Henry Clay Hansbrough (January 30, 1848November 16, 1933) was a

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politician who served as the first

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from North Dakota, as well as a Senator from

North Dakota North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...

Biography

Henry Clay Hansbrough was born in the historic

Creole House The Creole House is a historic residence in the village of Prairie du Rocher, an old French settlement in present-day Randolph County, Illinois, United States. Built at the end of the eighteenth century and later expanded, the Creole House is ...

in the village of Prairie du Rocher,

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. Henry Clay, who attended the wedding for his parents Elisha Hansbrough and Sarah Hagan, suggested to them that they name their first son after him, and they did. Henry attended the common schools, but his school was interrupted by the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and was forced to close. In 1867, the family moved to

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. He learned the art of printing and worked at the trade in San Jose and later at

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. He was employed at one time at the ''San Jose Daily Independent'' and the ''

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''. Hansbrough later moved to

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of N ...

and established the ''Grand Forks News'' in 1881 and the ''Inter-Ocean'' at Devils Lake in 1883.

Politics

Hansbrough was a strong advocate for dividing Dakota Territory and admitted the two halves as separate states into the Union, which eventually happened on November 2, 1889. He arrived in Creel City, North Dakota (later renamed to Devils Lake), and was soon named postmaster, replacing Heber M. Creel, who was the settler and founder of Devils Lake. This created a rivalry between Creel and Hansbrough. The two owned rival newspapers. Hansbrough owned the ''Devils Lake Inter-Ocean'' and Creel owned the ''Devils Lake Pioneer Press''. Both men ran for mayor of the city. Hansbrough was elected mayor of Devils Lake in 1885 and served until 1888. He was also a member of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is a U.S. Political action committee, political committee that assists the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republi ...

from 1888 to 1896. Upon the admission of

as a state, Hansbrough was elected as a

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to the

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. He was the first person to represent the new state of North Dakota in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. He served from November 2, 1889, until March 3, 1891. He did not seek renomination in 1891, having become a candidate for Senator. Hansbrough was elected to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1891 and reelected in 1897 and again in 1903 and served from March 4, 1891, to March 3, 1909. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1909. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on the Library ( Fifty-fourth Congress) and a member of the Committee on Public Lands (Fifty-fifth through Sixtieth Congresses) and the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry (

Sixtieth Congress The 60th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1907, to M ...

As a Republican in D.C., Hansbrough became friends with

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, another prominent member of the party. Even though Hansbrough was a Republican, he was still a "maverick," and later he would announce his support of Democratic

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

. In 1928, he supported the Democratic candidate, Alfred E. Smith, over the Republican candidate,

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

. Before his death in 1933, Hansbrough was also a supporter of President Franklin Roosevelt's farm programs during the Great Depression. Hansbrough resumed his former business pursuits in Devils Lake following his unsuccessful reelection and moved to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, New York, and finally to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in 1927, where he died in 1933.

Death

In 1933, Hansbrough visited his friend U.S. Senator Gerald Nye. Hansbrough requested Nye, upon his death, to scatter his ashes under an elm tree on the

United States Capitol The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...

Grounds in Washington, D.C. Although it was not allowed, Nye fulfilled his friend’s request after he died, making Hansbrough the only person to have a final resting place on Capitol Hill.

References

Notes

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hansbrough, Henry Clay 1848 births 1933 deaths People from Randolph County, Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Dakota Republican Party United States senators from North Dakota Mayors of places in North Dakota People from Ramsey County, North Dakota