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Military Service: Army

War(s) Served:  Civil War, Spanish-American War

LUCUIUS F. HUBBARD, the ninth governor of Minnesota, was born in Troy, New York on January 26, 1836. When Hubbard was ten years old, he became an orphan, and consequently went to live with an aunt in Vermont. His education was limited and attained in the common schools of New York and Vermont. In 1854, he moved to Chicago, Illinois and found work as a tinsmith. He relocated to Red Wing, Minnesota and went into the printing business, where he eventually established the Red Wing Republican, a political newspaper of which he was the editor and publisher. During the Civil War, he served with the 5th Minnesota Infantry as a private, and rose to the rank of brevet brigadier general by the time of his discharge. Hubbard entered politics in 1858, serving as the registrar of deeds, a position he held until 1860. He also served as a member of the Minnesota State Senate from 1872 to 1876. Hubbard next secured the Republican gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote on November 8, 1881. He was reelected to a second term in 1883, which was extended to a three-year term by a constitutional amendment. During his tenure, the warehouse commission's duties were strengthened; a state public school for dependent children was established in Owatonna; the state's railway system was advanced; and the Minnesota National Guard was formed. After completing his term, Hubbard left office on January 5, 1887. He continued to stay active, securing an appointment to the commission that organized, researched and published the history of the state's military during the 1861 Indian War and the Civil War. He also served as a delegate to the 1898 Republican National Convention, and served in the Spanish-American War as commander of the 3rd Division. Governor Lucius F. Hubbard passed away on February 5, 1913.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

Minnesota Historical Society

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