Washington Territorial Governor William Augustus Newell and all the spinoff consequences of his administration are easy to pass over. The excellent and respected Washington State historian Robert E. Ficken brushed Newell off with, "The governor's closest approximation of an achievement, positive or negative, was the acquisition of supposedly escape-proof shackles for penitentiary inmates. Otherwise, Newell spent much of his time in the nation's capital, lobbying for a second four-year stint in Olympia." As much as I respect and enjoy Mr. Ficken's body of work, which is impressive, I must say he missed a good story when he dismissed Gov. Newell so easily. W.A. Newell was an eccentric, and a very interesting one. He was a person who seemed to attract the odd and offbeat aspects of life-- including a short-lived collective settlement in the Olympia area known as the "Newell Colony."

When you scan any gallery of territorial governor portraits, which you can in a back hallway of the Governor House, it would be easy to scan past Gov. Newell and his muttonchops. But look in his eyes. The man has a wiseass streak. Laidback yet willing to play elaborate jokes. He was not a normal politician.

With a punchy middle name like Augustus, William A. Newell was destined for something different. Dr. Newell was 63 years old when President Rutherford "Ruddy" Hayes appointed him to serve as Territorial Governor of Washington in 1880. (Oly trivia: It was either Hayes or Harrison who visited Olympia and addressed a crowd from a balcony that used to be on the building where the BroHo now resides. Actually, it was probably Harrison, so never mind. Next time OlyBloggers gather at the BroHo, remember that a 19th century US CEO bearded Republican with an "H" surname spoke platitudes to the assembled locals from that very spot). Here are some fun facts about Gov. Newell before he arrived in Olympia:

-Born in Franklin County, Ohio, Sept. 5, 1817 while his parents were attempting to homestead in what was then the Far West, he was raised after age 2 in New Jersey.
-Completes medical school in 1839 at the U. of Penn. and becomes a physician. During the same year he witnessed the shipwreck of the Count Terasto and saw the bodies of victims wash up on the shore of Long Beach Island, NJ. The episode had a far reaching effect on him.
-Contracts tuberculosis in 1840 and lives out of doors in an open sided hut for a considerable time in the pine forests of Monmouth County, NJ to recover.
-In 1842 his political career begins when he becomes Tax Collector of Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth, County, NJ.
-Dr. Newell performed a pioneering operation in skin grafting in 1843 when he used part of a patient's cheek to create an artiifical eyelid.
-Dr. Newell was elected to US Congress as a Whig in 1846 and became friends with fellow Member of Congress Abraham Lincoln. He serves two terms, self-limited, and his legacy during this tenure was the Newell Act-- the creation of the U.S. Life-Saving Service.
-Somewhere in this time period, he gets married to Joanna and fathers five children in the next decade.
-John Quincy Adams, the only former President to serve in the US House, suffers a stroke on the House floor in 1848. Dr./Rep. Newell, who sat in front of him, was one of the four physicians who attended J.Q. Many years ago I visited the very place where this happened, as well as the side room where J.Q. expired. The old man sat in a special place where the curved ceiling enabled him to hear even a whisper from the other side of the room. J.Q. was not a great President, but I always admired his willingness to continue public service as a congressman.
-Newell is narrowly elected Governor of NJ as a member of the National American (or "Know Nothing") Party in 1856. His anti-immigration stance (which translated into anti-Irish during that time) would cost him dearly in subsequent elections and made him very unpopular with certain segments of the NJ voter base. In 1857 Newell survived an assassination attempt when a man in drag shot at him. Yes, I said "when a man in drag shot at him." Now, how many states or territories can claim they had a governor who survived an attempt at murder perpetrated by a man in women's clothes? Only the Garden State and the Evergreen State! Here's the account as described by historian Lloyd Rogers Applegate: "Newell practiced medicine during his New Jersey governorship and gave a ride to a rough-looking 'woman.' But Newell noticed that the person was wearing men's boots under a skirt. The governor/doctor became increasingly suspicious and fearful for his life and in quiet desperation, but without panic, pondered what to do. Suddenly and without warning, he gave his horse a sharp crack of the whip and then dropped the whip on the ground, leaving it behind. After he managed to stop the horse, Newell asked his passenger to retrieve the whip for him. Newell waited until 'she' had retreated some distance and then signalled his horse to take off, fast! The passenger wheeled, pulled out a pistol, and shot at Newell but missed, fortunately. He never heard from the 'woman' again and was very glad not to."
-Newell joins the Republican Party and attended the conventions of 1860 and 1864.
-1860-1864, other boring political stuff not worth recording. Just the Civil War.
-Re-elected to Congress, as a Republican, in 1864. Appointed White House Physician. -Credited with saving life of Tad Lincoln, who was suffering from typhoid fever.
-1867-1880: Lived the life of a political also-ran. Lost races for Governor, Senator, Congressman.
-The Medical Society of New Jersey censures Dr. Newell in 1880 for using herbal medicines.
-Appointed the 11th Governor of Washington Territory by President Hayes in 1880.

