Shoup, << shoop, >> George Laird (1836-1904), was the first governor of Idaho. He volunteered for the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861-1865) and rose to the rank of colonel. He helped found Salmon, Idaho, in 1866, and was successful as a merchant there. He served in the territorial legislature and was appointed territorial governor by President Benjamin Harrison. When Idaho was admitted to the Union in 1890, Shoup was elected governor. But he resigned to serve as a Republican in the United States Senate from 1890 to 1901. Shoup campaigned for improved treatment of American Indians. A statue of him represents Idaho in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Shoup was born on June 15, 1836, in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. He died on Dec. 21, 1904.
