Representative Alvan Flanders

Alvan Flanders (August 2, 1825 – March 14, 1894) was an American businessman and Republican politician who served as the eighth governor of Washington Territory from 1869 to 1870 and as the territorial delegate to the United States House of Representatives from 1867 to 1869. He was born in Hopkinton, Merrimack County, New Hampshire, where he attended the local public schools. As a young man he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he learned the machinist’s trade, acquiring technical and mechanical skills that would precede his later business and political career.

Flanders married Nancy Acorn on June 14, 1848. After the end of that marriage, he married Elizabeth M. Smith on December 7, 1855. He and his second wife had one son, Eddie. During these years he continued to build his livelihood in the trades and in business, preparing for the opportunities that would arise with the westward expansion of the United States in the mid-nineteenth century.

In 1851 Flanders moved to Humboldt County, California, where he engaged in the lumber business, an important industry in the developing Pacific Coast economy. He remained in Humboldt County until 1858, when he relocated to San Francisco. There he expanded his activities into journalism and publishing, becoming one of the founders and proprietors of the San Francisco Daily Times. His prominence in business and public affairs led to his election to the California State Assembly, in which he served in 1861. That same year he also held a federal appointment as an officer of the United States branch mint in San Francisco, reflecting the confidence placed in him in matters of finance and administration.

Seeking further opportunities in the Pacific Northwest, Flanders moved to Washington Territory in 1863 and settled at Wallula, where he engaged in mercantile pursuits. As the community developed into a key transportation and trading point, he played a central role in its civic life. From 1865 to 1867 he served as the first postmaster of Wallula, overseeing the establishment of postal services that connected the area more closely with the rest of the territory and the nation.

Flanders entered territorial politics as a member of the Republican Party and was elected as the delegate from Washington Territory’s at-large congressional district to the Fortieth Congress. He served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives from March 4, 1867, to March 3, 1869. His service in Congress occurred during the Reconstruction era, a significant period in American history, during which he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of Washington Territory’s constituents in national debates. He did not seek renomination in 1868, concluding his single term as territorial delegate.

On April 5, 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Flanders as the eighth governor of Washington Territory. He served as territorial governor from 1869 until 1870, overseeing the administration of the territory during a time of continued settlement, economic development, and evolving relations among federal authorities, territorial officials, and local communities. At the expiration of his term as governor, Flanders returned to San Francisco, resuming private life after nearly a decade of public service on the Pacific Coast.

Alvan Flanders died in San Francisco on March 14, 1894. He was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery, a major burial ground in the city that was later removed; as a result, his re-interment location is unknown. Flanders was connected to the prominent political Flanders family of Vermont and was a cousin of Francis Durrell Flanders, Benjamin Franklin Flanders, and Ralph Edward Flanders, all of whom were active in public life. His career reflected the broader patterns of nineteenth-century American expansion, commerce, and governance in the Far West.