William Rainey Marshall

Infobox Governor
name= William Rainey Marshall


caption= William Rainey Marshall
order= 5^th
office= Governor of Minnesota
term_start= January 8, 1866
term_end= January 9, 1870
lieutenant= Thomas H. Armstrong
predecessor= Stephen Miller
successor= Horace Austin
birth_date= birth date|1825|10|17|mf=y
birth_place= Columbia, Missouri, U.S.
death_date= death date and age|1896|1|8|1825|10|17|mf=y
death_place= Pasadena, California, U.S.
party= Republican
profession= banker, farmer
spouse= Abby Langford
religion=
footnotes=

Willian Rainey Marshall (October 17, 1825ndash January 8, 1896 [Newspaper articles reporting Gov. Marshall's death on April 4, 1895 were in error. See this article's discussion page.] ) was an American politician. He was the 5th Governor of Minnesota from January 8, 1866 to January 9, 1870 and was a member of the Republican party. He served as an officer in the 7th Minnesota Regiment during the American Civil War (1861–65).

Energy and ambition characterized the life of Minnesota's fifth—and only "southern-born" governor. He was born in Columbia, Missouri. The first stops on young Marshall's trek north were Illinois and Wisconsin, where he mined for lead and surveyed land. In 1849 he crossed the St. Croix River to settle in St. Paul, soon home of his fledgling hardware business. His political career began with a term in the first territorial legislature, and his reputation grew when he served as chairman of the convention that founded the state's Republican Party. The one-time banker, dairy farmer, stock-raiser, and newspaper publisher volunteered to fight in both the Civil War and the Dakota War of 1862.

A battle-scarred hero, an experienced entrepreneur, and a force in the Republican Party, Marshall handily won the 1865 and 1867 gubernatorial elections. As governor, he repeatedly urged passage of a black suffrage amendment. After defeating it twice, the legislature finally adopted the amendment and inspired Marshall to declare that the "free young state of Minnesota" is "now altogether free." During William Marshall's administration, his adoptive state experienced a post-Civil-War surge of growth and development: its population doubled to 350,000, its railroad mileage quadrupled, and its commercial endeavors flourished.

After leaving office, Marshall remained active in both the private and public sectors as an attorney, banker, and as a railroad and land commissioner. He was a partner in a law firm with Jude Kerr and Robertson Howard while residing in St. Paul, but subsequent commercial ventures faltered, as did his health. He moved to California in 1894 and died there two years later.

Marshall County, Minnesota was named after him. He is listed as one of the few politicians to be an adherent of Swedenborgianism [http://politicalgraveyard.com/group/swedenborgian.html] .

References

External links

* [http://www.mnhs.org/people/governors/gov/gov_07.htm Minnesota Historical Society]
* [http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=13894 Minnesota Legislators Past & Present]