George Harrison Hoffman (January 21, 1838August 31, 1922) was the second

Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota The lieutenant governor of South Dakota is the second-ranking member of the executive branch of South Dakota state government and also serves as presiding officer of the South Dakota Senate. The lieutenant governor succeeds to the officer of go ...

from 1891 to 1893.

Life

George Hoffman was born in

Adams County, Pennsylvania Adams County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,852. Its county seat is Gettysburg. The county was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County, and was named for the secon ...

. In 1844 he moved with his parents to

DeKalb County, Indiana DeKalb County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 43,265. The county seat is Auburn. History On 7 February 1835, the Indiana State Legislature passed an omnibus bill that authorized t ...

where his father worked as teacher and farmer, while he attended the local schools. Later he worked as a carpenter and he was also engaged in agriculture. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

he enlisted in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

as a member of the Thirteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. After the war he returned to Indiana where he worked as a farmer until 1884. In that year he moved with his sons to the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

where he founded a Ranch in

Walworth County, South Dakota Walworth County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,315. Its county seat is Selby. The county was created in 1873 and organized in 1883. It is named for Walworth County, Wisconsin. Geograp ...

. Politically Hoffman joined the Republican Party. In 1889 when South Dakota became a regular US-State he was elected to the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

. In 1890 he was elected to the office of the Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota. He served in this position between 1891 and 1893 when his term ended. In this function, he was the deputy of Governor

Arthur C. Mellette Arthur Calvin Mellette (June 23, 1842 – May 25, 1896) was the last Governor of Dakota Territory, the first Governor of the State of South Dakota, and an American Civil War veteran. He is the namesake of Mellette, South Dakota, and Mellette ...

and he presided over the State Senate. Hoffman was also a member of various organizations and institutions including the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

. He died on 31 August 1922.

References

External links

The Political Graveyard

Online Biography
1838 births 1922 deaths Lieutenant Governors of South Dakota South Dakota Republicans {{SouthDakota-politician-stub