Frank Robert Gooding (16 September 1859 – 24 June 1928) was Governor of Idaho (R) from 2 January 1905 to 4 January 1909 (succeeding John T. Morrison and preceding James H. Brady) and a US Senator from 15 January 1921 to 24 June 1928 (succeeding John F. Nugent and preceding John W. Thomas).
Biography[]
Frank Robert Gooding was born in Tiverton, Devon, England in 1859, and he came to the United States with his family in 1867. His family settled in Paw Paw, Michigan, and Gooding moved to Mount Shasta, California in 1877 and to the Idaho Territory in 1881. He became one of the largest sheep owners in Idaho, and he engaged in the firewood and charcoal business in Ketchum. In 1888, he moved south and settled near what is now Gooding, named in his honor. After Idaho achieved statehood in 1890, Gooding became a conservative Republican Party politician, and he served in the State Legislature in 1898 and as Governor from 1905 to 1909, before he became a US citizen. He built the Idaho State Capitol in Boise during his governorship. From 1921 to 1928, he also served in the US Senate, and he died in office.