Martin Maginnis (October 27, 1841 – March 27, 1919) was a nineteenth-century politician, soldier, publisher, editor and miner from

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 ...

and the

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries T ...

Origins and early life

Maginnis was born in 1841 on his family's farm near Pultneyville, Wayne County, New York, to Patrick and Winnifred Devine Maginnis. His parents came from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, his father from

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

and his mother from

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

, and they met and married in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England. After mixed success in business, Patrick and Winifred Maginnis immigrated to the United States in 1838 and settled in Wayne County, New York. Patrick worked as a contractor on the New York Central Railway. In 1851, the Maginnis family moved west to

LaSalle, Illinois LaSalle is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, located at the intersection of Interstates 39 and 80. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally platted in 1837 over , the city's boundaries have grown to ...

where Patrick worked on the Illinois Central railroad. The family next moved to Goodhue Township near

Red Wing, Minnesota Red Wing is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States, along the upper Mississippi River. The population was 16,547 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Goodhue County. This ...

in 1853. Young Maginnis pursued an education in the public schools and in Minnesota he attended

Hamline University Hamline University is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1854, Hamline is known for its emphasis on experiential learning, service, and social justice. The university is named after Bishop Leonidas Lent Hamline o ...

, but left early to take charge of a Democratic newspaper. Maginnis had come to know

William Wallace Phelps William Wallace Phelps (June 1, 1826 – August 3, 1873) was a representative from Minnesota. He was born in Oakland County, Michigan, on June 1, 1826. He attended the country schools and graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbo ...

, a lawyer and part owner of the ''Red Wing Sentinel'' newspaper, and William J. Colvill, the first editor of the ''Sentinel''. Colvill took young Maginnis under his wing, liberally sharing his library with him and enjoying together the abundant hunting and fishing in the area. By early 1861 Maginnis owned the ''Red Wing Sentinel'', while Phelps edited.

Civil War

At the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment in 1861. Maginnis was promoted to

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

in 1862, to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in 1863 and to

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

of the

11th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 11th Minnesota Infantry Regiment was a United States Volunteers, Minnesota USV infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was the last infantry regiment to be raised by Minnesota during the war. Service ...

in 1864. He was ordered to join the

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

where he served under the command of

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

George H. Thomas George Henry Thomas (July 31, 1816March 28, 1870) was an American general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater. Thomas served in the Mexican–American War and later chose ...

until being mustered out along with his regiment in 1865.

Montana Territory

After the War, he moved to

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

with his brothers in 1866 where he engaged in mining and later in publishing and editing the ''Helena Daily Gazette''. Maginnis was elected a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to 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 ...

in 1872, serving from 1873 to 1885 as the territory's non-voting representative. Afterwards, he was unsuccessful in being elected back to the House of Representatives in 1890, was Commissioner of Mineral Land of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

from 1890 to 1893 and presented his credentials as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

-designate in 1900 to fill a vacancy, but was not seated. Maginnis moved to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

for health reasons in 1915 where he died of

gangrene Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...

of the foot on March 27, 1919. He was interred in Resurrection Cemetery in

Notes

External links

Finding Aid to MC 50, Martin Maginnis Papers, 1864-1912
at the

Montana Historical Society The Montana Historical Society (MHS) is a historical society located in the U.S. state of Montana that acts to preserve historical resources important to the understanding of Montana history. The society provides services through six operational ...

Research Center. * Martin Maginnis Incoming Correspondence Transcriptions(1964), Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections Library,

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 6 ...

br>Collection website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maginnis, Martin 1841 births 1919 deaths Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Montana Territory Union Army officers 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) American newspaper editors American miners Hamline University alumni People from Red Wing, Minnesota People from Wayne County, New York Politicians from Los Angeles People of Minnesota in the American Civil War Minnesota Democrats Montana Democrats Deaths from gangrene Editors of Minnesota newspapers Journalists from Montana 19th-century American politicians Journalists from New York (state) Military personnel from California