Tobias Gilmore "T.G." Mealey (August 5, 1823 – April 27, 1904) was a Canadian-born American entrepreneur, politician, and early settler of

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 grew up in

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, made his fortune in the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

, and became an influential figure upon settling in

Monticello, Minnesota Monticello ( ) is a city next to the Mississippi River in Wright County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,455 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land. The city' ...

. He served in both houses of the

Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decennia ...

between 1873 and 1882. The Tobias G. Mealey House, his 1855 home in Monticello, was 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 ...

Early years

Tobias Mealey was born in

Charlotte County, New Brunswick Charlotte County (2016 population 25,428) is the southwest-most List of counties of New Brunswick, county of New Brunswick, Canada. It was formed in 1784 when New Brunswick was partitioned from Nova Scotia. Once a layer of local government, th ...

, Canada, in 1823 and was educated in the

common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...

system. He engaged in farm labor and lumbering for a few years, then entered the retail trade at age 22. In 1849 he joined the California Gold Rush, where he put his hand to mining, retail, construction, and lumbering. In 1852 he returned to New Brunswick with $25,000 in gold. On the way he passed through Minnesota and liked what he saw there. In 1855 he married Catherine Prescott and together they emigrated to Minnesota.

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

was too well established for him and

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 ...

had yet to come into prominence, so Mealey opted to settle in Monticello, then still called Moritzious. He sited their house on a hill away from the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

riverfront to get away from the saloons, boatmen, and lumberjacks he found too raucous.

Business and politics

During his first year in Monticello, Mealey purchased an interest in a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

and opened a general store. In addition to hardware, groceries, footwear, and carpet, it was at the time the only store in Monticello to sell clothing. He soon sold both businesses and engaged in farming, but bought back into the general store in 1863. Later he developed business interests in a starch factory and a clothespin factory. His son S.J. joined him in running the general store. The elder Mealey forged connections with other influential Minnesotans, selling land to streetcar entrepreneur

Thomas Lowry Thomas Lowry (February 27, 1843 – February 4, 1909) was an American lawyer, real-estate magnate, and businessman who oversaw much of the early growth of the streetcar lines in the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis, St. Paul, and surrounding com ...

for a summer home and becoming close friends with railroad magnate

James J. Hill James Jerome Hill (September 16, 1838 – May 29, 1916) was a Canadian-American railroad director. He was the chief executive officer of a family of lines headed by the Great Northern Railway, which served a substantial area of the Upper Midwes ...

. Active in politics, Mealey served as a

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 ...

and a

probate judge A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as Orphans' Courts o ...

in Wright County. Previously identifying 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 ...

, he followed 1872 presidential candidate

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

into the breakaway Liberal Republican Party as he ran for and won election 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 ...

. Running thereafter as 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 ...

, he won election the following year to the

Minnesota Senate The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are hel ...

, serving in the 1874 and 1875 legislatures. He declined a nomination to run again in the 1875 election, but was a delegate to the

1876 Democratic National Convention The 1876 Democratic National Convention assembled in St. Louis just nine days after the conclusion of the Republican National Convention in Cincinnati. This was the first political convention held west of the Mississippi River. St. Louis was noti ...

and returned as a state senate candidate in 1877. He won, but in 1878 Minnesota switched to four-year terms for senators, sending him into another election that November. He was reelected and served through 1882. During his term he was instrumental in passing a new tax code that so improved on prior law it was known as the "iron-clad tax law".

Personal life

Tobias Mealey married Catherine Prescott in New Brunswick in 1855. The couple had two sons and three daughters in Minnesota, enlarging their Monticello home several times to accommodate their growing family. In 1884 their daughter Susan married Rufus Rand, then vice-president of the Minneapolis Gas Light Company. As a wedding gift, the Mealeys gave the couple a large lot next to their own, upon which Susan designed the 30-room Rand House as a summer home. James J. Hill had a railroad spur constructed nearby for the convenience of his friend's wedding guests. Tobias Mealey died in 1904, whereupon Catherine moved in with one of their daughters. Their son S.J. ran the Mealey general store, as well as the starch factory (which had become a leading local business) and the Monticello post office. He went on to serve as president of the Monticello State Bank, president of the Monticello Preserving Company, and manager of the Monticello Mill and Elevator, and was credited as one of the leading businessmen in Wright County.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mealey, Tobias 1823 births 1904 deaths 19th-century American politicians Businesspeople from Minnesota Emigrants from pre-Confederation New Brunswick to the United States Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives Minnesota state senators People from Charlotte County, New Brunswick People from Wright County, Minnesota 19th-century American businesspeople