Alexander Ramsey
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Alexander Ramsey (September 8, 1815 April 22, 1903) was an American politician, who became the first
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
Territorial Governor and later became a U.S. Senator. He served as a Whig and Republican over a variety of offices between the 1840s and the 1880s.


Early years and family

Born in Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, on September 8, 1815, Alexander was the eldest of five children born to Thomas Ramsey and Elizabeth Kelker (also Kölliker or Köllker). His father was a
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...
who committed suicide at age 42 when he went bankrupt in 1826, after signing for a note of a friend. Alexander lived with his uncle in
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, after his family split up to live with relatives. His brother Justus Cornelius Ramsey served in the Minnesota Territorial Legislature. Ramsey first studied carpentry at
Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...
but left during his third year. He read law with Hamilton Alricks, and attended Judge John Reed's law school in
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...
(now Penn State-Dickinson Law) in 1839. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1839. In 1844 Ramsey married Anna Earl Jenks, daughter of Michael Hutchinson Jenks, and they had three children. Only one daughter, Marion, survived past childhood.


Career

Alexander Ramsey was elected from
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
as a Whig to the U.S. House of Representatives and served in the 28th and 29th congresses from March 4, 1843, to March 3, 1847. He served as the first Territorial
Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory ...
from June 1, 1849, to May 15, 1853, as a member of the Whig Party. Ramsey was of Scottish and German ancestry. In 1855, he became the mayor of
St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...
. Ramsey was elected the second Governor of Minnesota after statehood and served from January 2, 1860, to July 10, 1863. Ramsey is credited with being the first Union governor to commit troops during the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. He happened to be in Washington, D.C., when fighting broke out. When he heard about the firing on
Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a historical Coastal defense and fortification#Sea forts, sea fort located near Charleston, South Carolina. Constructed on an artificial island at the entrance of Charleston Harbor in 1829, the fort was built in response to the W ...
he went straight to the White House and offered Minnesota's services to Abraham Lincoln. He resigned the governorship to become a U.S. Senator, having been elected to that post in 1863 as a Republican. He was re-elected in 1869 and held the office until March 3, 1875, serving in the 38th, 39th, 40th, 41st, 42nd, and 43rd congresses. He supported the Radical Republicans, who called for vigorous prosecution of the Civil War, and a military reconstruction of the South. He voted for the
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson The Federal impeachment in the United States, impeachment of Andrew Johnson for "high crimes and misdemeanors" was initiated by the United States House of Representatives on February 24, 1868. The alleged high crimes and misdemeanors were after ...
. Ramsey called for the killing or removal of the
Mdewakanton The Mdewakanton or Mdewakantonwan (also spelled ''Mdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'' and currently pronounced ''Bdewákhaŋthuŋwaŋ'') are one of the sub-tribes of the Isanti (Santee) Dakota people, Dakota (Sioux). Their historic home is Mille Lacs Lake (Da ...
and Wahpekute Dakota from the state of Minnesota during the
Dakota War of 1862 The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, the Dakota Uprising, the Sioux Outbreak of 1862, the Dakota Conflict, or Little Crow's War, was an armed conflict between the United States and several eastern bands of Dakota people, Da ...
. After pressing the Dakota to sell their land, he and other officials stole from the Dakota's
annuities In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals based on a contract with a lump sum of money. Insurance companies are common annuity providers and are used by clients for things like retirement or death benefits. Examples ...
. In response, some of the Dakota attacked American settlements, resulting in the death of at least 800 civilian men, women and children, and the displacement of thousands more. When the Fond du Lac band of Chippewa learned of the uprising they sent a letter to Ramsey to forward to President Lincoln offering to fight the Sioux dated September 6, 1862. A few days later on September 9 Ramsey addressed the state legislature proclaiming: ''"The Sioux Indians of Minnesota must be exterminated or driven forever beyond the borders of the State,"'' which he justified by citing various outrages against the settlers and violations of their treaties. In the north the Chippewa/Ojibwa were having problems with their
Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the U.S. government. Agents established in Nonintercourse Act of 1793 The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the Un ...
stealing from them. Gov. Ramsey lead a legislative commission to the Crow Wing agency to address their issues. There 10 chiefs of the
Leech Lake Leech Lake (translated from the Ojibwe language ''Gaa-zagaskwaajimekaag'': Lake abundant with bloodsuckers) is a lake located in north central Minnesota, United States. It is southeast of Bemidji, Minnesota, Bemidji, located mainly within the L ...
and Mississippi bands laid out their concerns and offered to fight the Sioux for the government. The commission liked their offer and Gov. Ramsey invited the leaders of 22 bands of Ojibwa to St. Paul. They came on September 23 waving the America flag thinking their offers had been accepted. Ramsey had to instruct them that Major General Pope would not accept their service on the grounds that it would not be good public policy. However, they would be contacted if they were needed. In 1863, in response to continued raids on settlers, he authorized a bounty for the
scalp The scalp is the area of the head where head hair grows. It is made up of skin, layers of connective and fibrous tissues, and the membrane of the skull. Anatomically, the scalp is part of the epicranium, a collection of structures covering th ...
s of Dakota males. On April 15, 1865, President
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
was assassinated. There were very few senior officials in D.C. that morning. Ramsey was and took part in initiating the transfer of the Presidency to Vice President
Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...
. Ramsey served as
Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
from 1879 to 1881, under
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Rutherford B. Hayes. He was one of the commissioners to govern
Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...
from 1882 to 1886 under the
Edmunds Act The Edmunds Act, also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882,U.S.History.com is a United States federal statute, signed into law on March 23, 1882 by President Chester A. Arthur, declaring polygamy a felony in federal territories, punis ...
. The act made it illegal for polygamists to vote or hold office. Ramsey and four others were defendants in the Supreme Court case '' Murphy v. Ramsey'', 114 U.S. 15 (1885). The Supreme Court upheld the federal law that denied polygamists the right to vote. Late in the fall of 1885 ex-governor Ramsey escorted the son of Chippewa Chief Hole in the Day to Washington D.C. as Minnesota's candidate to
West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
.


