Richard Pillsbury Gale (October 30, 1900 – December 4, 1973) was an American politician and farmer who served as a

U.S. Representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

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 ...

. He was a member of the Republican Party. Gale was a part of the Pilsbury family, a prominent Minnesota milling family that founded and owned the

Pillsbury Company The Pillsbury Company is a Minneapolis, Minnesota-based company that was one of the world's largest producers of cereal, grain and other foodstuffs until it was bought by General Mills in 2001. General Mills brands consist of Annie's, Betty Croc ...

, one of the world's largest producers of grain.

Life

Gale was born in

Minneapolis 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 ...

, Minnesota, the son of Edward Cheney and Sarah Bell (née Pillsbury) Gale. A member of the Pilsbury family, which founded and owned the

, his grandfather was Minnesota governor

John S. Pillsbury John Sargent Pillsbury (July 29, 1827 – October 18, 1901) was an American politician, businessman, and philanthropist. A Republican, he served as the eighth Governor of Minnesota from 1876 to 1882. He was a co-founder of the Pillsbury Co ...

. Gale attended Minneapolis public schools, The Blake School, Minnesota Farm School, and 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 ...

at Minneapolis. He graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1922 and became engaged in agricultural pursuits and securities in 1923.Minnesota Legislators Past & Present-Richard Pillsbury Gale
/ref> Gale married Isobel Rising on August 8, 1923, in St. Paul, Minnesota. They had two children. Gale returned to agricultural pursuits and resided at Wickham Farm near Mound. His son later donated the farm to the

Three Rivers Park District Three Rivers Park District is a special park district serving the suburban areas of the Twin Cities including suburban Hennepin, Carver, Dakota, Scott, and Ramsey counties. Three Rivers's mission is "To promote environmental stewardship through ...

. It remains open to the public. Gale died in Minneapolis on December 4, 1973, and was interred in

Lakewood Cemetery Lakewood Cemetery is a large private, non-sectarian cemetery located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is located at 3600 Hennepin Avenue at the southern end of the Uptown area. It is noted for its chapel which is on the National Re ...

Political career

Gale was elected to the

Minnesota 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 Pa ...

in 1938 and served from 1939 to 1941. He was a member of the

Mound A mound is a heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. Most commonly, mounds are earthen formations such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. A mound may be any rounded area of topographically higher el ...

School Board for eight years and a trustee of Blake School at Hopkins. Gale was elected 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 ...

to the 77th and 78th congresses (January 3, 1941 – January 3, 1945). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1944. Gale advocated

biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war. Bio ...

, or, in his words, "spore war", against German and Japanese food supplies during World War II, suggesting that planes spread grain rust, potato fungus, and rice fungus on crops. His collection of Japanese prints and scroll paintings from the

Tokugawa period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional ''daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characterize ...

was considered one of the best privately-owned collections in the U.S.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gale, Richard Pillsbury 1900 births 1973 deaths University of Minnesota alumni Yale University alumni Politicians from Minneapolis Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives School board members in Minnesota Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota Pillsbury family 20th-century American politicians