Washington (state) Washington (state) Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Named for George Washington, the first president of the United States, the state was made out of the western part of the Washington Territory, which was ceded by Britain in 1846 in accordance with the Oregon Treaty in the settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the 42nd state in 1889. Olympia is the state capital; the state's largest city is Seattle. Washington is sometimes referred to as Washington State, to distinguish it
Washington State Guard Washington State Guard The Washington State Guard is the state defense force of the U.S. state of Washington. It is the third element of the state's military forces which also include the Washington Army National Guard and the Washington Air National Guard. In early 1855, on the eve of the Yakima War, the legislature of Washington Territory authorized the creation of the Washington Territorial Volunteers (WTV), the first militia raised in what would become the state of Washington. The defeat of the U.S. Army that year at the Battle of Toppenish Creek sparked panic throughout the territory that an Indian