George Shoup | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator fromIdaho | |
| In office December 18, 1890 – March 3, 1901 | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Fred Dubois |
| 1st Governor of Idaho | |
| In office July 3, 1890[1] – December 18, 1890 | |
| Lieutenant | N. B. Willey |
| Preceded by | himself (Governor of Idaho Territory) |
| Succeeded by | N. B. Willey |
| 12th Governor ofIdaho Territory | |
| In office April 30, 1889 – July 3, 1890 | |
| President | Benjamin Harrison |
| Preceded by | Edward A. Stevenson |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Governor of Idaho) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1836-06-15)June 15, 1836[1] Kittanning, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | December 21, 1904(1904-12-21) (aged 68)[1] Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Resting place | Pioneer Cemetery, Boise[2] |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Magdalena "Lena" Darnutzer Shoup (1844–1927) (m. 1868–1904, his death) |
| Children | 6 |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch/service | Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1864[3] |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 3rd Colorado Cavalry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War Indian Wars |
George Laird Shoup (June 15, 1836 – December 21, 1904) was an American politician who served as thefirst governor ofIdaho, in addition to its lastterritorial governor. He served several months after statehood in 1890 and then became one of the state's firstUnited States Senators.[4][3][5]
Born inKittanning, Pennsylvania, northeast ofPittsburgh, Shoup was educated in the public school system.[4] He moved toGalesburg, Illinois, in 1852 and farmed. He married Magdelena "Lena" Darnutzer ofIowa on June 15, 1868, and they had three sons and three daughters, Lena, Laura and Margaret.[4][3]
After being devastated financially in thePanic of 1857, Shoup moved toColorado Territory in 1859 to engage in mining and merchandising nearPikes Peak and later inDenver.[6]
During theCivil War, he enlisted with the independent scouts working inNew Mexico Territory, Colorado Territory, andTexas. Shoup wascommissioned as asecond lieutenant when the3rd Colorado Cavalry Regiment was formed in 1861 and was mustered out as acolonel in December 1864.[3] He took part in theBattle of Apache Canyon in New Mexico Territory during the Civil War and theSand Creek massacre during theColorado War.[7]
After the war, Shoup moved toVirginia City,Montana Territory, and then settled across thecontinental divide inSalmon,[8] a city inIdaho Territory that he helped found.[5] He owned general merchandise stores in both locations. Shoup was appointed commissioner to organizeLemhi County, and in 1874 he was elected to the territorial legislature. With few interruptions, he served on theRepublican National Committee for Idaho from 1880 to 1904.[4]
In April 1889, PresidentBenjamin Harrison appointed Shoup governor of Idaho Territory, a position he held until July 1890, when Idaho became a state and Idaho Territory ceased to exist.[9] Shoup was elected the state's first governor in October. He served as governor of the new state for only a few weeks. In November 1890 the Idaho Legislature elected him to the U.S. Senate. Shoup resigned as governor in December to take his Senate seat and was succeeded by lieutenant governorN. B. Willey.
In the U.S. Senate for over a decade, from 1890 to 1901,[10] Shoup had many interests, including pensions, education, and military affairs. He was chairman of the Committee on Territories. In that position he advocated liberal and just treatment of the Native Americans.[1] Shoup was reelected to a full six-year term in the Senate by thestate legislature in January 1895, but was defeated in January 1901 by DemocratFred Dubois,[11][12] and retired from public life and resided in Boise.[4]
Two years later at age 66, Shoup made a final attempt to return to the U.S. Senate, but bowed out of the four-man race for the Republican nomination in the legislature in January 1903.[13][14] He gave his support to fellow Pennsylvania nativeWeldon Heyburn of theSilver Valley, who defeated Boise attorneyWilliam Borah for the nomination and DemocratJames Hawley of Boise for the seat.[15][16][17] Four years later, Borah easily won the other U.S. Senate seat,[18][19][20] and served for nearly 33 years.
Shoup died inBoise, Idaho at the age 68 on December 21, 1904, and was given a state funeral in Idaho.[4][21] He is interred in theBoise Pioneer Cemetery, alongside his wife Lena, who died inSalmon, Idaho in 1927.[22][23]
In 1910, the state of Idaho donateda marble statue of Shoup to theNational Statuary Hall Collection at theU.S. Capitol.[3][5][24][25][26] It was joined by a statue of Senator Borah (1865–1940) in 1947.[27][28][6]
The unincorporated community ofShoup, Idaho on theSalmon River, northwest and downstream of Salmon, was named for him in 1882.[29][30] DuringWorld War II, aLiberty ship namedS.S. George L. Shoup (hull #2004) was launched at theOregon Shipbuilding Corporation inPortland in May 1943.[31] A new men'sdormitory at theUniversity of Idaho inMoscow was named for him in 1958.[32][33][34][35]
Shoup's papers were donated to theUniversity of Idaho, having been gathered by his son William and presented by his grandson, G. Elmo Shoup.[3][36][37]
United States Congress."SHOUP, George Laird (id: S000382)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| First | Republican nominee forGovernor of Idaho 1890 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by None | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Idaho 1890–1901 Served alongside:William J. McConnell,Fred T. Dubois,Henry Heitfeld | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Office created | Governor of Idaho 1890 | Succeeded by |
| Class 2 |  | |
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| Class 3 | ||
| Education/Education and Labor (1869–1947) | | |
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| Labor and Public Welfare (1947–1977) | ||
| Labor and Human Resources (1977–1999) | ||
| Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (1999–present) | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
