George Edward Cole was born December 23, 1826, in Trenton, Oneida County, New York.

[1] After living in the Midwestern state of Illinois, Cole departed for California during the gold rush year of 1849.

[2] During that session he became an early supporter of the idea of splitting the territory — which then included the whole of today's states of Washington, Idaho, and the western portion of Montana — helping to draft a memorial to Congress calling for the establishment of the Washington Territory.

[1] In November 1866 Cole was appointed Governor of the Territory by Democratic President Andrew Johnson, serving in that position until March 4, 1867.

[2] Following the expiration of his second term as Postmaster, Cole went to work for the Northern Pacific Railroad, remaining with the company through 1882.