La Fayette Grover
An Oregon pioneer who shaped the young state as its governor and senator during the turbulent era of Reconstruction.
1823–1911 (age 88)·American politician·Birthday: November 29
Biography
La Fayette Grover traveled to the Oregon Territory by wagon train, a journey that defined his future. A Pennsylvania-born lawyer, he arrived in the Willamette Valley in 1851 and quickly immersed himself in the raw politics of a frontier region becoming a state. He helped draft Oregon's constitution and served as the state's fourth governor during the 1870s. His tenure was marked by navigating post-Civil War tensions and the complexities of Native American relations in the West. A Democrat, Grover later served in the U.S. House and Senate, where he was a staunch defender of Oregon's interests, particularly regarding land claims and railroad development. His political career, stretching from territorial days to the Gilded Age, mirrored Oregon's own transition from a remote settlement to a integrated part of the Union.
#1 When La Was Born
The biggest hits of 1823
La's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1823Born
1828Started school
1836Became a teenager
1839Could drive
1841Could vote
1844Turned 21
1853Turned 30
1863Turned 40
President: Abraham Lincoln
1873Turned 50
President: Ulysses S. Grant
1883Turned 60
President: Chester A. Arthur
1893Turned 70
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1903Turned 80
Wright brothers achieve first powered flight
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1911Died at 88
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
Key Achievements
- Served as the fourth Governor of Oregon from 1870 to 1877.
- Represented Oregon in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
- Was a member of the committee that drafted the Oregon State Constitution.
Did You Know?
As governor, he famously issued a proclamation ordering all saloons in Oregon to close on the day of President Ulysses S. Grant's visit in 1875.
Grover City, Oregon (now part of Seaside), was named for him.
He was the only Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Oregon between the Civil War and the election of Wayne Morse in 1944.
“Oregon's interests are best served by a strong union and a stable currency.”
