James McClellan Boal
James McClellan Boal | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Minnesota Territorial Council | |
| In office September 3, 1849 – January 6, 1852 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | William L. Larned |
| Member of the Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives | |
| In office January 7, 1852 – January 4, 1853 | |
| Succeeded by | Alfred Elisha Ames |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1811 |
| Died | c. 1862 |
| Party | Whig |
Other political affiliations | Republican Party of Minnesota |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1833–1846 |
James McClellan Boal[a] (c. 1811–1862) was an American artist, trader, and politician who served in the Minnesota Territorial Council and House of Representatives from 1849 until 1853.
Biography
[edit]Boal was born c. 1811 in Pennsylvania. He enlisted as a drummer and went to Fort Snelling. He was bunkmates with Joseph R. Brown, a fifer. He then traveled to St. Paul and established himself as a house and sign painter. He was elected as one of the first Councillors of the territory by a vote of 98 to 91. His fellow Whig[1] partisans were apparently so happy he had won that they paraded him through the streets of the city with a chariot made from an oxcart. He served as a Councillor from 1849 until 1852 and then served as a Representative from then until early January 1853. He was also appointed as the territorial adjutant general by Governor Alexander Ramsey from 1849 until 1853.[2]
Boal would go on to become a founding member of the Republican Party of Minnesota in 1855.[2] He had received a letter from the Republican Territorial Committee saying that Boal "[held] the principles of the Republican Party, and [could] be relied upon as a Leading Man in [his] vicinity, to be active in forwarding the organization of the Republican movement in this Territory."[3]
Boal moved to Mendota from Saint Paul sometime before his death in 1862. A street in Saint Paul is named after him, though it uses the erroneous spelling of his last name, McBoal.[2]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Boal's last name is often erroneously listed as "McBoal"
References
[edit]- ↑ "Circular of the Whig Members of the Legislature in Relation to the Disposition of the Public Printing". The Minnesota Pioneer. February 13, 1851. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
- 1 2 3 Minnesota in Three Centuries, 1655-1908. Publishing Society of Minnesota. 1908. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ↑ "The genesis of the Republican Party in Minnesota" (PDF). Minnesota History: 24–30. Retrieved February 10, 2021.