Ungovernor Gilmore is a major enigma in my parade of might-have-beens. With this man, I just have to cut my research losses and move on. You'll understand why as I unfold the tale.

William Addison Gilmore did not like to be called "Bill." But apparently this life-long staunch Republican had no problem being called a Progressive in 1924. His motives in running for Governor are something of a mystery. Did he really change and evolve his view, or was he a deliberate red herring designed to throw the race into disarray? Unfortunately, there isn't that much data about his political activities between 1916-1924. We do know he returned to the Republican Party after the election. One problem for anyone who attempts to research the life of this character is the abundance of conflicting information concerning where he was when. A slippery subject, this fellow.

William was different than most other ungovernors of his era in that he was a product of the Pacific Northwest. Born in Oakland, California to Irish immigrant parents (A.B. and Anna (Bennett) Gilmore) Jan. 19, 1870, his family moved to Vancouver the following June, a city where A.B. and Anna spent the rest of their lives. The noted historian Clarence Bagley commented on Gilmore's upbringing (1929), "During his boyhood William A. Gilmore saw many Indians and learned much concerning their habits and characteristics. Fish and game were abundant. The family lived in primitive fashion, lacking many things which are now regarded as necessities."

It is possible he had a short-lived career as a teacher in Vancouver starting when he was a teenager, as early as 1887. Possibly at the School for the Deaf.

In 1890-91 he attended Monmouth College and upon graduation began a career in law. William married Carrie I. Thompson, of Tacoma (a teacher) in Nov. 6, 1891 or 1901, depending on which source you choose to believe. Nothing about this guy seems concrete. He attended Northwestern in Chicago and graduated with a law degree from Lake Forest University in 1897.

Somewhere in there William, who was inclined to be a club-joiner, had become part of the Mazamas. This was a mountain climbing group formed in the mid-1890s. Mountaineering author C.E. Rusk in his work Tales of a Western Mountaineer (1924) includes Gilmore in his description of the July 1895 ascent of Mt. Adams, "On this occasion, W.A. Gilmore, of Vancouver, Washington, made many readings with a boiling-point thermometer." This particular expedition, according to Rusk, was instrumental in determining the altitude of the mountain.

Gilmore moved to Seattle in 1897 and started his law practice. He formed a partnership with P.V. Davis (David & Gilmore). He also became politically involved with the Republican Party and was appointed Secretary to the State Central Committee in 1898.

This was during the Alaskan Gold Rush, and Gilmore got caught up in the excitement. He boarded the steamship Ohio in 1900 and went to Nome. "The prospects of the Northern gold fields," said the 1905 Nome and Seward Peninsula of Gilmore, "the possibility of acquiring valuable mining interests and the certainty of litigation in the new country, caused him to join the great stampede ..."

At first he became an attorney for the mining interests, but eventually settled into becoming a judge. He was also co-owner of a general store. Still politically active, he was elected mayor of Nome and served 1911-1913. A story from that era was told in his obituary, of all places:

"Gilmore saw a young fellow selling his papers, shivering in the cold. He asked how many papers he had left. The boy had six or eight. 'I'll buy 'em all,' Mr. Gilmore told him, 'and you go home and get warm.' The boy later became pretty well known in flying circles. His name was Jimmy Doolittle."

Gilmore ran for the office of Alaska Territorial Delegate to Congress in 1912 as a Republican. His chief opponent was James Wickersham (the incumbent) who was running as a Bull Moose Progressive, and another fellow running as a Socialist who was popular with the guys out toiling for gold, ironically enough. While many other Republicans were rushing toward Theodore Roosevelt, William remained a party loyalist. The Republican/Progressive Party Taft/Roosevelt rift that had taken place nationally played in microcosm in Alaska (sort of). Jeannette Paddock Nichols, an Alaska historian, describes the 1912 Republican congressional delegate situation: "The standpatters nominated W.A. Gilmore, a popular ex-mayor of Nome and a former friend of Wickersham ..." Former friend. Ouch. For his part, when Wickersham was informed Gilmore was nominated by the Republicans, he telegrammed: "Same old trap with different bait. Water cannot rise higher than source which, in this case is Guggenheim, Northern Commercial Company and Pioneer Mining Company ..." Wickersham was re-elected with 39%. Gilmore placed third, after the Socialist, with 20%.

