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Batchelder, George Washington "G.W., Geo. F., G.F."

Senate 1869-70 (District 8); Senate 1872-73 (District 18)

Party when first elected:  Republican

Counties Served:  Rice

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 2/18/1826
Birth Place: Vermont
Birth County:
Birth Country: United States
Date of Death: 1/9/1910
Gender: Male
Religion:
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names: G.W., Geo. F., G.F.
Alternate Spelling of Last Name: Bachelder
City of Residence (when first elected): Faribault
Occupation (when first elected): Merchant

EDUCATION

Vermont Public Schools; Elementary School;
Phillips Academy, Danville, Vermont; Secondary;
Vermont University; A.M.;
Vermont University; A.B.; 1847-1851
Studied Law; With W. Currier of Windsor; First Practiced Law in Wisconsin; Admitted to Tennessee Practice, 1854

OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE

Board of Regents: University of Minnesota; 01/23/1861 to 11/1863
School Board/Administration: Faribault, Minnesota (Board of Education, Chair); 1877 to 1892
Municipal Mayor: Faribault, Minnesota (City Mayor); 1880 to 1881

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

Spouse: Kate E. Davis (married on July 12, 1858)
Children: Three children: Georgia L. (daughter); Chas. S., and John D. (sons)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:

GENERAL NOTES

He was of English ancestry.

He was a member of the Sigma Phi Society and Phi Beta Kappa.

Toensing, the Minnesota Legislative Manuals, 1869, 1870, and 1872; The Fifteenth Legislature of Minnesota, 1873; and Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897 list his last name as Batchelder. The Minnesota Legislative Manual, 1873 lists both Batchelder and Bachelder.

Toensing, Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897 and The Fifteenth Legislature of Minnesota, 1873 list his middle initial as W. The Minnesota Legislative Manuals, 1869 and 1870 list F.

The Fifteenth Legislature of Minnesota, 1873; Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897; and the Minnesota Legislative Manuals, 1872 and 1873 list he came to Faribault, Minnesota in May 1855. The Minnesota Legislative Manuals, 1869 and 1870 list 1857.

The Minnesota Legislative Manuals, 1872 and 1873, and Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897 list his birth state as Vermont. The Minnesota Legislative Manuals, 1869 and 1870 list New Hampshire. According to Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, his grandfather lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire before moving to Vermont around 1796.

He was a candidate for District Judge in 1865; and for the United States Congress in 1867. (The Fifteenth Legislature of Minnesota. St. Paul: Press Printing Company, 1873)

The Minnesota Legislative Manual, 1869 lists him as a Republican but Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897 says he "always identified with the Democratic party." The Fifteenth Legislature of Minnesota, 1873 identifies him as a member of the Democratic party.

Total Days Served: 1463

SESSIONS SERVED

15th Legislative Session (1873)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 18
Elected: 11/7/1871
Residence: Faribault
Term of Office: 1/2/1872 to 1/5/1874
Counties Represented: Rice
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Democratic Party Notes: His party affiliation was provided by The Fifteenth Legislature of Minnesota, 1873. He "always identified with the Democratic party." Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, p. 433)
Committees:
  • Banks
  • Deaf, Dumb and Blind Asylum
  • Federal Relations
  • Judiciary
  • State Library

14th Legislative Session (1872)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 18
Elected: 11/7/1871
Residence: Faribault
Term of Office: 1/2/1872 to 1/5/1874
Counties Represented: Rice
Occupation: Lawyer
Party: Democratic Party Notes: He "always identified with the Democratic party." Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897, p. 433)
Committees:
  • Federal Relations
  • Judiciary
  • Retrenchment
  • State Charitable Institutions
  • State Library

12th Legislative Session (1870)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 08
Elected: 11/3/1868
Residence: Faribault
Term of Office: 1/5/1869 to 1/2/1871
Counties Represented: Rice
Occupation: Merchant
Party: Republican Party Notes: The Minnesota Legislative Manual, 1869 lists him as a Republican but Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897 says he "always identified with the Democratic party."
Committees:
  • Agriculture and Manufactures
  • Joint Agricultural College Lands and College
  • Printing
  • State Charitable Institutions (Chair)
  • State Prison

11th Legislative Session (1869)

  Session Details
Body: Senate
District: 08
Elected: 11/3/1868
Residence: Faribault
Term of Office: 1/5/1869 to 1/2/1871
Counties Represented: Rice
Occupation: Merchant
Party: Republican Party Notes: The Minnesota Legislative Manual, 1869 lists him as a Republican but Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897 says he "always identified with the Democratic party."
Committees:
  • Claims
  • Corporations
  • State Charitable Institutions (Chair)