Edward M. Lander

Edward M. Lander Jr. (August 11, 1816 – February 2, 1907) was a politician, military officer, lawyer, judge, and the first Chief Justice of Washington Territory. Lander was later a foundational figure alongside Arthur A. Denny, Daniel Bagley, and Charles C. Terry in founding the University of Washington.

Early life Edward M. Lander was born on August 11, 1816, in Salem, Massachusetts. He was the son of Captain Edward Lander Sr. and Eliza West. Lander had five total siblings, two brothers: Frederick W. Lander and Charles Henry Lander, and three sisters: Louisa Lander, Martha Lander, and Eliza Lander. Like his siblings, Lander was the great-grandson of Elias Hasket Derby, a famous Massachusetts merchant and privateer during the American Revolutionary War.

Indiana In 1841 Lander moved to Indiana where he worked as an attorney. The 5th Judicial Circuit Court of Indiana included the jurisdiction of Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, and Johnson Counties. Lander would ultimate serve as prosecutor from January 29, 1847, until January 29, 1849, before being succeeded by David S. Gooding. Company D of the 4th Indiana Volunteers was nicknamed the "Marion County Volunteers" or the "Marion Volunteers" as many of the volunteer recruits came exclusively from Marion County and Indianapolis. According to the book Indiana in the Mexican War by Indiana Adjutant General Oran D. Perry, Lander had recruited his company in-full by May 22, 1847. The officers of Lander's company included himself as captain, Abraham Lewis as his First Lieutenant, Benjamin Franklin as Second Lieutenant, and Benjamin Philbean as Second Lieutenant.

On March 2, 1853, at the suggestion of Washington's Territorial Governor Isaac Stevens, President of the United States Franklin Pierce appointed Lander, along with John K. Miller of Ohio as the first Chief justice and Associate Justice of the newly formed Washington Territory. After suffering a stroke, Miller declined the position and instead appointed Moses Hoagland, also of Ohio, who also declined to serve as the territory's Associate Justice. Ultimately, Victor Monroe of Kentucky and Obadiah B. McFadden of Pennsylvania would end up serving as Associate Justices under Lander.

1856 arrest

During the Yakima War the Territorial Governor of Washington, Isaac Stevens, suspected local farmers of supplying the Yakama people with weapons and provisions. The farmers refused to do so and thus Stevens declared martial law and arrested the farmers. and members of the Washington Militia. Lander was released from custody at Camp Montgomery a day later on May 13. Stevens was eventually fined for $50 for this offense and was ridiculed within Washington Territorial Legislature. Lander later decline to run for the office of Chief Justice for a second term. Lander was succeeded as Chief Justice of Washington Territory in 1857 by Obadiah B. McFadden who had been appointed by James Buchanan.

University of Washington

In 1861 Lander along with Arthur A. Denny, Daniel Bagley, and Charles C. Terry founded the Territorial University which would later become the University of Washington. Lander and Terry donated a combined total of two acres of land alongside Denny's 8 acres for a grand total of 10 acres for the original Territorial University's campus. Lander's family papers are held in the collection of the Online Archive of California via the University of California.