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Alexander Ramsey and the Birth of Party Politics in Minnesota

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Alexander Ramsey and the Birth of Party Politics in Minnesota A daguerreotype portrait of Ramsey as a rising young Pennsylvania politician ALEXANDER RAMSEY and the Birth of Party Politics in Minnesota JOHN C. HAUGLAND AS THE American nation expanded west­ aries, and lumbermen who composed the ward across the continent, it brought to major part of the region's scattered popu­ sparsely settled frontier areas the influence lation were then called upon to form a of government and the need to organize po­ framework of responsible local government litically. This occurred in Minnesota imme­ and to align themselves with the great cur­ diately after the creation of the territory in rents of national politics. Isolated as they 1849. The handful of fur traders, mission- were, the issues which divided the rest of the country — the tariff, slavery, and the na­ MR. HAUGLAND is the assistant dean of the tion's banking policy — meant little to them. graduate school in the University of Minnesota. Party politics did, however, impinge upon The present article is adapted from his doctoral them through the necessity of electing a ter­ dissertation on Ramsey. ritorial delegate to Congress, and even more Summer 1964 37 directly through the appointment of terri­ who had wanted to be postmaster general. torial officers by the national administration. The Senate Democrats refused to confirm These officers helped to crystallize the McGaughey, however, and on March 21, early political alignments in Minnesota, and, 1849, President Taylor submitted the name as governor, the most influential among of WUliam S. Pennington, former governor them was Alexander Ramsey. His name thus of New Jersey, who had hoped to secure a became inextricably bound with the devel­ diplomatic position. Although Pennington's opment of politics in the North Star State. nomination was confirmed by the Senate The years which witnessed this process and his commission was delivered to him, also saw the decline and disintegration of he declined the appointment.^ the Whigs as a national party. This political Meanwhile two of Taylor's newly ap­ organization had grown out of the hetero­ pointed cabinet officers, Secretary of the geneous groups that opposed the policies Treasury WiUiam M. Meredith and Secre­ of Andrew Jackson's administration. During tary of State John M. Clayton, had pushed the party's rather brief history it had bril­ for Ramsey's nomination as a reward for liant leadership, exemplified by Henry Clay work well done in Pennsylvania. As chair­ and Daniel Webster, but it never achieved man of the Whig party's state central com­ a unity comparable to that of the Jacksonian mittee, Ramsey had been influential in Democrats. swinging the Keystone State to Taylor in When Clay and Webster were in their 1848 and had also secured a Whig victory prime, the party was one of ideas and integ­ in the local elections held earher the same rity. By 1848, however, it had been beaten fall. The young politician, active for less on numerous important issues, and younger than ten years, had compiled an impressive Whigs argued that the organization would record.' wither unless it captured the national gov­ His training had included three years at ernment and revitalized itself with the LaFayette College in Pennsylvania and two nourishment of public patronage. They ac­ more spent studying law in Harrisburg. He complished this in 1848 with the election of had been admitted to the bar in 1839 and General Zachary Taylor, whose chief quali­ was only twenty-four when, in 1840, he first fications were his popularity as a hero of the entered politics to campaign for William H. Mexican War and his acceptability to both Harrison. Pennsylvania as well as Dauphin the northern and southern factions of the County, where Ramsey lived, went for Har­ party. It was he who appointed the officers rison that year, and as a reward for his aid for the newly created territory of Minne­ Ramsey was appointed chief clerk of the sota.^ lower house of the state legislature. So be­ Alexander Ramsey was by no means the gan his climb up the political ladder. Two first man to be considered for the office of years later he was elected to Congress from governor. Factional controversies had quickly canceled out the first two aspirants. ^ The legislation creating the territory had been 'They were John C. Clark of New York, passed on March 3, 1849, in the closing hours of the supported by Senator William H. Seward, Thirtieth Congress, and President James K. Polk had and Nathan K. Hall, the law partner of either not had time to make appointments or decided that selection of the necessary officials should be Vice-President Millard Fillmore. Edward the responsibility of the incoming chief executive. W. McGaughey of Indiana, a former Con­ " Holman Hamilton, "Zachary Taylor and Minne­ gressman and one of the Whigs' promising sota," in Minnesota History, 30:104-107 (June, 1949); William W. Folwell, A History of Minnesota, young men, was next on the list. His nomi­ 1:248 (St. Paul, 19.56). nation probably resulted from President " For a detailed study of Ramsey's early life, see Taylor's failure to include in his cabinet William J. Ryland, Alexander Ramsey: A Study of a Frontier Politician and the Transition of Minnesota Congressman Caleb E. Smith of Indiana, from a Territory to a State {Philadelphia, 1941). 