William Henry Harrison Beadle (January 1, 1838 – November 15, 1915) was an American soldier, lawyer, educator and administrator.''South Dakota Historical Collections'', Volume 3 (1906)

Biography

He was born in a

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eur ...

Parke County, Indiana Parke County lies in the western part of the U.S. state of Indiana along the Wabash River. The county was formed in 1821 out of a portion of Vigo County. According to the 2010 census, the population was 17,339, an increase of 0.6% from 17,241 ...

, and grew up on the frontier. Refusing his father's offer of a farm, he accepted instead $1,000 for an education. He studied civil engineering at the University of Michigan. Shortly after graduating in 1861, he enlisted in the Union Army and by the end of the war had risen to the rank of

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

brigadier general. He received his law degree from the University of Michigan in 1867 and practiced briefly. In 1869 President

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

appointed him surveyor-general of Dakota Territory.John E. Miller, 'Setting the Agenda: Political Parties and Historical Change,' in ''The Plains Political Tradition: Essays on South Dakota Political Culture'', Jon K. Lauck (ed.), John E. Miller (ed.),

Donald C. Simmons, Jr. Donald C. Simmons Jr. (born June 26, 1963) author and filmmaker, has held numerous elected and appointed political positions during his career. Simmons is a pastor, consultant and contractor. He was also previously with the Omaha Storm Chasers, th ...

(ed.), Pierre, South Dakota: South Dakota State Historical Society Press, 2011, p. 78 His journeys through the territory and his previous frontier experience convinced him that school lands were a trust for future generations and should be sold at their appraised value and never for less than $10 an acre ($2,500 per km²) . This effort dominated his life. He served as secretary of the 1877 commission to codify the territorial laws and as chairman of the judiciary committee in the territorial House. In 1879 he became superintendent of public instruction. Beadle drafted the school lands provision at the South Dakota constitutional convention of 1885. When Congress accepted the state constitution in 1889, it was so impressed that similar provisions were required for North Dakota, Montana, Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming. This preserved 22 million acres (89,000 km²) for schools. Beadle served as president of the Madison State Normal School from 1889 to 1906, and as a professor of history until his retirement in 1912. He died on November 15, 1915, in San Francisco while visiting his daughter. In 1938, the state of South Dakota donated a bronze statue of Beadle to the National Statuary Hall Collection at the United States Capitol. Replicas of this statue stand in the

South Dakota State Capitol The South Dakota State Capitol is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of South Dakota. Housing the South Dakota State Legislature, it is located in the state capitol of Pierre at 500 East Capitol Avenue. The building houses the offices o ...

and at Dakota State University. Beadle County, South Dakota is named in his honor. In 2013, Dakota State University named the General Beadle Honors Program after Beadle. WHH Beadle 1857

Biography

References

Further reading