Ernest Lister (June 15, 1870June 14, 1919) was an American politician who served as the eighth governor of Washington from 1913 to 1919.

Biography

Born in Halifax, England, Lister immigrated with his family in 1884, to be near his uncle, who was mayor of

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

Career

Lister began working as an iron-molder in his brother's foundry in

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

. He operated a foundry and woodworking shop as well as working in real estate and insurance. He owned Lister Construction Company from 1903 to 1912, and President of Lister Manufacturing Company. He married Mary Alma Thornton on February 28, 1893, and they had two children, Florence and John Ernest. He was elected to the Tacoma City Council in 1894 as a

Populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

. After a successful management of Governor John Rankin Rogers' campaign in 1896, Lister was appointed chairman of the State Board of Control. Lister became the only elected Democrat (but the first to be elected outright into the office as a member of that party) in Washington's executive branch of government when he was elected in 1912. He was sworn into the office on January 11, 1913, re-elected in 1916, and remained in it until he became ill during his second term and relinquished his office to the Lieutenant Governor. As governor, he supported agricultural aid, irrigation and reclamation projects, and state industrial accident insurance. He vetoed legislation that would have denied civil rights to members of the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

. And his efforts helped bring the

eight-hour work day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses of working time. The modern movement originated in ...

to the Pacific Northwest. Other reforms concerning working conditions were carried out during his time as governor.

Death

Lister died one day before his forty-ninth birthday, on June 14, 1919, from heart and kidney disease, in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...

. He is interred at Tacoma Cemetery,

References

External links

Washington Secretary of State
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lister, Ernest 1870 births 1919 deaths English emigrants to the United States People from Halifax, West Yorkshire Politicians from Tacoma, Washington Washington (state) city council members Democratic Party governors of Washington (state) Washington (state) Populists 19th-century American politicians

Biography

Career

Death

See also

References

Further reading

External links