Sylvester Pennoyer
| Sylvester Pennoyer | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 8th Governor of Oregon | |
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In office January 12, 1887 – January 14, 1895 |
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| Preceded by | Zenas Ferry Moody |
| Succeeded by | William Paine Lord |
| 30th Mayor of Portland, Oregon | |
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In office 1896–1898 |
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| Preceded by | George P. Frank |
| Succeeded by | William S. Mason |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 6, 1831 Groton, New York |
| Died | May 30, 1902 (aged 70) Portland, Oregon |
| Political party | Democrat-People's |
| Spouse(s) | Mary A. Allen |
| Occupation | Politician, lawyer |
Sylvester Pennoyer (July 6, 1831 – May 30, 1902) was an American educator, attorney, and politician in Oregon. He was born in Groton, New York, attended Harvard Law School, and moved to Oregon at age 25. A Democrat, he served two terms as the eighth Governor of Oregon from 1886 to 1895. He joined the Populist cause in the early 1890s and became the second Populist Party state governor in history. He was noted for his political radicalism, his opposition to the conservative Bourbon Democracy of President Grover Cleveland, his support for labor unions, and his opposition to the Chinese in Oregon. He was also noted for his prickly attitude toward both U.S. Presidents whose terms overlapped his own -- Benjamin Harrison and Cleveland, whom he once famously told via telegram to mind his own business.
He later served as mayor of Portland from 1896 to 1898.
Sylvester Pennoyer was born in Groton, New York, on July 6, 1831. His parents were the former Elizabeth Howland and Justus P. Pennoyer, a New York state legislator and a wealthy farmer. Sylvester attended school at Homer Academy and then began teaching. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1854. He moved to Oregon on July 10, 1855, where he resumed teaching.
In 1856 he married Mary A. Allen, with whom he had five children. While teaching, he also practiced law. Pennoyer was chosen as the superintendent of Multnomah County schools in 1860, and served until 1862. He then shifted to the lumber industry from 1862 to 1868, accumulating a fortune. He then purchased the Democratic-leaning Oregon Herald newspaper and served as editor until he sold it in 1869.
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