Henry Hastings Sibley

Henry Hastings Sibley 1811-91, first governor of Minnesota, b. Detroit. After two years of law study, he was (1830-34) a clerk for the American Fur Company. He later became (1834) a partner and engaged in trading in the Wisconsin and Dakota territories. He was (1848) delegate to Congress from Wisconsin Territory and promoted (1849) the organization of Minnesota Territory. He was then its territorial delegate, and when it became (1858) a state, Sibley was (1858-60) its first governor. He commanded expeditions against the Sioux after the massacre of Minnesota settlers in 1862.

Sibley, Henry Hastings (1811–91) Union army officer and governor, born in Michigan Territory. Sibley was a fur trader, in the process becoming well acquainted with local Indian tribes; he married a Sioux woman, from whom he later separated. In 1848 he became active in Democratic party politics and was elected a delegate to Congress from Wisconsin; he represented Minnesota from 1849 to 1853 and in 1858 became its first governor. In 1862, now a colonel of militia, he led troops to put down an Indian uprising; his victory brought him promotion to brigadier general in 1863. He then served in the Dakota Territory, where he opened up new trails and suppressed Indian unrest.