The exact date of Gilmore's return to Seattle is somewhat confusing. He appears in records in both Alaska and Washington for the 1914-1916 period. Maybe he was a commuter. When I was little Alaska was still a territory and even up to the 1970s in the pre-pipeline days there was an old saying around here that "Seattle is the biggest city in Alaska." That all changed when Sen. Mike Gravel helped sell his state down the river to the Grand Oil Party. Like Gilmore, Gravel is another Alaskan enigma.

But, moving on. While in Nome, Gilmore became acquainted with fellow attorney Rex Beach, who later went on to become a novelist. One of Beach's better known works, The Spoilers, was based on cases where Gilmore was involved.

In 1916 William served on the Republican National Committee as an Alaskan, even though he appears in Seattle city directories again as early as 1914. Like I said.

Another bit of mystery. His obituary states that during his Alaska years, "He twice declined appointment to the federal bench in Alaska."

Why?

OK, now it gets weird. Gilmore returns to Seattle by 1916, if not before, and becomes politically invisible. His name does not register on political radar until 1924. And when he re-emerges, he is no longer a Republican "standpatter" but a Progressive in a very radical sense. What gives?

1924 was the year of radical anti-corporation third party presidential candidate Robert LaFollette. Historian Hamilton Cravens takes the story from the point where Washington State citizens meet to form a LaFollette party:

"Phillip LaFollette, youngest son of the candidate, was present at the organizational meeting, and declared that his father did not want them to form a state ticket. There was little need for LaFollette to say this, for most of the delegates there were not even considering such a move. The Farmer-Labor party leaders agreed with young LaFollette because they did not want to have to compete with a LaFollette state machine. However, a Seattle progressive Republican, William Gilmore, pleaded for a LaFollette state party, and after he was overruled he announced that he was going to form such a ticket anyway. He assured the delegates that he would not put up presidential electors under any circumstances."

First off, Gilmore had never been considered a "progressive Republican" in the past, and how he suddenly came by this description appears to be a media fabrication. Secondly, even at the time, there was some suggestion that William was splintering off as a purposeful red herring. Occasionally in modern times we see news of Republicans being the financial backers for candidates in the Green Party. This 1924 case appears to be somewhat the same sort of game.

Ok, now get this. The Washington State Democrats are so alienated from their national candidate Davis that they unofficially endorse LaFollette. The Farmer-Labor Party, 2nd place winners in the 1920 gubernatorial election, endorse LaFollette. And now, well, let's read Cravens:

"On Primary day the LaFollette-Wheeler C.P.P.A. organization held a convention to choose seven presidential electors at Carpenters' Hall in Seattle. The official LaFollette organization formally adopted the name of 'The Progressive Party.' However, matters were soon complicated, for three other conventions were held on primary day in Seattle, all claiming to represent LaFollette in one fashion or another."

"William Gilmore, who had previously attempted to get the C.P.P.A. to sponsor a LaFollette ticket, sponsored a convention at which a full slate of candidates were nominated, under the name the Lafollette State party. The new party, formed by former Bull Moosers, adopted the curious slogan of 'a new deal for Washington' and named the shy, retiring, publicity-hating Gilmore for Governor. No presidential electors were selected." This took place in the Frye Hotel. Remember this little tidbit of info. The Frye Hotel.

I have some issues here. Gilmore was never a Bull Mooser from what I can see. He was always a Republican Party stalwart. And, he was never shy or retiring. Politics is show biz and he proved by his Nome experience he could do the dance. Other candidates from this new party included Republican State Sen. Landon for Congress and former Republican Sen. A.V. Fawcett (Tacoma Mayor in 1924) for Lt. Gov. Ina P. Williams, former Republican member of the House, was State Party candidate for Secretary of State. These appear to be marked cards.

Back to Cravens: "Infinitely more amusing were two illegal conventions, both held at one a.m. (conventions were not supposed to start before eight a.m.) in Seattle. The first one, held by August Toellner, regarded locally as an eccentric, was attended by one other person. Adopting the name of the LaFollette Independent Party, Toellner quickly selected seven presidential electors at random out of the telephone book, nominated himself for Congress and left for Olympia to file his ticket. This enterprising individual's desire to be first at the Secretary of State's office was thwarted because his car broke down on the highway."

