Governors of Dakota Territory
Encyclopedia
Dakota Territory
existed as an entity from 1861 until 1889, when it was divided into the states of North Dakota
and South Dakota
. The Territorial Governor was appointed by the President of the United States
.
The men who served as Governor (and their dates of office) were:
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 North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
existed as an entity from 1861 until 1889, when it was divided into the states of North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
and South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. The Territorial Governor was appointed by the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
.
The men who served as Governor (and their dates of office) were:
- William JayneWilliam JayneWilliam A. Jayne was an American physician and statesman. He served as Governor of the Dakota Territory and as the territory's delegate to the United States House of Representatives during the American Civil War....
(1861-1863) - Newton EdmundsNewton EdmundsNewton Edmunds was the second Governor of Dakota Territory, serving during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
(1863-1866) - Andrew Jackson FaulkAndrew Jackson FaulkAndrew Jackson Faulk was the third Governor of Dakota Territory.-Biography:Andrew Jackson Faulk was born at Milford, Pike County, Pennsylvania, the son of John Faulk. Faulk moved with his family to Kittaning, Pennsylvania, where he was educated...
(1866-1869) - John A. BurbankJohn A. BurbankJohn Albyne Burbank was an American businessman and the fourth Governor of Dakota Territory.Burbank was born at Centerville, Wayne County, Indiana. After finishing school, he entered into the merchandising business with his father. In 1853, Burbank laid out the site of Falls City, Nebraska, and...
(1869-1873) - John L. PenningtonJohn L. PenningtonJohn L. Pennington was a newspaper publisher, an Alabama state senator, and the fifth Governor of Dakota Territory.-Biography:...
(1874-1878) - William Alanson HowardWilliam Alanson HowardWilliam Alanson Howard served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan from March 4, 1855 to March 3, 1859 and from May 15, 1860 to March 3, 1861. Howard was the Governor of the Dakota Territory from 1878 to 1880.-Biography:William Howard was born at Hinesburg,...
(1878-1880) - Nehemiah G. OrdwayNehemiah G. OrdwayNehemiah George Ordway was a New Hampshire state senator and the seventh Governor of Dakota Territory. Ordway was regarded as one of Dakota Territory's most controversial governors....
(1880-1884) - Gilbert A. PierceGilbert A. PierceGilbert Ashville Pierce was an author, journalist, playwright, and a member of the Indiana state legislature, the eighth Governor of Dakota Territory, and representative for North Dakota in the United States Senate....
(1884-1886) - Louis K. ChurchLouis K. ChurchLouis Kossuth Church was a New York Supreme Court justice, a member of the New York Legislature, and the eighth Governor of Dakota Territory.-Biography:...
(1887-1889) - Arthur C. MelletteArthur C. MelletteArthur Calvin Mellette was the last Governor of the Dakota Territory and was the first Governor of the State of South Dakota.-Biography:...
(1889)
Additional information about the Governors of Dakota Territory
- In 1873, Edwin S. McCook served as acting governor of the territory in place of Burbank. McCook was assassinated in Yankton by a disgruntled constituent.
- In 1858 a provisional government formed in Dakota Territory and appointed Wilmot BrookingsWilmot BrookingsWilmot Wood Brookings was an American pioneer, frontier judge, and early South Dakota politician. He was the first provisional governor of Dakota Territory, and both the cities of Wilmot and Brookings as well as the county of Brookings South Dakota are named for him.Brookings was born in Woolwich,...
as territorial governor. However, the United States government refused to acknowledge this territorial government and its governor. Three years later, a new and different Dakota Territory government formed; that territorial government, and Governor William JayneWilliam JayneWilliam A. Jayne was an American physician and statesman. He served as Governor of the Dakota Territory and as the territory's delegate to the United States House of Representatives during the American Civil War....
were officially recognized by WashingtonWashington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.