# Horace Austin *Sixth governor of Minnesota (1870–1874), Republican* Horace Austin (October 15, 1831 – November 2, 1905) was the sixth [[Governor of Minnesota]]. He held the office for two terms, from January 9, 1870, to January 7, 1874, as a member of the [[Republican Party (United States)]].[^1] Austin was a native of Canterbury, Connecticut, the son of a prosperous farmer there, and he finished his schooling at a private academy. He worked briefly as a teacher and then read law.[^1] At 25 he settled in Minnesota and opened a law practice in St. Peter.[^1] Six years later the Dakota War of 1862 began, and he enlisted with the local Frontier Guards. In the campaigns that followed against the [[Dakota]], he commanded Company B of the 1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment as captain.[^1] He later sat as a judge of the Sixth Judicial District. He chose [[Andrew Ryan McGill]], who later became governor himself, as his personal secretary.[^1] The record of his governorship shows three things: his advocacy of regulated railroad rates, his opposition to wholesale grants of state land for railroad development, and the creation of the Minnesota Board of Health during his term.[^1] ## Governor Austin sought the governorship in 1869. According to the Wikipedia account, he was nominated because of a reputation for objectivity and an aversion to contentious party politics. That reputation was set against the campaign of his opponent, George L. Otis, who warned that continued Republican dominance of state government would lead to internal corruption.[^1] Austin won the 1869 Minnesota gubernatorial election.[^1] In office, Austin pressed for strict regulation of passenger and freight rates. He also opposed giving state lands wholesale to railroad development, and the Wikipedia account attributes to him a pledge to "Shake the railroads over hell".[^1] The Minnesota Board of Health, the forerunner of the [[Minnesota Department of Health]], was created during his term.[^1] Austin ran for a second term in 1871 and defeated Winthrop Young with 60.06 percent of the vote. Young's campaign had collapsed in a scandal during the final week before the election.[^1] Austin entered the 1873 race but withdrew during the primary. His supporters also cast votes for him in the 1875 Republican primary.[^1] ## Later life Austin stayed in public service after leaving the governor's office. He served as third auditor of the United States Treasury in Washington, then as register of the U.S. Land Office at Fargo, North Dakota, and lastly as a railroad commissioner.[^1] He spent his final sixteen years traveling and resting at his home on Lake Minnetonka. He died in [[Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]], in 1905.[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Horace Austin, Republican, sixth governor of Minnesota; former captain of Company B, 1st Minnesota Cavalry Regiment, and judge of the Sixth Judicial District.[^1] ### What - Two terms as governor. His administration advocated strictly regulated passenger and freight rates and opposed wholesale allocation of state lands to railroad development. The Minnesota Board of Health was established during his term.[^1] ### When - Born October 15, 1831; elected 1869; governor from January 9, 1870, to January 7, 1874; re-elected 1871; withdrew during the 1873 primary; died November 2, 1905.[^1] ### Where - Canterbury, Connecticut (birth); St. Peter, Minnesota (law practice); Washington (Treasury post); Fargo, North Dakota (U.S. Land Office); Lake Minnetonka (home); Minneapolis (death).[^1] ### How - Elected in 1869 against George L. Otis and re-elected in 1871 against Winthrop Young with 60.06 percent of the vote.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Horace Austin* (revision 1364570313, retrieved 2026-10-25) — birth and death dates, early career, military service, judgeship, gubernatorial elections and 1871 vote share, railroad policy, Board of Health, later offices. CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Austin