Name Charles Voorhees Role U.S. Congressperson | Died December 26, 1909 | |
Charles Stewart Voorhees (June 4, 1853 – December 26, 1909) was a lawyer and a two-term Delegate to U.S. Congress from the Territory of Washington, son of Daniel Wolsey Voorhees.
Born in Covington, Indiana, Voorhees attended Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana, and was graduated from Georgetown College, Washington, D.C., June 26, 1873. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1875 and commenced practice in Terre Haute, Indiana. He moved to the Territory of Washington in 1882 and settled in Colfax, Whitman County. He served as prosecuting attorney for Whitman County from 1882 to 1885.
Voorhees was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-ninth and Fiftieth Congresses (March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1889). The 50th Congress passed the Enabling Act that provided the pathway for Washington to become a state. The Republican John B. Allen defeated Voorhees in the election of 1888, which ended up being the last election for Washington Territory Delegate as the territory became a state on November 11, 1889. He resumed the practice of law in Colfax, Washington. He moved to Spokane, Washington, and continued the practice of law until his death there December 26, 1909. He was interred in Greenwood Cemetery.