# Samuel Medary *American newspaper owner and politician; last territorial governor of Minnesota* Samuel Medary (February 25, 1801 – November 7, 1864) owned and edited newspapers in Ohio and held territorial office under federal appointment. He was the third, and last, territorial governor of [[Minnesota]], from 1857 to 1858, and afterward governed Kansas Territory.[^1] He held the Minnesota office while the territory became a state. For most of that period he was outside the territory, and in October 1857 the territorial secretary, [[Charles L. Chase]], declared himself acting governor.[^1] Before and after his territorial service, Medary was an Ohio newspaper editor and a Jackson Democrat. In 1864 a [[federal grand jury]] indicted him "for conspiracy against the government." He died that year before trial.[^1] ## Biography Medary was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and grew up there. He moved to Bethel, Ohio, in 1825.[^1] As a Jackson Democrat he sat in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1834 and in the Ohio State Senate from 1836 to 1838. He then bought a Columbus newspaper that became the *Ohio Statesman* and edited it until 1857.[^1] At the 1844 National Democratic Convention in Baltimore, he played a central part in securing James K. Polk's nomination. At the 1856 convention in Cincinnati, he was President pro tempore.[^1] He became known across the country as the 'wheel horse of Ohio democracy'.[^1] President James Buchanan named Medary the third Territorial Governor of Minnesota. His term ran from April 23, 1857, to May 24, 1858.[^1] Political figures of both parties in the territory at first approved of the appointment.[^1] Medary was out of the territory for most of his tenure, and in October 1857 Territorial Secretary Charles L. Chase declared himself acting governor.[^1] The record does not establish the reason for Medary's absences. Minnesota was admitted as a state on May 11, 1858, and elected [[Henry Hastings Sibley]] as the first [[Governor of Minnesota]].[^1] Medary governed Kansas Territory from December 1858 to December 1860. During that time William F. Wheeler served as territorial librarian and as the governor's secretary.[^1] Medary then returned to Columbus, Ohio, where he started a newspaper called *The Crisis*.[^1] He lived at Northwood Place, an estate on the Worthington Pike near Northwood Avenue. The Worthington Pike is now North High Street.[^1] In 1864 a federal grand jury indicted him "for conspiracy against the government," and he was arrested.[^1] He was freed on bond and died in Columbus on November 7, 1864, before his case came to trial.[^1] ## Legacy Several places are named for him. One of the earliest townsites in Dakota Territory bears his name, and so does Medaryville, Indiana.[^1] In North Columbus, Ohio, which Columbus annexed in the late 1800s, Medary Avenue has carried his name since the early 1900s.[^1] Columbus Public Schools names its schools after the streets they stand on, so Medary Elementary School also took his surname.[^1] He is buried in Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio.[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Samuel Medary was the third and last territorial governor of Minnesota.[^1] ### What - He held the office of territorial governor of Minnesota and later governed Kansas Territory.[^1] ### When - He was territorial governor of Minnesota from April 23, 1857, to May 24, 1858.[^1] - Territorial Secretary Charles L. Chase declared himself acting governor in October 1857.[^1] - Minnesota became a state on May 11, 1858.[^1] ### Why - The record does not establish why Medary was absent from the territory for most of his term.[^1] ### How - He received the office by appointment from President James Buchanan.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Medary* (revision 1377774774, retrieved 2026-10-25) — biography, Minnesota and Kansas territorial service and dates, Ohio career, 1864 indictment, and legacy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Medary