Henry Sibley Started out as a fur trader. Territorial delegate to Congress from Wisconsin. Helped pass the act making Minnesota a territory. Obtained first land grant for the University. Elected first governor of the state of Minnesota under highly questionable circumstances. Sibley County named for him.

Franklin Steele Owned all of St. Anthony at one time. Built the first sawmill there and the first suspension bridge from Nicollet Island to the west side of the Mississippi. Operated the first ferry between Minneapolis and St. Anthony. Owned more land in Minnesota than anyone in the history of the state. Steele County named for him.

Alexander Ramsey First territorial governor, first president of the Minnesota Historical Society, mayor of St. Paul, governor of Minnesota, U.S. Senator, U.S. Secretary of War. Ramsey County named for him.

Isaac Atwater Yale graduate. Came to St. Anthony in 1849 as John North’s law partner. Editor of the first newspaper in St. Anthony, the Express. Served on state’s first Supreme Court. Hennepin County district attorney. Minneapolis council member.

B. B. Meeker Self-educated. Graduated from Yale. First judge in St. Anthony. Used old government sawmill on the Minneapolis side of the river for first court session, which lasted two days. No guilty verdicts found, to the disgust of the state’s 15 lawyers. Meeker County named for him.

Socrates Nelson Highly respected Stillwater business person. Started out as a trader at the mouth of the Chippewa River. Original owner of much of Stillwater. Donated land for Washington County courthouse. Served as state senator and Washington County commissioner.

Charles (C. K.) Smith County recorder in Cincinnati, Ohio; then a lawyer and associate judge. Was appointed secretary of the Minnesota Territory by President Taylor in 1849, although he coveted the position of governor. As superintendent of common schools (elementary and secondary schools), he wrote a 200-page report describing how Minnesota’s infant school system should be run.

William Rainey Marshall Elected to the first territorial legislature. Helped raise funds for first University building in 1851. Founded the St. Paul Press, helped start Minnesota’s Republican party, and was a Civil War hero. Was g

John W. North: Helped found the University; established Northfield, Minnesota; served as a Nevada judge; tried his hand at fruit growing in Califoirnia.

overnor in 1868 when the legislature reorganized and reopened the University. Secured Morrill Land Grant of 1862 for the University while governor. Marshall County in Minnesota and South Dakota named for him.

Nathan C. D. Taylor Came to Minnesota in the lumber business. One of the original storekeepers at Taylors Falls. Speaker of the territorial legislature in 1854 and 1856. Treasurer of Chisago County.

Henry Rice Fur trader with the Winnebago and Ojibwe Indians. Represented Minnesota interests to Congress. Introduced the 1856 bill that granted statehood to Minnesota and funded the University with two townships of land (more than 23,000 acres). Elected to U. S. Senate in 1858. Rice County named for him.

Abraham Van Vorhees Successful inventor. Had only 18 months of formal schooling in his entire life. Served Ohio as legislator and senator. Appointed by President Taylor as Minnesota’s land office registrar in 1849. Served as territorial auditor and elected to territorial legislature. Finished career as Washington County surveyor.

Joseph W. Furber Came to Cottage Grove in 1847 and became a wealthy farmer. Speaker of the first and last territorial legislative sessions. Member of state legislature in 1858.

John W. North Not a regent but elected treasurer of the first board. Resettled along the Cannon River and founded Northfield. Appointed surveyor-general to Nevada territory by President Lincoln. Nearly became governor, instead served on Nevada’s supreme court. Settled in Tennessee to help in reconstruction after the Civil War. Operated a foundry in Knoxville. Later was a pioneering fruit grower in California and served as a judge there.