# Samuel Rinnah Van Sant *American politician; 15th governor of Minnesota (1901–1905)* Samuel Rinnah Van Sant (May 11, 1844 – October 3, 1936) was a Republican who was elected to the [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] in 1892 and served as its Speaker in his second term. He later became the 15th [[Governor of Minnesota]].[^1] He won the governorship in 1900 by defeating the incumbent, [[John Lind (politician)]], and held the office for two terms, from 1901 to 1905.[^1] As governor, Van Sant sued the Northern Securities Company railroad trust under state law. President Theodore Roosevelt later pursued the matter federally, and the company was dissolved after the 1904 Supreme Court decision in *Northern Securities Co. v. United States*.[^1] Before entering politics, he was a Civil War cavalry veteran and a shipbuilder and lumber rafter on the [[Mississippi River]].[^1] ## Early life Van Sant was born in Rock Island, Illinois, to John Wesley Van Sant and Lydia Van Sant (née Anderson). His family was of Dutch extraction and had long worked in shipbuilding. His father built and repaired Mississippi River steamboats.[^1] Van Sant went to school in Rock Island. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, he was turned away as too young to enlist. Once his father gave written consent, he was accepted and spent three years with the 9th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry before being mustered out.[^1] After the war, he studied business in Hudson, New York, and spent a short time at Knox College in Illinois. He left Knox because he could not afford to continue.[^1] He then joined his father in shipbuilding and helped design specialized raft boats for carrying lumber on the river. He moved to Winona, Minnesota, in 1883.[^1] ## Career In Winona, Van Sant stayed in the shipbuilding and lumber rafting trades. By the 1890s, his company moved more lumber down the Mississippi than any other.[^1] He took part in local Republican politics and was elected to the state House in 1892. He served two consecutive terms, from 1893 to 1897, and was Speaker of the House during the second.[^1] He ran for governor in 1900 against the incumbent John Lind and won. He served two terms, from 1901 to 1905.[^1] His lawsuit as governor against the Northern Securities Company argued that the trust's formation violated a state law. President Theodore Roosevelt later took the case up at the federal level. In 1904, *Northern Securities Co. v. United States* resulted in the company's dissolution.[^1] Van Sant was also involved in two other legislative changes: revisions to the state's election process, and the removal of limits on the [[Legislature]]'s powers to tax and spend.[^1] ### Later life and death Van Sant left politics after his governorship. From 1909 to 1910, he was commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic.[^1] He died in Attica, Indiana, in 1936, aged 92, and was buried in Glendale Cemetery in Le Claire, Iowa.[^1] The Samuel Van Sant House in Le Claire is on the National Register of Historic Places.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Samuel Rinnah Van Sant* (revision 1364578803, retrieved 2026-10-25) — biographical account of birth, Civil War service, business career, legislative and gubernatorial service, the Northern Securities lawsuit, later life and death. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Rinnah_Van_Sant