Charles Duncan Gilfillan (July 4, 1831 – December 19, 1902) was an American politician and businessman.

Life

Gilfillan was born in

New Hartford, New York New Hartford is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 21,874. The name of New Hartford was provided by a settler family from Hartford, Connecticut. The Town of New Hartford contains a ...

and went to the Homer Academy. He studied at the

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

in 1849 and 1850. Gilfillan moved to

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

Minnesota Territory The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Minnesota and the w ...

in 1851. He studied law and was admitted to the Minnesota bar in 1853. He constructed and set up the Saint Paul waterworks project. Gilfillan owned land in Minnesota including farm land in

Redwood County, Minnesota Redwood County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 15,425. Its county seat is Redwood Falls, Minnesota, Redwood Falls, along the Redwood River n ...

. He died from heart problems at his home in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Gilfillan Estate

The 1882 farmstead of Gilfillan and his son is managed by the Redwood County Historical Society. The estate, which is listed on 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 ...

, showcases their promotion of progressive farming in southwest Minnesota and is associated with the alienation of seized Dakota reservation land.

Politics

Gilfillan served in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the U.S. state of Minnesota's Minnesota Legislature, legislature. It operates in conjunction with the Minnesota Senate, the state's upper chamber, to write and pass legislation, whic ...

in 1865 and 1876 and was a Republican. He then served in the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Minnesota Legislature, Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any State legislature (Unite ...

from 1876 to 1886. Gilfillan was involved with 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 ...

and the Minnesota Valley Historical Society.

Notes

1831 births 1902 deaths People from New Hartford, New York Businesspeople from Saint Paul, Minnesota Politicians from Saint Paul, Minnesota Minnesota lawyers Hamilton College (New York) alumni Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Republican Party Minnesota state senators 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature {{Minnesota-MNSenate-stub