Gov. Newell has one contribution to Washington territorial history that is indirect and little known, his name was used in the Newell Colony experiment. Basing their decision on Newell's promotion of the Washington Territory (before the Governor even set foot here), a group of Brooklyn, N.Y. citizens set out for Olympia to start a new life. Here is an account of their journey by Frederick Nitschke, the Colony's Secretary, as written to the editor of the Olympia Transcript, published Aug. 7, 1880, shortly after their arrival aboard the steamer Dakota, landing on the Westside wharf:

"Perhaps, Mr. Editor, some of the many readers who appreciate your valuable paper, would be interested in a brief account of the origin of the Brooklyn Co-operative Colonization Association and of the traveling experiences of its pioneers, who will remain in Olympia until further instructions from gentlemen of distinction and official authority in your Territory, to whom they have been recommended by Captain Morse and by the newly appointed Governor, the Hon. W.A. Newell, in honor of whom for past support and counsel our flag is inscribed: 'Newell Colony.' Your publication of my humble attempt at letters would at least be serviceable as an encouragement to our fellow colonists and others who intend to follow us into your Territory. The Olympia Transcript will be widely circulated in the East by our parent society in Brooklyn, New York."
"To begin with the pioneers: All our men, women and children, numbering 30 souls, are in excellent health and spirits. We have enjoyed marvelously fine weather, so much so, that it would have been monotonous but for a few hours of boisterous sea on entering the Gulf of Mexico. The inconvenience of sudden squalls was however amply atoned for by a ludicrous variety of fun. One of these surprised us at dinner time, when all of a sudden the spoons, knives and forks, the pannikins and platters on the suspended tables became suspiciously agitated in all manner of elypitical curves. Here and there an adventurous passenger made a base and sinister dive up to his elbows into the myteries of an enormous soup pan. Confusion reigned supreme; the angry elements within exceeded those without the ship; the shrieks of frightened women and children were drowned by some unchristian expletives; a curious coil of passengers rolled across the deck until they brought up against the carpenters grindstone; sundry more or less emphatic exclamations excited the laughter of the sailors and of those passengers who had been lucky enough to catch at some fixture for support. These violent phaenomena ended in a cataract of pea soup and platter, beef steak, hard tack, potatoes and gravy in a gravitory movement from on the table upon the passengers rolling under the table, until some of them looked as if determined to cultivate a pantry, a culinary and digestive aparatus all in one upon the outside of their waistcoats. In spite of many grand and seductive southern scenes, especially across the Isthmus of Panama and along the shores of the sombre Pacific, the colonists found their excursion of thirty days at times a little tedious. This was due to the natural impatience of active men under compulsory inaction. For all the games we could devise for entertainment or time-killing, shared at last the staleness of tobacco smoke that confounds the choice 'Havana' of the cabin with the vulgar 'Navy clippings' of the steerage. The thoughts of relatives and friends in the steadily increasing distance and anxious speculations concerning our future home, made amusements distasteful. The earnestness, if not seriousness of our situation grew heavier upon us. All the more we desire to tender a unanimous and public expression of gratitude and respect to Captain W.G. Shackford of the S.S. Acapulco, Captain J.M. Cavarly of the S.S. Granada, to Captain H.G. Morse of the S.S. Dakota and to all their officers, respectively, for their forbearance, kindness and courtesy they have shown us. Indeed we hope these gentlemen will observe in the future the success of our colony with as much satisfaction, as the colonists will assuredly derive pleasure and encouragement in their log cabins from the remembrance of kind ship mates. Despite of hardships to be endured, of obstacles to be overcome, let our fellow colonists look bravely forward towards a bright and happy future, a thrifty home and honored citizenship in Washington Territory. Therefore, Mr. Editor, please assure them through your respected paper, of the absolute certainty of success, if they will be admonished by the fact, that the best capital for co-operative colonists is energy, industry, brotherly feeling and above all things unity, for these are proofs of intelligence, of self-respect and manhood which will ever command, even for the poorest, the respect and and sympathy of true men, of gentlemen the wide world over."

The plan of this vanguard group was to use Olympia as a base while seeking a spot where 1000 of their Colony members (who were yet to arrive) could settle. Their philosophy, according to the Washington Standard, was a "desire to settle together and labor on some sort of a cooperative plan for mutual aid and improvement."

Olympia embraced the Newell Colony. A group of Olympians, which supposedly included Gov. Newell himself, met the colonists when the Dakota steamed into Budd Inlet. The immigrants were temporarily housed in buildings at the Fair Grounds, in the area of the present day Tumwater Safeway. Descriptions of the colonists were glowing: "They are a hardy looking people, apparently well adapted to constitute the cornerstones of the great social and political fabric which is, in time, to be erected on the North Pacific coast" (Washington Standard 8/6/1880). "We are pleased with their appearance and intelligence, and believe them to be one of the greatest additions to this territory we have ever had. We welcome them to the country and hope many more of their friends will soon follow" (Olympia Transcript 8/7/1880). "Evidently they are the best kind of people for this country, and are not afraid of the labor which it will require to make their homes in the wilderness" (Olympia Transcript 8/14/1880). Apparently the collective nature of the group was not seen as a threat. In fact, the example of Aurora, Oregon was cited by the Puget Sound Weekly Courier as a positive case study in how a large cooperative settlement would be of economic benefit to Olympia. There might have been a few other factors at work here in Olympia's accepting nature. From what little we know, it doesn't appear the Newell Colony were unified by any sort of religious faith or creed that isolated them from the world at large. Also, in 1880, many of the true utopian communities and organized collective settlements that sprung up on Puget Sound were yet to come and couldn't be used as a negative example by the more fear-based elements of the Olympia residents.

Within a month the Newell Colonists had selected a site and the local government was enthusiastic about aiding them by making funds and labor available for construction of decent road. The area is in the central part of the eastern edge of present-day Capitol State Forest, on Noschka Rd., perhaps a garbled translation of Fred Nitschke's name.

Sadly, the Newell Colony had a short life. Olympia historian Shanna Stevenson desribes the fate of the settlers: "That winter, one of the worst in years, the greenhorns stayed at the new site. Many had never hunted or fished and were content to eat bacon and beans, even though deer nudged at their cabins. Luckily one of the men, Olaf Frisch, made a pair of skis and traveled overland to Mud Bay and then to Olympia for supplies."
"Unfortunately, that winter broke the resolve of the colonists and some returned to New York. The others disbanded, and some settled in Olympia."
"Colony member and musician 'Professor Nitschke' was still in Sherman Valley and established a school house, then committed suicide ..."

The Bordeaux timber family bought the land. Some colonists remained in the Olympia and Puget Sound area. Three of them held a 50-year reunion in 1930. Local history would've been very different had the Newell Colony made their vision a reality.

And what of Gov. Newell himself? He served a full four year term, an unusual feat for a territorial governor. Newell didn't believe in the philosophy of being a strong executive, content with letting the Legislature run the show. He did create a couple life-saving stations on the coast and demanded more humane shackles for the prisoners at Seatco. At the time he was the object of attention for having the vanity to dye his muttonchops, an almost unheard of thing in Olympia in the 1880s. He appointed his daughter Eleanor as his personal secretary. His other daughter, Eliza, he appointed to the post of Territorial Librarian.

The historian Gordon (any relation?) Newell wrote: "Unfortunately, the good doctor was always financially hard up. Between terms in public office he was forced to rely on the practice of medicine, and few doctors in those days got rich. Newell seems to have been even less of a financial success than most of his colleagues, and the dignity of his position as territorial governor was somewhat tarnished by the expedients he resorted to to avoid spending money and his tendency to put the arm on people for small loans."

