Horace Austin (1831 - 1905)

Born 15 Oct 1831 in Canterbury, Windham, Connecticut, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Angelina (Morrill) Austin — married 1 Mar 1859 in Manchester, Essex, Massachusetts, United States

Died 2 Nov 1905 at age 74 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, United States

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Preceded by 5th Governor William Rainey Marshall

Horace Austin 6th Governor of Minnesota 1870—1874

Succeeded by 7th Governor Cushman Kellogg Davis

Biography

Horace Austin is Notable.

Horace Austin was a Minnesotan.

Horace was born on October 15, 1831 to David Austin and Emeline Elizabeth (Mitchell) Austin in Connecticut.^[1] Horace's mother died when he was about 15, and his father remarried the following year. The name assigned to his mother on his death record was probably supplied by his wife who had never met his mother, and whatever had been mentioned during their marriage easily transformed "Mitchell" into "Getchel" a prominent name in the area in Maine where Horace grew up.

He died on November 7, 1905 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota.^[1]

Minnesota Governor Biography

Horace Austin Biography

A reputation for clearheaded objectivity and disdain for contentious party politics enhanced the appeal of Judge Horace Austin as a gubernatorial candidate in 1869. Minnesota’s sixth governor was determined to bring legislative power to bear against the railroad barons. His advocacy of strictly regulated passenger and freight rates and his opposition to the wholesale allocation of state lands to railroad development earned him a second term. But he was unable to resolve completely the problems inherent in controlling a booming transportation industry and curbing the excesses of its owners.

Son of a prosperous Connecticut farmer and graduate of a private academy, Austin taught school briefly before studying law. He was twenty-five when he moved to Minnesota and began practicing law in St. Peter. Six years later he joined the local Frontier Guards at the outbreak of the U.S.–Dakota War of 1862. In 1869, while judge of the Sixth Judicial District, Austin impressed state Republican leaders with his fair-mindedness and won the gubernatorial nomination.

Remaining in the public sphere after leaving the governor’s office, Austin served as third auditor of the U.S. Treasury in Washington, as registrar of the U.S. Land Office in Fargo, and finally as a railroad commissioner. He devoted his last sixteen years to travel and relaxation at his Lake Minnetonka home.^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Minnesota, Birth and Death Records, 1866-1916," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XP8J-NQ1 : 10 March 2018), Horace Austin, 07 Nov 1905; citing Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, Reg. 268, Public Health Center, St. Paul; FHL microfilm 1,499,033.

   Name Horace Austin

   Event Type DEATH

   Event Date 07 Nov 1905

   Event Place Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota

   Gender Male

   Age 74

   Marital Status Married

   Race W

   Birthplace Conn.

   Birth Date 15 Oct 1831

   Birth Year (Estimated) 1831

   Burial Place St. Paul

   Father's Name David Austin

   Father's Birthplace Conn.

   Mother's Name Getchel

   Mother's Birthplace Conn.

2. ↑ MN Governor Biography: https://mnhs.gitlab.io/archive/governors-of-minnesota-collections/collections.mnhs.org/governors/index.php/10004004.html, https://mnhs.gitlab.io/archive/governors-of-minnesota-collections/collections.mnhs.org/governors/10004003.html

See also:

• Find a Grave, database and images (: accessed 12 November 2022), memorial page for Horace Austin (15 Oct 1831–2 Nov 1905), Find A Grave: Memorial #6854288, citing Oakland Cemetery, Saint Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave .
• Horace Austin on Wikipedia