Washington E. Lindsey was born near Armstrong, Ohio, on December 20, 1862, the son of Robert Washington and Julia Anne (Shipman) Lindsey. He earned a bachelors degree in 1884 from Scio College in Harrison County, Ohio and worked as a teacher in Ohio, New York, and Illinois. Lindsey earned his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1891 and practiced law in Chicago for 10 years before moving to Portales, New Mexico in the early 1900s. A Republican, he served as a United States Commissioner; County Clerk of Roosevelt County (1903-1905); Assistant District Attorney in Roosevelt County (1905-1909); Mayor of Portales (1909-1910); and a Member of the State Constitutional Convention (1910-1912). Lindsey was elected Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico in 1916 and assumed the office of Governor in February, 1917 upon the death of newly-elected Ezequiel C De Baca. Lindsey completed his term as Governor at the end of 1918, and died on April 5, 1926.
From the guide to the Governor Washington E. Lindsey Papers, 1917-1918, (New Mexico State Records Center and Archives)
