Lyman Enos Knapp (November 5, 1837 – October 9, 1904) was an American lawyer, journalist, and politician who served as the

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

of the

District of Alaska The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884, to August 24, 1912, when it became the Territory of Alaska. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military des ...

from 1889 to 1893. He was also a member of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

from 1884 to 1885.

Early life and education

Knapp was born November 5, 1837, in

Somerset, Vermont Somerset is an unincorporated town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a total population of 6. Somerset is one of five unincorporated towns in Vermont, having been disincorporated in 1937. The town has n ...

, to Hiram and Elvira (Stearns) Knapp. He was educated in

Manchester, Vermont Manchester is a New England town, town in, and one of two shire towns (county seats) of, Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,484 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Manchester (village), Vermont, Mancheste ...

, first attending

Burr and Burton Academy Burr and Burton Academy (BBA) is a private, non-profit, co-educational, day and boarding school in Manchester, Vermont, United States. It was established in 1829 through a bequest from local businessman Joseph Burr. In addition to serving local ...

and then graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists, Middlebury w ...

in 1862.

Career

Military service

After graduating from college, Knapp enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the Company I, 16th Vermont Infantry Regiment and was quickly promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of Company F, 17th Vermont Infantry Regiment. During his military service, he was wounded at Gettysburg, Spotsylvania, and Petersburg. Knapp rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and was brevetted a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

for his gallantry during the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

Vermont

Following the war, Knapp returned to Vermont where he published the '' Middlebury Register'' from 1865 till 1878. In addition to the work on his own newspaper, he submitted articles to the ''

Chicago Inter Ocean The ''Chicago Inter Ocean'', also known as the ''Chicago Inter-Ocean'', is the name used for most of its history by a newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, from 1865 until 1914. Its editors included Charles A. Dana and Byron Andrews. Histo ...

'' and the '' American Law Register''. Beyond his journalistic efforts, Knapp served as Clerk of the

Vermont Legislature The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly", but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

during the 1872–1873 session. After being

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1876, he served as a

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as orphans' courts o ...

for the Addison district from 1879 to 1889. Knapp was also elected for a term in the

from 1884 to 1885.

Governor of Alaska

Knapp was appointed Governor of the District of Alaska by President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

, his term beginning on April 20, 1889. At the time of his appointment, many Alaskans desired a resident governor and were disappointed receiving an "outsider". The district did, however, see a number of improvements during his administration. Postal service was extended with the creation of over of new mail routes. Knapp also helped establish a historical society and library. On the legal front, Knapp asked for Alaska to be granted a delegate to the U.S. Congress. He also supported creation of a commission to revise the district's

legal code A code of law, also called a law code or legal code, is a systematic collection of statutes. It is a type of legislation that purports to exhaustively cover a complete system of laws or a particular area of law as it existed at the time the co ...

and, arguing that lack of clear land possession discouraged improvements, lobbied for a revision of the land possession laws. To help maintain law and order, Knapp help organize both a

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

and Indian police. The former turned into a source of amusement for some area residents due to the governor's predilection for dressing in his military uniform and watch the militia

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

before him. During his term, an international dispute over seal fisheries reached a zenith. The United States, claiming that seals from Alaska were being killed by Canadian and other ships on the high seas, had seized several ships and brought them to Sitka. Arbitration to resolve the dispute was agreed to in 1891 between Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As a result a set of restrictions was imposed on seal hunting near Alaska. Knapp was replaced as governor on August 29, 1893, following the appointment of James Sheakley by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

Later career

Following his term as governor, Knapp moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

and established a law practice. He was active in civil organizations such as the Institute of Civics and

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and received an honorary

LL.D. A Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is a doctoral degree in legal studies. The abbreviation LL.D. stands for ''Legum Doctor'', with the double “L” in the abbreviation referring to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both canon law ...

from

Whitman College Whitman College is a private liberal arts college in Walla Walla, Washington. The school offers 53 majors and 33 minors in the liberal arts and sciences, and it has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9:1. Founded as a seminary by a territorial l ...

in 1893. Knapp was also the founder and president of the

Anti-Saloon League The Anti-Saloon League, now known as the American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems, is an organization of the temperance movement in the United States. Founded in 1893 in Oberlin, Ohio, it was a key component of the Progressive Era, an ...

of Washington. He remained active in the practice of law until his death on October 9, 1904.

Personal life

On January 23, 1865, Knapp married Martha A Severance of

Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History and the adjacent ...

. The couple had four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Knapp, Lyman Enos 1837 births 1904 deaths Alaska Republicans People from Windham County, Vermont Middlebury College alumni Union army colonels People of Vermont in the American Civil War Vermont state court judges Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Governors of the District of Alaska Vermont Republicans 19th-century Vermont state court judges 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly