Michael John "M.J." Dowling (February 17, 1866 – April 25, 1921) was a Minnesota Republican politician and Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Life and career

Dowling was born in

Huntington, Massachusetts Huntington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,094 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Originally Plantation Number 9 by the Cou ...

. His family moved frequently while he was a child and he spent periods living in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

and

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before settling near Olivia, Minnesota. In 1880, Dowling suffered extreme

frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when exposed to extreme low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occurs in the han ...

when he was stranded outside during a blizzard. He lost parts of both legs, his left arm, and fingers on his right hand. For several years after he was a

ward of the state In law, a ward is a minor or incapacitated adult placed under the protection of a legal guardian or government entity, such as a court. Such a person may be referenced as a "ward of the court". Overview The wardship jurisdiction is an ancient jur ...

. In 1883, he made a deal with the county where he agreed to live independently if they paid for

artificial limbs In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...

for his missing legs and arm. He attended

Carleton College Carleton College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota. Founded in 1866, it had 2,105 undergraduate students and 269 faculty members in fall 2016. The 200-acre main campus is between Northfield and the 800-acre Cowling ...

for a year and later worked as a school principal in Granite Falls, Minnesota and Renville, Minnesota. He was later involved in the newspaper business, insurance, and real estate in Olivia. He also became active in local Republican politics, serving as village recorder and mayor of Olivia as well as

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Renville County, Minnesota. Dowling served as an assistant clerk in the

Minnesota State House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint P ...

from 1892 to 1894 and as chief clerk from 1895 to 1898. He was elected to one term as a representative, serving from 1901 to 1903. He also served as speaker of the house during that term. A short silent film of Dowling was made showing how he was able to live his life normally and go about his work despite his missing limbs. The film was shown at the 1918

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's state ...

conference and has been digitized. Dowling died in 1921. He is buried in Olivia, Minnesota. Dowling School in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

is named in his honor.

Papers

Papers of Michael J. Dowling are available for research use at the Minnesota Historical Society. They include newspaper and magazine articles, correspondence, printed materials, photographs, film recordings, and memorabilia.Michael J. Dowling papers
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowling, Michael J. 1866 births 1921 deaths American amputees Carleton College alumni People from Huntington, Massachusetts People from Renville County, Minnesota Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives American politicians with disabilities