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George Loomis Becker

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George Loomis Becker
Member of the Minnesota Senate
from the 1st district
In office
1868–1872
6th Mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota
In office
1856–1857
Preceded byAlexander Ramsey
Succeeded byJohn B. Brisbin
Personal details
BornFebruary 4, 1829
Locke, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 6, 1904
St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationCase Western Reserve University
University of Michigan

George Loomis Becker (February 4, 1829 – January 6, 1904) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served as the sixth mayor of Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Early life and education

Becker was born in Locke, New York, in 1829. He attended Case Western Reserve University and the University of Michigan Law School before relocating to St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1849 to practice law.

Career

Becker formed a legal partnership with Edmund Rice and Ellis Whitall which lasted until 1856.[1]

He first entered politics in 1854 when he was elected as a city council member for St. Paul. In 1856 he was elected mayor of St. Paul and served for a single, one-year term. He participated in the Democratic Minnesota Constitutional Convention in 1857 and was elected as one of three people to serve in the United States House of Representatives for the newly organized state. When it was revealed that the state would only receive two seats, Becker was the one left out. By some accounts he withdrew from consideration while others suggest the three candidates drew straws and Becker was the one who lost.[1][2]

Becker went on to serve in the administration of Governor Henry Hastings Sibley and represented the first district of the Minnesota Senate from 1868 to 1872. He unsuccessfully ran for governor of Minnesota twice (in 1859 and 1894) and for a seat in the United States House of Representatives (in 1872). Outside of politics he spent much of his later life working in the railroad industry including positions with the Saint Paul and Pacific Railroad and the Western Railroad of Minnesota. He also served on the state's Railroad and Warehouse Commission from 1885 to 1901.[1]

Personal life

Loomis died in St. Paul on January 6, 1904. He is buried in Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul.[3] Becker County, Minnesota and Becker, Minnesota are named in his honor.[2][4]

References

  1. ^ a b c The Mayors of St. Paul, 1850–1940. 1940. p. 19. hdl:2027/uc1.b3635771.
  2. ^ a b "Becker, George Loomis – Legislator Record". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
  3. ^ "George Loomis Becker (1829–1904)". Find A Grave.
  4. ^ "Minnesota geographic names; their origin and historic significance : Upham, Warren, 1850–1934 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Minnesota
1859
Succeeded by
Edward O. Hamblin
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Governor of Minnesota
1894
Succeeded by