Filed in Portraits--Stevens, Isaac I.

Stevens, Isaac Ingalls (1818-1862): Washington's first territorial governor. Isaac Stevens descended from the earliest settlers of Andover in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and he was born on his parents' farm. His small size suggests that he may have suffered from a slight form of dwarfism, but he possessed intelligence and ambition. Educated at Phillips Academy in Massachusetts and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He earned him a commission in the Corps of Engineers, then responsible for the design and construction of coastal defenses and waterways and harbors. These were the largest public works projects of the time, and Stevens quickly gained experience as a surveyor and engineer, earning a reputation for competence. He served in the War with Mexico and afterward joined the new U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey which would map the young nation's newly won holdings. In 1852, he actively supported the candidacy of Democrat Franklin Pierce (1804-1869). When the new Washington Territory was formed on March 2, 1853, Stevens applied to President Pierce for the governorship. Pierce selected Stevens for the post, which carried with it the title of Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Stevens oversaw the establishment of government in what would become Washington state. He also led the survey of a route to Puget Sound for a transcontinental railroad. Stevens's superintendence of Indian Affairs did not serve the interests of Native Americans and resulted in needless deaths and enduring controversy. Stevens was elected as Territorial delegate to Congress in 1857 and 1858 and his service as Governor and Superintendent of Indian Affairs ended. It was left to his successors to resolve lingering issues between the natives and the settlers. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Stevens secured a commission as a Brigadier General of Volunteers. He was killed in action in 1862 during the Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas).

• Subjects (LCTGM): Governors--Washington (State); Indian agents--Washington (State); Surveyors--Washington (State); Military officers--Washington (State); Military uniforms--United States; Daggers & swords
• Subjects (LCSH): Stevens, Isaac Ingalls, 1818-1862; United States. Army--Officers; United States. Army--Uniforms