Gilbert A. Pierce

Gilbert A. Pierce

Gilbert Ashville Pierce (born January 11, 1839 in East Otto , Cattaraugus County , New York , † February 15, 1901 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an American politician and from 1884 to 1886 the eighth governor of the Dakota Territory . He later served as a representative of North Dakota in the United States Senate .

Early years and political advancement

Gilbert Pierce attended local schools in his home country and moved to Indiana with his parents in 1854 . He later studied literature and law at the University of Chicago . During the civil war he served in the Union Army and rose from lieutenant to lieutenant colonel. After the war he practiced as a lawyer in Valparaiso . In 1869, he was a member of the Indiana House of Representatives for a brief period before becoming a member of the Senate administration. He stayed there until 1871. In the following twelve years he worked in Chicago as a newspaper publisher and also as a writer. He was the author of several plays.

Territorial Governor

In 1884, President Chester A. Arthur named Pierce as the new governor of the Dakota Territory. When he got there, he found a politically desolate situation. His predecessor, Nehemiah G. Ordway , had been convicted of corruption and deposed and had left political chaos. Among other things, Ordway had moved the capital from Yankton to Bismarck , which met resistance from many citizens. As a sign of goodwill, Pierce took his oath of office in the old capital, but then decided to stay in Bismarck, even if there were efforts to move the capital to Pierre . Gradually the governor won the respect of his compatriots. A mining school was founded in Rapid City . He also campaigned for the area to join the United States. The south of the territory wanted to join the Union as early as 1885 and had already drawn up a constitution. However, the plan was still rejected in Washington, DC . On the other hand, he refused to introduce women's suffrage in his territory. At the beginning of his tenure, Pierce still benefited from an economic upswing, which was favored by a large wave of immigration and the expansion of the railway. However, a drought in 1886 and 1887 brought the upswing to a standstill. In August 1886 Pierce announced his resignation; but he remained in office until February 1887.

Senator and Ambassador

After the end of his governorship, Pierce initially worked in Bismarck as a correspondent for a newspaper from Saint Paul , Minnesota . After the two Dakota states joined the United States in 1889, he represented North Dakota in the US Senate until 1891. He then moved to Minneapolis , Minnesota and was there again in the newspaper business. In 1893, President Benjamin Harrison appointed him American ambassador to Portugal . But he had to give up this post after a few months for health reasons. Gilbert Pierce died in February 1901.

According to him, Pierce County named in North Dakota.

Web links

• Gilbert A. Pierce in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• State Historical Society of North Dakota (English)
• Gilbert A. Pierce in the database of Find a Grave (English)