Gideon Sprague Ives (January 19, 1846December 20, 1927) was an American politician who served as Mayor of

St. Peter, Minnesota St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. It is 10 miles north of the Mankato – North Mankato metropolitan area. The population was 12,066 at the 2020 census. St. Peter is the county seat of Nicollet County and home ...

, Minnesota State Senator and as the 11th Lieutenant Governor of

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 ...

Life and career

Ives was born in Dickinson, New York in 1846. His parents Warren and Elizabeth Ives (née Ladd) were descendants of early American settlers with roots going as far back as the 1630s. Ives later moved to

Potsdam, New York Potsdam ( moh, Tsi tewate’nehtararénies) is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. The ZIP Code is 13676. When SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University are in session, the popul ...

and, in 1864, enlisted in the 50th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment taking part in 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 was later transferred to the 15th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment (with whom he served for the majority of the war) and was discharged from service in June 1865. After the war Ives returned to Potsdam to continue his schooling. He later attended 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 ...

and, after graduating in 1871, relocated to St. Peter, Minnesota. He served in several local offices there including city attorney, mayor and Nicollet County attorney. In 1878 he married Mary Elizabeth Swift, daughter of Governor Henry A. Swift. He later won election to state office as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, first to the

Minnesota 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 ...

in 1886 then as Lieutenant Governor under Governor

William Rush Merriam William Rush Merriam (July 26, 1849February 18, 1931) was an American politician and banker. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he served as the eighth Governor of Minnesota from 1889 to 1893. Life and career Merriam was born in Wa ...

in 1890. Ives was a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor in 1892 but was defeated by

Knute Nelson Knute Nelson (born Knud Evanger; February 2, 1843 – April 28, 1923) was an American attorney and politician active in Wisconsin and Minnesota. A Republican, he served in state and national positions: he was elected to the Wisconsin and Minnesot ...

. While he did not hold another elected office, Ives remained active in state politics and later moved 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 1902 to continue his law practice. Later in life he became an important figure to the

Minnesota Historical Society The Minnesota Historical Society (MNHS) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehoo ...

, leading efforts to build a home for the organization's collections and library (now the

Minnesota Judicial Center The Minnesota Judicial Center, adjacent to the Minnesota State Capitol, State Capitol, houses the state's Minnesota Supreme Court, Supreme Court and Minnesota Court of Appeals, Court of Appeals, as well as the Workers' Compensation Court of Appeal ...

) and serving as its president from 1918 to 1921. Ives died on December 20, 1927. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Publications

*Ives, Gideon S. 1919. "

William Gates Le Duc William Gates LeDuc (March 29, 1823October 30, 1917) was an American politician from Minnesota who served as the fourth United States Commissioner of Agriculture from July 1, 1877, to 1881. He also served in the Union Army during the American Ci ...

". ''Minnesota History Bulletin''. 3.

References

In Memorian, Gideon S. Ives
*University of Michigan. ''Michigan Alumnus''. nn Arbor Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, 1894, page 506. Also available from Google Books. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ives, Gideon S. Lieutenant Governors of Minnesota 1846 births 1927 deaths People from Franklin County, New York People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers Republican Party Minnesota state senators University of Michigan Law School alumni People from St. Peter, Minnesota