Charlie Wiggins wrote a series of articles about the Washington State Constitutional Convention of 1889 in commemoration of Washington's centennial. These articles were published in the Washington State Bar News in 1989 and 1990, with the sole exception of the article on John Kinnear and the Corporations Article, which has not previously been printed.

• Austin Mires and the Capital Controversy -- Austin Mires served as one of the delegates to the constitutional convention from the City of Ellensburgh. Mires labored on behalf of his home city to move the state capital from Olympia to Ellensburgh. Mires' efforts culminated in a vote by the people on the capital location, but the people chose Olympia. Mires also served as chairman of the committee on water rights, and helped craft the compromise on the thorniest issue of the convention, disposition of the tidelands.
• The Battle for the Tidelands in the Constitutional Convention -- The contemporary notion of constitutions and constitution making emphasizes civil liberties, personal rights, powers of government and separation of powers among the branches of government. But the bitterest and most divisive battle of the Washington constitutional convention of 1889 was fought, not over any of these fundamental governmental structures, but over the public domain.
• Charles S. Voorhees and the Omnibus Admissions Act -- Charles S. Voorhees served two terms as delegate to the House of Representatives from Washington Territory, from March 4, 1885 through March 3, 1889. Voorhees figured prominently in the congressional debates leading to passage of the Omnibus Admissions Bill which entitled the Dakotas, Montana, and Washington to admission into the Union as states.
• Francis Henry and the Declaration of Rights -- Francis Henry, early day prospector, pioneer, and the poet whose song gave the name to Ivar's "Acres of Clams", served as a delegate to both of Washington's constitutional conventions, the Walla Walla convention of 1878 and the statehood convention of 1889. In both conventions, Henry served on the committee which drafted the declaration of rights.
• George Turner and the Judiciary Article -- George Turner was the most outspoken, articulate and controversial delegate to the 75 member Constitutional Convention of 1889. Although his formal education was limited to a total of 8 months in a one-room school house, Turner was appointed Supreme Court Judge of Washington Territory at age 34, and served with distinction. Turner did not hesitate to oppose the most powerful corporate interests of the day, and they in turn opposed him and his political aspirations before, during and after the constitutional convention.
• John P. Hoyt and the Women's Suffrage -- Former Territorial Supreme Court judge, Seattle lawyer John P. Hoyt was selected by his fellow delegates to the Washington Constitutional Convention to serve as president, or chairman of the convention, a responsibility which he ably fulfilled. Hoyt found himself immersed in one of the spirited controversies of the day--women's suffrage.
• John R. Kinnear and the Corporations Article -- Article XII of the Washington Constitution, "Corporations Other Than Municipal," provoked one of the more heated disputes of the constitutional convention of 1889. The corporations committee, headed by Seattle Republican John R. Kinnear, drafted a series of restrictions on corporate activities which were criticized as anti-business, anti-development, and anti-railroad. Some of these controversial measures were shorn before they left the committee, some were sacrificed on the floor of the convention, and others survived the slaughter and are found in the Constitution today.
• The Twenty-Three Lawyer-Delegates to the Constitutional Convention -- Twenty-three of the delegates to the Washington Constitutional Convention of 1889 were lawyers. Who were these men, how did their talents serve them in convention, and what forces shaped their debates and votes?