James Tilton

Who was James Tilton?

James Tilton was the first Surveyor General of the Washington Territory, from August 1, 1854 to July 17, 1861. He was also a soldier and a politician.

James Tilton was born in Delaware to Dr. James and Frances Gibson Tilton. The family moved to Indiana in 1827. He studied to become a surveyor, joined the United States Navy and was wounded twice in the Mexican-American War.

As a politician, Tilton campaigned vigorously in Indiana for presidential candidate Franklin Pierce, and was rewarded with the position of Surveyor General of the Washington Territory. He traveled to Olympia, Washington, arriving in the spring of 1853 with his wife, children, other family members, and a young mulatto slave named Charles Mitchell. In 1855, Tilton tried to establish a principal meridian for the Washington Territory, as the pre-existing Oregon-based Willamette Meridian was not convenient for his purposes, but his proposal was rejected by his superior.

Tilton became involved in the case of the slave Charles Mitchell. Mitchell had been contacted by free blacks from the British Crown Colony of Victoria.