# Alexander Wilkin *19th-century soldier and second territorial secretary of Minnesota Territory* Alexander Wilkin (1 December 1819 – 14 July 1864) served as a soldier in both the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.[^1] From 1851 to 1853 he held the office of territorial secretary of [[Minnesota Territory]], the second person to do so.[^1] He was deployed in the Civil War in 1861 and was killed at the Battle of Tupelo.[^1] President Millard Fillmore gave Wilkin the territorial office in 1851. Wilkin was a Whig, and the source characterizes the appointment as made "presumably as a political favor".[^2] The record assembled for this article rests on a single Wikipedia article. It contains no primary document of the appointment.[^2] He is commemorated in [[Minnesota]]. [[Wilkin County, Minnesota]] was formed in 1868 to honor him, and in 1910 a statue of him was placed in the [[Minnesota State Capitol]].[^3] ## Life Wilkin was born in Goshen, New York, on 1 December 1819. His father, Samuel J. Wilkin, and his grandfather, James W. Wilkin, were both politicians.[^2] After studying law at Yale, he practised as an attorney.[^2] In 1847 he entered the Tenth United States Army with the rank of captain and went with it to Northern Mexico.[^2] The source states that he took part in little fighting there but became known as a serious soldier.[^2] On 20 January 1848 he killed Joshua W. Collett in a duel. The source records that he later regretted it, yet said he "never felt cooler in his life".[^2] He gave up his commission on 6 March 1848.[^2] In 1849 he settled in Saint Paul, in Minnesota Territory.[^2] Fillmore named him territorial secretary in 1851, and he remained in the office until 1853.[^2] In St. Paul his investments ran to land, railroads and newspapers, and he earned his living as a lawyer and an insurance agent.[^2] He founded the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company. The source describes that company as the predecessor of Travelers Insurance.[^2] At the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861, the Pioneer Guard, a militia unit based in St. Paul, elected him to lead it.[^2] On 21 July 1861 he fought at the Battle of Bull Run, a Union defeat. He was given a captaincy in the regular army for his conduct in that battle.[^2] Before taking up that commission, he was promoted to major in the 2nd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry.[^2] The regiment was based in Lebanon, Kentucky, and was engaged at the Battle of Mill Springs on 18 January 1862.[^2] It was later called on to intervene in a siege at Corinth, Mississippi.[^2] The cached text of the source breaks off at this point. The same source records that he died at the Battle of Tupelo on 14 July 1864.[^1] ## Legacy Wilkin County was created in 1868 in his honor.[^3] In 1910 a statue of Wilkin was installed in the Minnesota State Capitol.[^3] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Alexander Wilkin*, lead section (revision 1374231299, retrieved 25 October 2026) — establishes his birth and death dates, his service as second territorial secretary of Minnesota Territory from 1851 to 1853, his 1861 Civil War deployment, and his death at the Battle of Tupelo. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Wilkin [^2]: Wikipedia contributors, *Alexander Wilkin*, "Life" section (revision 1374231299, retrieved 25 October 2026) — establishes his family background, legal training, 1847 army service, the 1848 duel and resignation, his 1849 move to Saint Paul, his 1851 appointment by Fillmore and Whig affiliation, his business activities, and his Civil War service through the 2nd Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Wilkin [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Alexander Wilkin*, "Legacy" section (revision 1374231299, retrieved 25 October 2026) — establishes that Wilkin County, Minnesota, was formed in 1868 to honor him and that a statue of him was erected in the Minnesota State Capitol in 1910. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Wilkin