John S. Pillsbury
John Sargent Pillsbury | |
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John Sargent Pillsbury
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8th Governor of Minnesota | |
In office January 7, 1876 – January 10, 1882 |
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Lieutenant | James Wakefield Charles A. Gilman |
Preceded by | Cushman Davis |
Succeeded by | Lucius Frederick Hubbard |
Personal details | |
Born | Sutton, New Hampshire, U.S. |
July 29, 1827
Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
Resting place | Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Mahala Fisk (1832–1910) |
Profession | Politician Businessman Philanthropist |
A member of Chi Psi |
John Sargent Pillsbury (July 29, 1827 – October 18, 1901) was an American politician, businessman, and philanthropist. A Republican, he served as the eighth Governor of Minnesota from 1876 to 1882. He was a co-founder of the Pillsbury Company.
Contents
Early life and career
Pillsbury was born in Sutton, New Hampshire of English descent, the son of John and Susan (Wadleigh) Pillsbury. He was a descendant of Joshua Pillsbury, who emigrated from England to Newburyport, Massachusetts in 1640.[1] In 1851, he opened a store in Warner, New Hampshire, partnering with Walter Harriman, a future Governor of New Hampshire and Civil War general.
Career
Pillsbury Company
Pillsbury came to Minnesota from the Eastern U.S. in 1855 and settled in St. Anthony (now part of Minneapolis). The entrepreneur tried his hand at several different types of businesses (after his business with Walter Harriman) including hardware, real estate, and lumber, though his greatest success came when he co-founded C. A. Pillsbury and Company[2] along with his nephew Charles Alfred Pillsbury, for whom the company was named.[3][4] Pillsbury attended the University of Minnesota, where he joined Chi Psi.
Political career
After the American Civil War, Pillsbury was elected as a 3rd class companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.[5]
Pillsbury served in the Minnesota Senate for several years before becoming the 8th Governor of Minnesota.[6] He served as governor from January 7, 1876, until January 10, 1882.[7] During the Grasshopper Plague of 1877, Governor Pillsbury called for a day of prayer on April 26, 1877.[8] A subsequent sleet storm killed all the grasshoppers. In Cold Spring, Minnesota, a chapel was built to honor the miracle.[9]
Philanthropist
Pillsbury was a noted philanthropist and often anonymously donated funds to causes he favored. In particular, he helped the University of Minnesota recover from debt in its early years, and later served as a regent. Since then, he has become known as "The Father of the University."[10] Pillsbury Hall at the University of Minnesota is named in his honor.[11][12]
Personal life
Pillsbury married Mahala Fisk on November 3, 1856.[13] He and Mahala had four children, daughters Addie, Susan May, and Sarah Belle, and then son Alfred.[14] Addie married Charles M. Webster, but died at the age of 25; Susan married Fred B. Snyder and died at the age of 28; Sarah Belle married Edward C. Gale, an area lawyer and son of the area's first real estate developer, Samuel Chester Gale. Edward Gale was also an art collector and contributed to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) as well.[15] Alfred did not go into business, but instead became an art collector. When he died in 1950, the works were donated to MIA.[16][17]
Pillsbury died on October 18, 1901 and is interred in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[18]
Quote
A 1901 magazine article described him as follows:
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[Pillsbury's] impulse always was: "Act; act now; act effectively; act for the greatest good." He belonged to the type of man who "does things."[19]
— Horace B. Hudson, The American Monthly Review of Reviews
References
- ↑ The National cyclopaedia of American biography: Volume 10 – Page 65
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External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
- Biographical information and his gubernatorial records are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society.
- The Washburn-Fair Oaks Historic District: History and Walking Tour. Hennepin History Museum.
- Pillsbury Hall (University of Minnesota Geology Department).
- Minnesota Legislators Past and Present
- John Sargeant Pillsbury bio at the National Governors Association
- John S. Pillsbury at Find a Grave
Political offices | ||
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Preceded by | Governor of Minnesota 1876–1882 |
Succeeded by Lucius Frederick Hubbard |
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- Use mdy dates from October 2011
- Commons category link from Wikidata
- Pages with broken file links
- 1827 births
- 1901 deaths
- People from Merrimack County, New Hampshire
- Governors of Minnesota
- University of Minnesota
- Minnesota State Senators
- Minnesota Republicans
- American Congregationalists
- American people of English descent
- Republican Party state governors of the United States
- Burials at Lakewood Cemetery