John Osborne

John Eugene Osborne was born in Westport, Essex County, New York on June 19, 1858. He attended the University of Vermont and graduated in 1880 with a degree in medicine. Hired as a surgeon by the Union Pacific Railroad, Osborne moved to Rawlins and became successful in the drug and livestock industries, eventually becoming known as the largest individual sheep owner in the Territory. He was elected to the House of the Territorial Assembly in 1883 but resigned upon leaving the Territory. After returning Osborne was appointed chairman of the Penitentiary Building Commission in 1888 and was elected mayor of Rawlins later that year. He was elected Governor and served from January 1893 to January 1895. Osborne was also a member of Congress from March 1897 to March 1899, the first assistant to the U.S. Secretary of State from April 1913 to December 1915, and the chairman of the board of the Rawlins National Bank. John Eugene Osborne died April 24, 1943.

Term as Governor: >Monday, January 02, 1893 - Monday, January 07, 1895