George Alfred Pillsbury (August 29, 1816 – July 17, 1898) was a businessman and miller associated with the formation of the Pillsbury Company. He was also a Republican politician active in both

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

and

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Early life and career

Pillsbury was born in

Sutton, New Hampshire Sutton is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,978 at the 2020 census. Sutton includes the villages of Sutton Mills (shown as "Sutton" on topographic maps), North Sutton, South Sutton and East Sutton. No ...

in 1816 to John Pillsbury and Susan Pillsbury (née Wadleigh). Both were the descendants of English settlers who had been active political and civic leaders in New England. Pillsbury attended the local schools until the age of 18 when he moved to Boston, Massachusetts to work as a clerk in a store. After one year, he returned to Sutton and started a business with his cousin John C. Pillsbury. In 1840, he moved to

Warner, New Hampshire Warner is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,937 at the 2020 census. The town is home to Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts, Rollins State Park and Mount Kearsarge State Forest. The town's centra ...

to work in a store under John H. Pearson. After working there for about a year, he purchased the store outright to run on his own. In 1841, Pillsbury married Margaret S. Carlton. Together they had three children:

Charles A. Pillsbury Charles Alfred Pillsbury (December 3, 1842 – September 17, 1899) was an American businessman, flour industrialist, and politician. He was a co-founder of the C. A. Pillsbury and Company, Pillsbury Company. Education and early business career ...

, Mary Addie (1849-1850) and Frederick Carlton Pillsbury (1852-1892). Except for a brief period working in Boston, Pillsbury remained in Warner until 1851. During his time there, he was elected to the town's board of selectmen, served as postmaster and town treasurer, and also served in the

New Hampshire General Court The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 membe ...

from 1850 to 1851. In 1851 he moved the family to

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

where he was appointed to oversee the construction of the county jail. Later that year he began working with the

Concord Railroad The Concord and Montreal Railroad was a railroad incorporated in 1889 out of a merger between the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad and the Concord Railroad. Ownership The Boston, Concord and Montreal had previously become the Northern Di ...

, a company he remained with for the next 24 years. While working with the railroad, Pillsbury was also active with several major banks in Concord as well as local politics. He was elected to the New Hampshire General Court for a second time from 1871 to 1872 and was also elected the mayor of Concord in 1876 and 1877.

Minneapolis

Several of Pillsbury's family had relocated to Minneapolis including his sons Charles and Fred and his brother

John Sargent Pillsbury John Sargent Pillsbury (July 29, 1827 – October 18, 1901) was an American politician, businessman, and philanthropist. A Republican, he served as the eighth Governor of Minnesota from 1876 to 1882. He was a co-founder of the Pillsbury Co ...

. In 1878, Pillsbury decided to relocate to Minneapolis and join them. He worked with his son Charles to expand his company Charles A. Pillsbury & Co. He was also involved with several local banks as well as trade and commerce groups. In 1885 he chaired the committee building the Chamber of Commerce (today known as the

Minneapolis Grain Exchange The Minneapolis Grain Exchange (MGEX) is a commodities and futures exchange of grain products. It was formed in 1881 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States as a regional cash marketplace to promote fair trade and to prevent trade abuses in whea ...

). He also remained involved in politics, winning election to the Minneapolis Board of Education and as an alderman in 1881. He was quickly named the president of the city council. In 1884 he ran for mayor, defeating incumbent

A. A. Ames Albert Alonzo "Doc" Ames (January 18, 1842 – November 16, 1911) was an American physician and politician who held four non-consecutive terms as mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota. His fourth term was marked by multiple prosecutions for political ...

. Facing pressure from the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

as the city swelled with saloons, Pillsbury instituted a unique system of "liquor patrol limits" which limited bars to heavily trafficked streets near the city's core which were more likely to be well-patrolled by police. He ran for re-election in 1886 but was defeated by his predecessor A. A. Ames. Pillsbury also contributed to various charitable causes. He gave to the First Baptist Church of Minneapolis (of which he and his wife were members) and provided the organ for their newly built church at his own expense. He funded the Pillsbury Academy in Owatonna, Minnesota. He also supported causes in his native state including the endowment of a library in Warner, a war memorial in Sutton and the Margaret Pillsbury Hospital in Concord.

Later life and death

Pillsbury died at his home in Minneapolis on July 17, 1898. He is buried in Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

Electoral history

*Minneapolis Mayoral Election, 1884 **George A. Pillsbury 12,244 **

5,876 **Charles Evans Holt 862 **

John S. Pillsbury John Sargent Pillsbury (July 29, 1827 – October 18, 1901) was an American politician, businessman, and philanthropist. A Republican, he served as the eighth Governor of Minnesota from 1876 to 1882. He was a co-founder of the Pillsbury Co ...

1 **C. F. Pillsbury 1 **Write-Ins and Scattering 2 *Minneapolis Mayoral Election, 1886 **

15,151 **George A. Pillsbury 10,011 **Wesley M. Lawrence 604 **Write-Ins and Scattering 6

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillsbury, George Alfred 1816 births 1898 deaths Mayors of Minneapolis Mayors of Concord, New Hampshire Burials at Lakewood Cemetery Republican Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives 19th-century American legislators People from Sutton, New Hampshire Pillsbury family Minnesota Republicans 19th-century New Hampshire politicians