John Bachop Gilfillan (February 11, 1835 – August 19, 1924), known as J.B., was a Minnesota politician and lawyer active in the late 19th century. Gilfillan was born on February 11, 1835, in

Caledonia County, Vermont Caledonia County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,233. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of St. Johnsbury. The county was created in 1792 and organ ...

. He attended school at Caledonia County Grammar School, followed by Caledonia County Academy. He began teaching school at age 17. In 1855, he traveled to St. Anthony, Hennepin County, Minnesota to visit his sister, Mrs.

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, and decided to stay. His first political position was as a member of the region's first school board. Long a proponent of education, Gilfillan drafted legislation that organized the grade school system in Minneapolis. He was admitted to the bar and began law practice in 1860. Gilfillan served four terms as the municipal attorney for

St. Anthony, Minnesota St. Anthony, also known as Saint Anthony Village, is a city in Hennepin and Ramsey counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. At the 2010 census the population was 8,226, of whom 5,156 lived in the larger Hennepin County part of the city and 3,0 ...

. By 1863, he was the county attorney for Hennepin County. He remained in that position for 10 years, although was briefly replaced by George Robinson (from 1867 to 1869). From 1865 until 1869, Gilfillan was also a city alderman. Before seeking higher office in 1875, Gilfillan practiced law with Lochren,

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and Gilfillan. Voters placed Gilfillan in his first statewide office in a special election for state senate in 1875. He served as a state senator for 10 years, first representing Minnesota's District 25 and later District 28. He left the senate in 1884 to pursue national office and was elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

to represent

Minnesota's 4th congressional district Minnesota's 4th congressional district covers nearly all of Ramsey County, and part of Washington County. It includes all of St. Paul, and most of its suburbs. The district is solidly Democratic, with a CPVI of D+14. It is currently repres ...

. He served one term but was not re-elected in 1886 when St. Paul mayor

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won. He followed that loss with extensive travel to Europe and the Middle East. Gilfillan had been appointed a regent of the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

by Minnesota Governor Pillsbury in 1880, and after serving eight years, remained in an advisory capacity. While serving in the Minnesota Senate, he was on the Committee of University Lands and was instrumental in development of the University's

Agricultural Experiment Station An agricultural experiment station (AES) or agricultural research station (ARS) is a scientific research center that investigates difficulties and potential improvements to food production and agribusiness. Experiment station scientists work with f ...

. Gilfillan endowed the University of Minnesota with $50,000 in 1901 for student scholarships. In 1903, Gilfillan was president of the First National Bank. He continued to work with the bank as a member of its board of directors from 1905 until at least 1907. Gilfillan was married twice. His first marriage was in Vermont to Rebecca Corse Oliphant in 1870. The couple had four surviving children, three sons and one daughter. Rebecca died in 1884. In 1893, he married Hannah Lavinia Coppock in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. She survived him until 1937. Gilfillan was Republican and a member of the

Minneapolis Club The Minneapolis Club is a private club with its clubhouse at 729 Second Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota. History The Minneapolis Club was founded in 1883 by leading Minnesota business and civic leaders, including John Pillsbury and Charles ...

, the

Minnesota State Bar Association The Minnesota State Bar Association is a voluntary bar association for the state of Minnesota, whose members include lawyers, judges, and other legal practitioners, such as clerks, registrars, and paralegals. The MSBA is one of the oldest state ba ...

, and the Westminster Presbyterian Church until his death in 1924. He was interred at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilfillan, John 1835 births 1924 deaths People from Caledonia County, Vermont Republican Party Minnesota state senators Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota