Samuel Rinnah Van Sant (May 11, 1844October 3, 1936) was an American politician who served in 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 ...

and as the 15th Governor of Minnesota.

Early life

Van Sant was born in

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...

, to John Wesley Van Sant and Lydia Van Sant (née Anderson). His family had a long history in the shipbuilding industry and his father worked with building and repairing steamboats on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. Van Sant attended school in Rock Island. When 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 ...

began, he attempted to enlist but was rejected as too young. After getting written permission from his father, Van Sant was accepted and served with the 9th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry for three years before being mustered out. After the war, Van Sant took business classes in

Hudson, New York Hudson is a city and the county seat of Columbia County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,894. Located on the east side of the Hudson River and 120 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it was named for the rive ...

, and briefly attended Knox College in Illinois before leaving school due to a lack of money. He worked with his father in the shipbuilding trade and helped develop specialized raft boats for moving lumber along the river. In 1883, he relocated to

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who ...

Career

After arriving in Winona, Van Sant continued to work in the shipbuilding and lumber rafting industries. By the 1890s, he had become financially successful and his company was responsible for moving more lumber down the Mississippi River than any other. He also became active with local

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 ...

politics. In 1892, he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives and served two consecutive terms from 1893 to 1897. In his second term, he served as the Speaker of the House. In 1900, he ran for governor against incumbent

John Lind John Lind is the name of: * John Lind (barrister) (1737–1781), English lawyer and political writer * John Lind (politician) (1854–1930), US politician * John Lind (female impersonator) (1877–1940), female impersonator See also

*Jon Lind, ...

and won, serving two terms, from 1901 to 1905. As governor, Van Sant filed a lawsuit against the

Northern Securities Company The Northern Securities Company was a short-lived American railroad trust formed in 1901 by E. H. Harriman, James J. Hill, J.P. Morgan and their associates. The company controlled the Northern Pacific Railway; Great Northern Railway; Chicago, Bu ...

railroad trust arguing that its formation violated a state law. His case was later taken up at the federal level by President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

and, in the 1904 United States Supreme court case

Northern Securities Co. v. United States ''Northern Securities Co. v. United States'', 193 U.S. 197 (1904), was a case heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1903. The Court ruled 5-4 against the stockholders of the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railroad companies, which had essentiall ...

, the company was dissolved. He was also involved in legislation which updated the state's election process and removed restrictions on the state legislature's taxation and spending powers. After serving as Governor Van Sant retired from politics. He was commander in chief of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

from 1909 to 1910. He died in 1936 in

Attica, Indiana Attica is a city in Logan Township, Fountain County, Indiana, United States. History Attica was laid out by George Hollingsworth and platted by David Stump in 1825. The completion of the Wabash and Erie Canal through the town in 1847 brought ...

, age 92. He is buried in Glendale Cemetery in

Le Claire, Iowa LeClaire is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States. The population was 4,710 in 2020, a 65.4% increase from 2,847 in 2000, making it one of the fastest-growing communities in the Quad Cities. LeClaire is considered a suburb and part of the ...

. The

Samuel Van Sant House The Samuel Van Sant House is an historic building located in Le Claire, Iowa, United States. The house was built in 1860 and it has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. The property is part of the Houses of Mississ ...

is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

External links

Biographical information
and hi
gubernatorial records
are available for research use at th
Minnesota Historical Society.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Sant, Samuel Rinnah 1844 births 1936 deaths Politicians from Rock Island, Illinois People of Illinois in the American Civil War Republican Party governors of Minnesota Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Methodists from Montana American people of Dutch descent Grand Army of the Republic Commanders-in-Chief