George Loomis Becker (February 4, 1829 – January 6, 1904) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who was mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Life and career

Becker was born in

Locke, New York Locke is a town in Cayuga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,877 at the 2020 census. The town was named after John Locke, an English philosopher, and is the birthplace of Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States. Lo ...

in 1829. He attended

Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a private research university in Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location in the Connecticut Western Reser ...

and the

University of Michigan Law School The University of Michigan Law School (Michigan Law) is the law school of the University of Michigan, a Public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Founded in 1859, the school offers Master of Laws (LLM), Master of C ...

before relocating to

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

in 1849 to practice law. He formed a partnership with

Edmund Rice Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings an ...

and Ellis Whitall which lasted until 1856. He first entered politics in 1854 when he was elected as a city council member for St. Paul. In 1856 he was elected mayor of St. Paul and served for a single one year term. He participated in the Democratic Minnesota Constitutional Convention in 1857 and was elected as one of three people to serve in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

for the newly organized state. When it was revealed that the state would only receive two seats, Becker was the one left out. By some accounts he withdrew from consideration while others suggest the three candidates drew straws and Becker was the one who lost. Becker went on to serve in the administration of Governor

Henry Hastings Sibley Henry Hastings Sibley (February 20, 1811 – February 18, 1891) was a fur trader with the American Fur Company, the first U.S. Congressional representative for Minnesota Territory, the first governor of the state of Minnesota, and a U.S. mil ...

as well as two terms in the

Minnesota State Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

from 1868 to 1872. He unsuccessfully ran for

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

twice (in 1859 and 1894) and for a seat in the US House of Representatives (in 1872). Outside of politics he spent much of his later life working in the railroad industry including positions with the

Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad The Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad (also known as the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad and the SP&P) was a shortline railroad in the state of Minnesota in the United States which existed from 1857 to 1879. Founded as the Minnesota and Pacific Railro ...

and the

Western Railroad of Minnesota The Northern Pacific Railway was a transcontinental railroad that operated across the northern tier of the western United States, from Minnesota to the Pacific Northwest. It was approved by Congress in 1864 and given nearly of land grants, whic ...

. He also served on the state's Railroad and Warehouse Commission from 1885 to 1901. Loomis died in St. Paul on January 6, 1904. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul.

Becker County, Minnesota Becker County is a county in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,183. Its county seat is Detroit Lakes. Part of the White Earth Indian Reservation extends into the county. The county was created in 1858 an ...

and

Becker, Minnesota Becker is a city in Sherburne County, Minnesota, between the Mississippi and Elk Rivers. The population was 4,877 at the 2020 census. Becker is located 46 miles northwest of Minneapolis and 19 miles southeast of St. Cloud. U.S. Highway 10 s ...

are named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, George Loomis 1829 births 1904 deaths Mayors of Saint Paul, Minnesota People from Cayuga County, New York Democratic Party Minnesota state senators University of Michigan Law School alumni 19th-century American politicians