1908 has the unusual distinction of having two gentlemen from the southeast corner of Washington State representing the two major parties in a gubernatorial election. The victor was Samuel Goodlove Cosgrove of Pomeroy, who served a grand total of one day in office before leaving for California, where he died shortly after arrival. Runner-up John Pattison hailed from Colfax. They were the first nominees for Washington governor elected directly by the people through a primary election rather than being selected by a party convention.

John Pattison was born in Albany, NY in Jan. 1859.

Jan. 1859. I am going to jar the continuity here with a side note that seems worthy of mention. I cannot help but notice that about half of the Ungovernors up to this date have birthdates in months that begin with the letter "J." January: Young, Dunlap, Frink, Pattison. June: Semple, Sullivan, Caton. Big deal, right?

John was the son of John and Elizabeth Pattison, both Protestant Irish immigrants. His father had served in the Union Army during the Civil War. John Jr. left home at the age of 14 and headed for Silverton, Colorado "and engaged in mining for six years with varying though reasonable success, he went from there through Arizona and New Mexico, looking for a better mining location, and spending about two years in that country, making money, but at heavy expense." Having had ancestors myself who were his mining contemporaries, in nearby Ouray, Colorado I can guess Pattison became a later convert to the silver cause in 1896.