"Thomas J. Cunningham, a minor Seattle Republican politician, sponsored a second spurious convention, in the writing room of the Frye Hotel. Cunningham was more modest and honest than either Gilmore or Toellner, because he did not nominate himself for office, and selected seven presidential electors who were active G.O.P. employees who had previously consented to the honor. Indeed, Cunningham was not interested in personal glory, but rather in putting up a rival set of LaFollette electors (under the name of the LaFollette Independent Progressive Party) merely to advance the cause of the Republican Party."

Frye Hotel. Same day. Remember? Starting to smell something fishy?

Onward with Cravens: "The reaction of the official LaFollette-Wheeler organization in the state was immediate and vigorous. W.D. Lane and Edgar C. Snyder, attorneys for the C.P.P.A., filed petitions with State Supreme Court to have the unauthorized tickets stricken from the ballot. The Court faced the issue in the best tradition of American jurisprudence by requesting Superior Court Judge J.T. Roland to hold a hearing on the three conventions."

"At Judge Roland's hearing, action deemed favorable by the C.P.P.A. was taken. All three new 'parties' had to drop the name 'LaFollotte' from their ballots, and Toellner and Cunningham were forced to withdraw their slate of presidential electors. It was clearly established that Cunningham had put up his ticket merely to divide the vote for LaFollette upon suggestion from state G.O.P. leaders."

As a sideshow, I'll introduce you to August Toellner a little bit. He's too good of a story to pass by. He came to Seattle from the Midwest in the 1890s and apparently quickly established himself as local color. In addition to being a perennial candidate for a wide variety of political offices, he was also known as the "Marrying Justice of the Duwamish." How he could do this legally is unclear, but Toellner had a curb-service wedding business where he also had a gas station, home and "courtroom" just beyond the southern border of Seattle. He performed wedding ceremonies for hundreds of couples over the years. Sometimes he did this while wearing his nightshirt. Toellner, along with E.H. Rettig of Olympia, adopted the slogan "Clean Business, Law and Order," and proceeded to nominate presidential electors and well known political figures (mostly Republican, but Homer T. Bone was their nominee for Governor according to the Sept. 9, 1924 Seattle Times) for the statewide offices. The fact that none of the people who were placed in nomination were aware of this honor was one of those little details that prevented this dream ticket from making the ballot. Toellner died in April 1948 in the veteran's home in Retsil.

So, where the Toellner and Cunningham slates evaporated, Gilmore's effort stayed on the ballot, but with a new name-- The State Party.

Gilmore's campaign was pretty low-key. According to a Seattle campaign ad in a labor newspaper, where Gilmore claimed "He has lived in Washington 54 years" (what about those Alaska times?) he states:

"William A. Gilmore, candidate for governor, is the only candidate from King County. Seattle and King County should loyally support him. He has lived in Washington 54 years, is married, and the father of four children. He is a Progressive and one of the original LaFollette supporters in this state. All LaFollette supporters should vote for Gilmore rather than for other so-called Progressives running on other party tickets."

The State Party platform called for socialist measures in regard to public ownership of utilities and expanded the concept of direct election to various governmental boards. A rather far leap from being a status-quo Republican only a short time before for Mr. Gilmore. And they endorsed La Follette, a man who was vilified in status-quo editorial pages throughout the state as a dangerous and reckless radical.

On election day Gilmore was crushed. He garnered 1,954 votes (0.50%), placing 4th out of 6 candidates. Clark, King, Pierce, and Whatcom counties were the only jurisdictions where he managed to gain votes in the 3 digit range.

His runs for political office apparently came to an end in 1924. He continued to be a high-powered attorney in Seattle and became involved in the real estate business. In 1929 he had two biographical profiles published. One of them, by the Seattle Kind Words Club, states, "Knowing the unquestioned distinction of being a William goat, Gilmore is hard of hearing when called Bill." The profile also suggests he is a leadfoot while behind the wheel. A Gilmore profile by Bagley in 1929 points out that among many other organizations, Gilmore is a member of the Young Men's Republican Club, which seems funny since by 1929 he was no longer young and in the previous statewide election he claimed he was not a Republican but a LaFollette supporter.

Gilmore's run for Governor was not mentioned in any subsequent biographical sketches or in his obituary. He died Mar. 1, 1950, age 80 in Seattle. His body is buried in Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery.