William Freeborn (December 13, 1816 – June 3, 1900) was a pioneer in

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 ...

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 ...

, and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Freeborn County, Minnesota Freeborn County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 30,895. Its county seat is Albert Lea, Minnesota, Albert Lea. Freeborn County comprises the Albert ...

is named in his honor.

Pioneer

Born in

Richland County, Ohio Richland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 124,936. Its county seat is Mansfield. The county was created in 1808 and later organized in 1813. It is named for the fertile soil found ...

, in 1816, Freeborn moved to

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

in 1848. By 1853 Freeborn had relocated to

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 ...

. According to

Warren Upham Warren Upham (March 8, 1850 – January 29, 1934) was an American geologist, archaeologist, and librarian who is best known for his studies of glacial Lake Agassiz. Biography Warren Upham was born in Amherst, New Hampshire and attended Dartmouth ...

, Freeborn "had large interests, as also at

Cannon Falls Cannon Falls is a city in Goodhue County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 4,083 at the 2010 census. Located along U.S. Route 52, southeast of the Twin Cities, Cannon Falls is the home of Pachyderm Studio, where many famous musici ...

." From Red Wing, Freeborn moved to Montana, where he spent a season as a gold miner in the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. In 1868 Freeborn arrived in

Santa Margarita, California Santa Margarita (Spanish for " St. Margaret") is a town and census-designated place located in San Luis Obispo County, California. It was founded in 1889 near Cuesta Peak and San Luis Obispo along State Route 58. The town's name comes from the ...

, where he settled on a ranch. Back in Minnesota, Thomas Newson wrote of Freeborn, "He was a man of progressive and speculative ideas, energetic, always scheming, and had a happy faculty of getting other parties interested in his enterprises. He was a quietly spoken man, of rugged appearance; self-possessed, and never was afraid to venture."

Politician

Freeborn served as a member of the Minnesota Territorial Council in the Minnesota Territorial Legislature from 1854 to 1857, and was mayor of Red Wing, Minnesota in 1858, resigning after less than a year. He also served on the Saint Paul, Minnesota city council.Minnesota Legislators Past and Present-William Freeborn
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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeborn, William People from Richland County, Ohio People from Red Wing, Minnesota 1816 births 1900 deaths Minnesota city council members Mayors of places in Minnesota Members of the Minnesota Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Freeborn County, Minnesota