S.G. Cosgrove (1847-1909) was the sixth governor of Washington State, although he served for only two months due to his death from illness. Born in Ohio, Cosgrove served as a Union officer in the Civil War and worked as a teacher before moving to Pomeroy, Washington in 1882. He was mayor of Pomeroy for five terms, while also practicing the law. In 1908, he ran for governor of Washington State in the Republican primary and won after a tally of second-choice candidates showed he had the majority vote. Cosgrove won the gubernatorial election in November 1908, but shortly thereafter fell ill from Bright's disease. Cosgrove entered a therapeutic hospital in Paso Robles, California, but made the long train trip to Washington State for his inauguration on January 27, 1909. After appointing lieutenant governor, Marion E. Hay, to serve in his place during his leave of absence, he made the return trip to Paso Robles. Cosgrove succumbed to his disease on March 26, 1909 and his body was returned to Washington to be buried in the Masonic Cemetery in Olympia.
From the description of S.G. Cosgrove scrapbook, 1907-1909. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 263996741