Newell's nepotism forced the legislature to change the Territorial laws regarding women in office. Maryan Reynolds picks up the story: "In 1881, Governor William A. Newell submitted his daughter's name for Territorial Librarian. The legislature responded by passing a bill establishing that 'Any person male or female [author's italics] over the age of twenty-one years shall be eligible to the office of Territorial Librarian and the word 'he' whenever contained in this act shall be construed to mean 'he' and 'she.'' Eliza Newell, Washington's first female Territorial Librarian, began her tenure on the first Monday in January 1882. Governor Watson C. Squire, Governor Newell's successor, reappointed her to the post in 1884."

Eliza Newell had a wonderful way of wording when it came to official business. In her 1887 report to the Legislature she stated her need for a larger budget with this: "The appropriation for incidentals, is too small for the necessary expenses of the Library, which requires postoffice box, stationary, stamps, wrapping paper, twine, light, fuel, and expressage and porterage to be paid frequently for books to be sent to the Library. The shelves of the main Library are filled to dense packing, also those of the annex. The necessity for additional room is manifest to any observer, and I trust that suitable provision will be made to overcome the inconvenience to which the Library is now subjected, and to make provision for the large increase which may properly be expected. The Library now contains ten thousand volumes."

Now to come full circle to Gov. Newell's tight financial circumstance, we return to historian Gordon Newell: "Previous governors had been accustomed to rent office space for themselves in downtown Olympia, but the always financially embarrassed Newell took over the territorial library rooms in the capitol building to save that expense. When his daughter was out he frequently ambled from his inner sanctum to check out books for clients of the library, a charming example of territorial informality ..." During Newell's governorship, the Capitol Building as a wooden two-story structure that stood between where the present Legislative and Insurance Commissioner buildings now stand.

In Newell's post-governorship, he continued to act as a public servant. He was named a U.S. Indian Inspector for Washington and Alaska. He unsuccessfully ran for Congress three more times, first as a member of the People's party in 1886, then in 1892 and 1898 representing the Prohibition Party-- bringing the number of political parties he had used as a springboard to five. Also in the 1890s he served as the City Health Officer for Olympia.

By the late 1890s Dr. Newell was living alone. His children had all moved or died (Eliza, the librarian, died in 1891 and his wife, Joanna, in 1896). He had been living on the (now nonexistent) corner of 12th and Main (Capitol Way), and maintained a medical office somewhere on the block of 4th St. where the Spar now resides. Near the turn of the century he returned to NJ where he died Aug. 8, 1901.

Applegate, Lloyd Rogers. "A Life of Service : William Augustus Newell." Toms River, N.J. : Ocean County Historical Society, c1994.

Arrival of Immigrants." Washington Standard Aug. 6, 1880, p. 4. "Arrival of the Newell Colony : Welcome to the Land of Tall Timber and Big Clams! : Immigrants Seeking Homes, and More Coming" Olympia Transcript Aug. 7, 1880, p. 2.

Ficken, Robert E. "Figureheads of State : a Whimsical Look at Washington's Territorial Governors" Columbiav19, no4 (winter 2005-06)

Last Members Plan Celebration : Three Survivors of the Newall Colony to Meet here" Sunday Olympian, Morning Ed. Aug. 3, 1930, p. 2.

"Local Brevities" Puget Sound Weekly Courier Sept. 3, 1880.

Newell, Gordon. "Rogues, Buffoons & Statesmen." 1st ed. Seattle, Wash. : Hangman Press as presented by Superior Pub. Co., c1975.

Newell Colony." Olympia Transcript Aug. 14, 1880, p. 3.

Reynolds, Maryan E., with Joel Davis. "The Dynamics of Change : a History of the Washington State Library." Pullman, Wash. : Washington State University Press, c2001.

Stevenson, Shanna. "Settlers Tried Homesteading in Capitol Forest a Century Ago." Olympian Oct. 18, 1998. p. D3.

[Untitled]. Puget Sound Weekly Courier Aug. 20, 1880, p. 1.

[Untitled]. Washington Standard Aug. 20, 1880, p. 4.

Washington Territory. Library. "Report of the Territorial Librarian of the Territory of Washington" Olympia : T.H. Cavanaugh, public printer, 1887.