The Washington State Teachers Association, now the Washington Education Association, is one of the state’s oldest professional associations. In this photograph from April 1889, its charter members and their families pose at the Territorial Capitol to celebrate the association’s foundation. At the time of the photograph, Washington was still a territory, but was to achieve statehood later in the year.
Unknown photographer, 1889, courtesy State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society, catalog C2018.0.91
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2019 and 2026