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Dunn, Robert Campbell

House 1889-90 (District 39); House 1893-94 (District 46); House 1911-14 (District 45); Senate 1915-18 (District 55)

Party when first elected:  Independent Republican

Counties Served:  Anoka, Benton, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Sherburne, Todd

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 2/14/1855
Birth Place: Plumb Bridge
Birth County: Tyrone
Birth Country: Ireland
Date of Death: 10/28/1918
Gender: Male
Religion:
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected): Princeton
Occupation (when first elected): Publisher, The Princeton Union

EDUCATION

Common Schools, Ireland; Elementary School; About 8 Years, Until He Was 14 Years Old

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Municipal Government: Princeton, Minnesota (Town Clerk); 1878 to 1889 [Elected]
County Attorney: Mille Lacs County, Minnesota; 1884 to 1888 [Elected]
State Auditor: Minnesota; 01/07/1895 to 01/1903 [Elected]

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Lydia McKenzie (married on February 14, 1887)
Children: Two children: George R. (son), Grace (daughter)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
Robert G. Dunn  - Grandson

GENERAL NOTES

He was of Scottish ancestry on his mother's side.

He moved to London, England around 1869. He came to the United States in 1870. He settled in Minnesota in 1876.

He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Minnesota House of Representatives in a contested 1890 election with E.E. Price.

He ran unsuccessfully as the Republican Party endorsed candidate for Minnesota Governor in the 1904 election.

His brother, Samuel, was a magistrate in Ireland.

He died in Princeton, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota.

Total Days Served: 4319

SESSIONS SERVED

40th Legislative Session (1917-1918) (second half of Senate term)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 55
Elected: 11/3/1914
Residence: Princeton
Term of Office: 1/5/1915 to 10/28/1918 (unfinished term)
Counties Represented: Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Sherburne
Occupation: Publisher, The Princeton Union
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Finance
  • Military Affairs
  • Public Highways (Chair)
  • State Development and Immigration
  • Taxes and Tax Laws
Reason for unfinished term: Death
Session Notes: He died while in office on October 28, 1918.

39th Legislative Session (1915-1916)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 55
Elected: 11/3/1914
Residence: Princeton
Term of Office: 1/5/1915 to 10/28/1918 (unfinished term)
Counties Represented: Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Sherburne
Occupation: Publisher, The Princeton Union
Party: Nonpartisan Election
Committees:
  • Public Highways (Chair)
  • Taxes and Tax Laws
Reason for unfinished term: Death
Session Notes: He died while in office on October 28, 1918.

38th Legislative Session (1913-1914)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 45
Elected: 11/5/1912
Residence: Princeton
Term of Office: 1/7/1913 to 1/4/1915
Counties Represented: Anoka, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Sherburne
Occupation: Publisher and Editor, The Princeton Union
Party: Republican
Committees:
  • Corporations Other Than Municipal
  • Printing
  • Public Domain
  • Roads and Bridges (Chair)
  • State Fair
  • Taxes and Tax Laws
  • Villages

37th Legislative Session (1911-1912)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 45
Elected: 11/8/1910
Residence: Princeton
Term of Office: 1/3/1911 to 1/6/1913
Counties Represented: Anoka, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Sherburne
Occupation: Publisher and Editor, The Princeton Union
Party: Republican
Committees:
  • Appropriations
  • General Legislation
  • Printing
  • Roads and Bridges
  • State Fair
  • Taxes and Tax Laws (Chair)

28th Legislative Session (1893-1894)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 46
Elected: 11/8/1892
Residence: Princeton
Term of Office: 1/3/1893 to 1/7/1895
Counties Represented: Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Todd
Occupation: Publisher and Editor; The Princeton Union, Weekly Newspaper
Party: Republican
Committees:
  • Legislative Expenses
  • Mines and Minerals
  • Printing (Chair)
  • Public Lands
  • Railroads
  • University and University Lands

26th Legislative Session (1889-1890)

  Session Details
Body: House
District: 39
Elected: 11/6/1888
Residence: Princeton
Term of Office: 1/8/1889 to 1/5/1891
Counties Represented: Benton, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Todd
Occupation: Publisher, The Princeton Union
Party: Independent Republican
Committees:
  • Labor and Labor Legislation
  • Printing (Chair)
  • Railroads
Ran in next election? Yes. Defeated in general election
Articles & Books About
Shutter, Marion Daniel. "Robert Campbell Dunn." Progressive Men of Minnesota, Minneapolis: The Minneapolis Journal, 1897, p. 180-181.


Archive Collections
Robert C. Dunn Papers, 1897-1915 (bulk 1903-1904) - Available in the Minnesota Historical Society's Collections
These files are available in the Legislative Reference Library.