William Rainey Marshall | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 5th Governor of Minnesota | |
| In office January 8, 1866 – January 9, 1870 | |
| Lieutenant | Thomas H. Armstrong |
| Preceded by | Stephen Miller |
| Succeeded by | Horace Austin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1825-10-17)October 17, 1825 Columbia, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 1896(1896-01-08) (aged 70) Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Abby Langford |
| Profession | Banker, farmer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Union Army |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1862 - 1865 |
| Rank |
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| Unit | |
| Commands | |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War
|
William Rainey Marshall (October 17, 1825 – January 8, 1896[a]) was an Americanpolitician. He was thefifth Governor of Minnesota from January 8, 1866, to January 9, 1870, and was a member of theRepublican party. He served as theColonel of the7th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment during theAmerican Civil War (1861–1865) andDakota War of 1862 (1862 - 1864), eventually achieving the rank ofbrevetBrigadier General.
He was born inColumbia, Missouri. Marshall first settled inIllinois andWisconsin, where he mined for lead and surveyed land. He was elected to serve in theWisconsin State Assembly in the1st Wisconsin Legislature in 1848 as aDemocrat, but his seat was successfully contested byJoseph Bowron, because his home inSt. Croix Falls was on the west (Minnesota Territory) side of the new state line.[1] In 1849 he crossed theSt. Croix River to settle in St. Paul, soon home of his fledgling hardware business. He served a term in the first Minnesota 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 theCivil War and theDakota War of 1862. He enlisted as a private in the 8th Minnesota and was quickly appointed lieutenant colonel of the 7th Minnesota on August 28, 1862. He fought in many of the battles of the Dakota War being promoted to colonel of his regiment on November 6, 1863. Marshall and his regiment were transferred toAndrew Jackson Smith's command in Missouri and took part in thepursuit of Sterling Price. Smith's command was attached toGeorge H. Thomas' army outside Nashville. When ColonelSylvester G. Hill was killed the first day of thebattle of Nashville, Colonel Marshall took command of Hill's brigade and led it throughout the rest of the battle. He continued in brigade command when transferred toMobile, Alabama, to take part in theBattle of Fort Blakeley. Colonel Marshall wasbrevetted brigadier general of volunteers, dated March 13, 1865.
On September 6, 1865, Marshall was nominated for Governor of Minnesota by the Republican National Convention. It took a historic 22 ballots to elect Marshall as its nominee. The other candidates wereJohn T. Averill andCharles Duncan Gilfillan. Averill led the first two ballots, and Marshall led in all subsequent ones.[2]
Marshall won the1865 and1867 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."[3] The amendment was passed in 1868.[4]
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 andRobertson Howard while residing in St. Paul, but subsequent commercial ventures faltered, as did his health. He moved toCalifornia in 1894 and died there two years later, in Pasadena on January 8, 1896.[5] He was buried atOakland Cemetery in Saint Paul.[6] He is listed as one of the few politicians to be an adherent ofSwedenborgianism.[7]
In Minnesota,Marshall County and the city ofMarshall were both named after him.[8]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Minnesota 1865,1867 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Minnesota 1866–1870 | Succeeded by |
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