Bellingham, which is also the county's largest city...

 (1898–1903).

Governorship

Mead's election to the governor's office in 1904 over U.S. Senator George Turner

George Turner (U.S. politician)

George Turner was a United States Senator from Washington.Born in Edina, Missouri, he attended the common schools and served as a military telegraph operator with the Union Army from 1861 to 1865. He studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1869, commencing practice in Mobile, Alabama...

 was considered a significant upset at the time.

After his term as governor ended, Mead moved to Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham, Washington

Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...

, where he returned to private practice as a lawyer and served as president of the Chamber of Commerce. He died in Bellingham on March 19, 1913.

Further reading

• Meany, Edmond S. Governors of Washington: Territorial and State. University of Washington (1915). Originally published as a series of brief biographical articles in the weekday issues of the Post-Intelligencer from September 27 to October 22, 1915.