Edward J. Curtis
American lawyer and judge (1827-1895)
Edward J. Curtis (1827 – December 31, 1895) was an American statesman, lawyer, journalist, military officer, pioneer, and frontiersman who served as Idaho's territorial secretary from 1869 to 1878 and then again from 1885 to 1890. He also held the position of Adjutant General of Idaho from 1890 to 1893, and previously, from 1854 to 1856, was a member of the California State Assembly.
Background and education
Curtis was born in 1827 in Worcester, Massachusetts. There, he attended local public schools, and would later attend Princeton University in New Jersey, graduating with high honors, whereupon he returned to his hometown of Worcester but went to Boston shortly thereafter, beginning the study of law in the office of Rufus Choate.
Law, journalism, public office, and military service
California (1848–1864)
In 1848, upon hearing the news of gold being discovered in California, the aspiring lawyer decided to settle there, arriving in San Francisco in early 1849. He did not stay there for long, however, and would move to San Jose and later Sacramento.
In 1851, Curtis relocated yet again, this time to Yreka, where he became an editor of a local newspaper.
Local political affairs
Three years later, in 1854, Curtis was elected as a California State Representative, serving in the Assembly for two terms; during his first term he was a Whig, and during his second he was a Know Nothing.
In April 1856, while in Sacramento, Curtis was admitted to the bar, and would set about his practice in Weaverville. He would subsequently be elected judge of the court of sessions of Northern California.
The public source identifies “Edward J. Curtis” as american lawyer and judge (1827-1895). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Edward, Curtis and American.
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Biographical claims are most persuasive when dates, appointments and relationships can be traced to records created close to the events described. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1292611. VIAF identifies the subject as 8686155832954133490002. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1827, 1895, 1869 and 1878.
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This entry incorporates text from “Edward J. Curtis” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.