156 THOMAS W. PROSCH. ward Lander, Victor Monroe, and Obadiah B. McFadden, justices of the district and supreme courts. Owing to the fact that to him had been assigned the additional task of examining the country between the upper Mississippi River, and Puget Sound, for the purpose of ascertaining the practicability of a northern railroad route to the Pa- cific, Governor Stevens was delayed several months in arriving in the new Territory. When he reached the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, he formerly pro- claimed the Territory of Washington, and upon arrival at Olympia issued another proclamation, establishing judi- cial and election precincts, and ordering the first election ; also directing the legislators elected to meet at Olympia, February 27th following. A delegate to Congress was to be elected at the same time. This important event oc- curred on the 30th of January, 1854. There were twenty polling places, or precincts, in the eight counties ; Belling- ham then being in Island County, Willapa in Thurston County, and Walla Walla in Clark County. At the elec- tion the nine men here named were chosen for the legis- lative council: D. F. Bradford, William H. Tappan, Seth Catlin, Henry Miles, D. R. Bigelow, B. F. Yantis, Lafa- yette Balch, George N. McConaha, and W. T. Say ward ; and the following named eighteen for the house of representa- tives : Francis A. Chenoweth, Henry R. Crosbie, Andrew J. Bolon, John D. Biles, A. Lee Lewis, Samuel D. Howe, Daniel F. Brownfield, Arthur A. Denny, H. D. Huntington, John R. Jackson, Jehu Scudder, John M. Chapman, Henry C. Mosely, Levant F. Thompson, Leonard D. Durgin, Cal- vin H. Hale, David Shelton, and Ira Ward. A strange fatality was connected with one legislative district Pa- cific County. Its only member, Jehu Scudder, died about the time the session began ; Henry Fiester was elected to succeed him, but died before taking office; James C. Strong was then elected, and qualified a few days before the ses-