38 MINNESOTA History a district consisting of Dauphin, Lebanon, named secretary, although he had coveted and Schuylkill counties, a region mainly in­ the governorship. Alexander M. Mitchell, al­ dustrial in character. As a Congressman, he so from Ohio, was appointed marshal. A was a firm protectionist, and while he sel­ graduate of West Point, MitcheU had fought dom spoke in the House of Representatives, under Taylor in the Mexican War and was his longest and most important speeches the only Minnesota appointee who was a concerned the tariff. Ramsey was re-elected personal friend of the president. The sole in 1844 but did not seek a third term in 1846 Minnesota resident in the group was Henry because of a strong demand in local party L. Moss, who was given the office of attor­ circles to have representation from one of ney general. Aaron Goodrich of Tennessee the other counties in his district. He re­ was appointed chief justice of the territory; turned to the practice of law in Harrisburg David Cooper of Pennsylvania and Bradley in 1847, but continued his active role in B. Meeker of Kentucky were made associate state politics. justices. None of the three was a great law­ As a result of the 1848 Whig successes in yer, but they all had friends with political Pennsylvania, Ramsey aspired to the posi­ influence. Meeker was a nephew of Senator tion of collector of the port of Philadelphia, Truman Smith of Connecticut; Cooper was a lucrative post with considerable influence. a brother of Senator James Cooper of Penn­ Two days after the inauguration he called sylvania; and Chief Justice Goodrich had on the president, and the next day a body of been pushed forward by Senator John Bell bis friends visited the chief executive con­ and other Whig leaders from Tennessee.^ cerning the Philadelphia office; but the ap­ pointment did not go to Ramsey, and a RAMSEY REACHED St. Paul on May 27. short while later he was convinced by his His arrival, early on a Sunday morning, was friends that he should accept the governor­ practically unnoticed by the sleeping citi­ ship of Minnesota. On April 3 he received zens. After a brief look around, he and his his commission and ten days later the thirty- family went on to Mendota, where Henry H. four-year-old governor took the oath of of­ Sibley, the man who had been largely in­ fice at the home of Chief Justice Roger B. strumental in achieving territorial status for Taney. In early May, accompanied by his Minnesota, invited them to stay until they wife, Ramsey called once more on the presi­ could secure suitable housing in St. Paul. dent and soon after began his journey west.* This was the beginning of a lifelong friend­ Six other territorial officers had earher ship between Ramsey and Sibley, even been appointed to serve with Ramsey in though their political allegiances were with Minnesota. Charles K. Smith of Ohio was different parties.® The arrival of the new chief executive ' Frances Urevig, ed., "With Governor Ramsey to meant the beginning of formal government Minnesota in 1849," in Minnesota History, 35:353 and with it the beginning of organized poli­ (December, 1957). See also Ramsey's diary for the months of March, April, and May, 1849, Ramsey tics. On June 1, 1849, Ramsey declared the Papers, in the Minnesota Historical Society. His territorial government established, and he appointment was made during the recess of Con­ was soon surveying the community, hoping gress and was not brought before the Senate until that he would find fertile ground in which December, 1849. The Senate consented on January 9, 1850, without objection. United States Senate, to initiate more vigorous party activity. His Journal of Executive Proceedings, 8:98, 104, 117 first impressions are recorded in a diary en­ (Washington, 1887). try for June 19, 1849: "had conversation . ° Hamilton, in Minnesota History, 30:109; Rob­ ert C. Voight, "Defender of the Common Law: relative to the difficulties of our position po­ Aaron Goodrich, Chief Justice of Minnesota Terri­ litically having among old settlers not one tory," 28-30, an unpublished doctoral dissertation Whig [who] was prominent in Society. in the Minnesota Historical Society. "Urevig, in Minnesota History, 35:356. If we had one good leading Whig among the Summer 1964 39 old settlers, I would at once go for a Whig party banner, while at the same time they party organization.'"^ worked feverishly to establish Whig su­ The road to achieving this goal was to be premacy within that group.
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