Fort Benton in Chouteau County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Drowning of the Governor
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 14, 2019
1. Drowning of the Governor Marker
Inscription.
Drowning of the Governor. . Thomas Francis Meagher was born in Ireland in 1823. An Irish Revolutionary, he was caught and sentenced to death. Meagher's sentence was commuted to exile in Tasmania but he escaped to the United States. As a Brigadier General, Meagher commanded the Fighting 69th during the Civil War and was the hero of the Union Army at the Battle of Antietam. He came West after the war as the secretary to the Governor, and became Acting Governor when the appointee refused to stay in Montana. Meagher had just been relieved of his position as Governor when he came to Fort Benton for one final duty - to pick up arms and ammunition for the Montana Militia. What occurred the evening of July 1, 1867 is still speculation. Did he fall overboard, was he pushed, or was he weighed down and thrown? His body was never found. Your guess is as good as anyone's!
Thomas Francis Meagher was born in Ireland in 1823. An Irish Revolutionary, he was caught and sentenced to death. Meagher's sentence was commuted to exile in Tasmania but he escaped to the United States. As a Brigadier General, Meagher commanded the Fighting 69th during the Civil War and was the hero of the Union Army at the Battle of Antietam. He came West after the war as the secretary to the Governor, and became Acting Governor when the appointee refused to stay in Montana. Meagher had just been relieved of his position as Governor when he came to Fort Benton for one final duty - to pick up arms and ammunition for the Montana Militia. What occurred the evening of July 1, 1867 is still speculation. Did he fall overboard, was he pushed, or was he weighed down and thrown? His body was never found. Your guess is as good as anyone's!
Erected by Fort Benton Community Improvement Association.
Location. 47° 49.15′ N, 110° 39.93′ W. Marker is in Fort Benton, Montana, in Chouteau County. It is on Front Street near 17th Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Benton MT 59442, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Montana, in Missouri River Country, and specifically in Russell Country. It is also in the American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
3. Gov. Thomas F. Meagher Irish Patriot, Civil War Hero, and acting Governor of Montana Territory
Wood engraving by Benson John Lossing in Harper's Encyclopζdia of United States History, 1902, by Benson J. Lossing and Woodrow Wilson, Vol. 6, page 150.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 6, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,834 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on November 6, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 3. submitted on January 16, 2024, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
