Candace Wellman will be at the Coupeville Public Library in an event sponsored by the library and Island County Museum to talk about Washington Territorial Justice Edmund C. Fitzhugh.

Appointed to Washington Territory’s District and Supreme Courts in 1857 despite being under indictment for murder and only marginally qualified for the position, Fitzhugh’s biography offers unique insights into the people, personalities, politics, and practices of the territory and the 19^th century American West. Wellman spent more than two decades researching Fitzhugh’s life and contributions—both good and bad—to Pacific Northwest history. Although the court system played a large part in the region’s future, Man of Treacherous Charm is the first full biography of an early Washington Territory justice. Her previous book, Peace Weavers, won the 2018 WILLA literary award for scholarly nonfiction from Women Writing the West, and her Interwoven Lives was a 2020 finalist. This is her third title with WSU Press.

“Wellman combines a vast fund of research with the verve of a storyteller in this revealing glimpse into the racism, political patronage, corruption and Southern sympathies that bred success for a time in antebellum Washington Territory—all embodied in one man, Edmund Fitzhugh.”—Mike Vouri, former National Park Service historian and tour guide, and author, The Pig War

“Perhaps the single most enlightening takeaway for me was the stark contrast between the legal landscape of Fitzhugh’s time and that of my own. No current judge would even consider hearing, on appeal, a case over which they had presided as the trial judge…an entertaining and educational read.”—Chuck Snyder, Whatcom County Superior Court Judge, retired