# Charles Scheffer *Minnesota State Treasurer (1860–1868)* Charles "Carl" Scheffer (February 22, 1835 – August 7, 1875) was a banker, businessman and politician in [[Minnesota]]. He held the office of [[Minnesota State Treasurer]] for four consecutive terms, from January 1, 1860, to January 10, 1868, and was the second person to hold it.[^1] He was born in Rheinberg, then in the Kingdom of Prussia, and moved to [[Minnesota Territory]] in 1856.[^2] He was a member of the [[Republican Party of Minnesota]] and won the 1859 treasurer's race against the Democrat Samuel B. Abbe with 55.04% of the vote. He succeeded [[George W. Armstrong]] and was followed by [[Emil D. Munch]] in January 1868.[^3] In [[Stillwater]] he rose from banking clerk to president of the First Bank of Stillwater. On July 19, 1865, he formed the First National Bank of Stillwater through a merger.[^4] In 1874 he suffered a head injury in a locomotive accident in Washington, D.C. He died by suicide in Saint Paul on August 7, 1875.[^5] ## Early life Scheffer's birth date was February 22, 1835, and his birthplace was Rheinberg, a city then within the Kingdom of Prussia.[^2] The [[Ramsey County Historical Society]] gives 1848 as the year he came to the United States from Germany.[^2] He lived first in Milwaukee and then in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. He moved to Minnesota Territory in 1856.[^2] ## Banking and politics After settling in Stillwater in 1856, Scheffer worked as a bank clerk with K. A. Darling of Fond du Lac and L. R. Carswell of [[Hastings]], Minnesota. He took part in founding the First Bank of Stillwater.[^4] He later became its president. On July 19, 1865, he combined it with the bank of J. E. Thompson of Stillwater, and the merged institution became the First National Bank of Stillwater.[^6] During this period he trained his younger brother, Albert Scheffer, in banking. Albert later served in the American Civil War and sought a seat in the [[Minnesota Senate]].[^7] Scheffer entered the 1859 race for State Treasurer as the Republican candidate, opposed by the Democrat Samuel B. Abbe.[^3] He took 55.04% of the vote, a majority margin of 10.99%.[^3] He followed George W. Armstrong into the office and held it for four consecutive terms, through January 10, 1868.[^1] Emil D. Munch succeeded him that January.[^3] ## Death In 1874 Scheffer suffered a serious head wound in a locomotive accident in Washington, D.C.[^5] The injury was said to have caused severe pain in his spinal column and, later, episodes of depression.[^5] On August 7, 1875, he shot himself with a pistol in the German Lutheran Cemetery in Saint Paul.[^8] According to the Saint Paul newspaper *The Anti-Monopolist*, he had two gunshot wounds, one to the stomach and one to the heart.[^8] His funeral was described at the time as one of the largest in Saint Paul. It was reported to have drawn hundreds of mourners, among them state officials, business partners and his own employees.[^9] He was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Saint Paul.[^9] ## Personal life Scheffer married Kate Finch in 1862 and Jennie Goodrich in 1874.[^10] His younger brother, Albert Scheffer, was a Civil War veteran and a Republican member of the Minnesota state senate.[^7] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), lead — birth and death dates; four consecutive terms as the second Minnesota State Treasurer, January 1, 1860, to January 10, 1868. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer [^2]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Early life" — birth in Rheinberg, Kingdom of Prussia, February 22, 1835; immigration from Germany in 1848 per the Ramsey County Historical Society; Milwaukee and Fond du Lac; move to Minnesota Territory in 1856. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer [^3]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Banking and politics" — 1859 Republican candidacy against Democrat Samuel B. Abbe; 55.04% of the vote and a 10.99% majority margin; predecessor George W. Armstrong; successor Emil D. Munch, January 1868. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer [^4]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Banking and politics" — 1856 settlement in Stillwater; clerk alongside K. A. Darling and L. R. Carswell; role in forming the First Bank of Stillwater; later presidency; First National Bank of Stillwater created July 19, 1865. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer [^5]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Death" — 1874 locomotive accident in Washington, D.C.; head wound; reported spinal pain and later depression; suicide on August 7, 1875. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer [^6]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Banking and politics" — merger with the bank of J. E. Thompson of Stillwater creating the First National Bank of Stillwater on July 19, 1865. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer [^7]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Banking and politics" and "Personal life" — banking mentorship of younger brother Albert Scheffer; Albert's Civil War service, Minnesota Senate candidacy and service as a Republican state senator. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer [^8]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Death" — suicide with a pistol in the German Lutheran Cemetery, Saint Paul, August 7, 1875; *The Anti-Monopolist* report of two gunshot wounds. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer [^9]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Death" — reported funeral size and attendance; burial in Oakland Cemetery, Saint Paul. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer [^10]: Wikipedia, *Charles Scheffer* (revision 1379551602, retrieved 2026-10-25), "Personal life" — marriages to Kate Finch (1862) and Jennie Goodrich (1874). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Scheffer