Politics | Page 31

Governor William Marshall and members of the Minnesota House of Representatives

Governor William Marshall and members of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1866. Photo by Joel Emmons Whitney.

Anson R. Hayden

Anson R. Hayden, ca. 1862.

Minnesota Female Suffrage Bill, 1870

Minnesota's early woman suffragists endured many setbacks in their fight for the vote. Perhaps none was as disappointing as Governor Horace Austin's veto of the 1870 female suffrage bill—the first to pass both the House and Senate. His controversial decision appeared to defy the state constitution.

Morton S. Wilkinson, ca. 1880.

Morton Wilkinson was one of Minnesota's first US Senators, and was a member of the original Territorial Legislature. Wilkinson successfully lobbied President Lincoln to appoint Thompson to the Northern Superintendency because of his support during his Senate race. Wilkinson eventually retired to Thompson's railroad town of Wells.

Snuffbox presented to Clark W. Thompson

Sterling silver snuffbox presented to Clark W. Thompson ca. 1863, during his tenure as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Northern Superintendency. Made in England ca. 1861. Clark's position as Superintendent of Indian Affairs was highly sought after, because contracts for supplying reservations under treaty agreements provided opportunities profit and graft.

Clark W. Thompson

Clark W. Thompson, ca. 1860s. Minnesota Historical Society portraits collection.

Thompson, Clark Wallace (1825–1885)

Clark W. Thompson was a businessman and politician who founded the town of Wells, Minnesota, in 1870. As superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Northern Superintendency during the US–Dakota War of 1862, he was involved in crooked business practices and corrupt political dealings—a man of industry who used his position and power to build wealth at the expense of Native populations.