Legacy

The
Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Educational institution, educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the Minnesota Terr ...
preserves his home, the Alexander Ramsey House as a museum. It was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1969. Counties, towns, parks, and schools are named after Ramsey, including: * Ramsey County, Minnesota, * Ramsey County, North Dakota * The city of Ramsey, Minnesota * The city of
Ramsey, Illinois Ramsey is a village in Fayette County, Illinois, United States. The population was 911 as of the 2020 census. The village was named after Alexander Ramsey (1815–1903), an American politician, second governor of Minnesota. Geography U.S. Route ...
,Allan H. Keith
''Historical Stories: About Greenville and Bond County, IL''
Consulted on August 15, 2007.
* Alexander Ramsey Park in
Redwood Falls, Minnesota Redwood Falls is a city in Redwood County, Minnesota, Redwood County, located along the Redwood River near its confluence with the Minnesota River, in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 5,102 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 c ...
, formerly a state park, it is the largest municipal park in Minnesota. * Ramsey Park in
Stillwater, Minnesota Stillwater is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Washington County, Minnesota, Washington County. It is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, on the west bank of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), S ...
* Hidden River Middle School in
Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...
was formerly named after him. During the 2021–2022 school year, the school was renamed after approval from the St Paul School Board; staff and students had previously called for a name change in the spring of 2021. * Alexander Ramsey Elementary School in
Montevideo, Minnesota Montevideo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,398 at the 2020 census. The area around Montevideo was populated by Native Americans and fur traders during the first half of ...
. * Justice Page Middle School in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
was formerly named after him when it was first founded in 1932 (Ramsey International Fine Arts Center and formerly Alexander Ramsey Junior High School). In the 2016–17 school year, a student-initiated effort to rename Ramsey Middle School resulted in renaming the school after
Alan Page Alan Cedric Page (born August 7, 1945) is an American former Minnesota Supreme Court judge and professional American football, football player for the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. He was the NFL's MVP in 1971. He was awarded the Presid ...
, the first African-American Minnesota Supreme Court justice. He was the namesake of the Liberty Ship SS ''Alexander Ramsey'' launched in 1942.


References

Retrieved on 2009-03-22
Alexander Ramsey U.S. Army biography


External links

*
gubernatorial records
and Ramsey'
personal papers
are available for research use at th
Minnesota Historical Society.
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsey, Alexander 1815 births 1903 deaths People from Hummelstown, Pennsylvania Methodists from Minnesota Governors of Minnesota Territory Mayors of Saint Paul, Minnesota United States secretaries of war Minnesota Republicans People of Minnesota in the American Civil War Minnesota Whigs Republican Party United States senators from Minnesota Hayes administration cabinet members Union (American Civil War) state governors Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century people from Pennsylvania Republican Party governors of Minnesota Ramsey County, Minnesota Native American genocide perpetrators Phi Delta Theta members 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives