House 1876-77 (District 41); House 1879-82 (District 41); Senate 1883-88 (District 44)
Party when first elected: Republican
Counties Served:
Becker, Beltrami, Clay, Otter Tail, Pembina (defunct), Polk, Todd, Traverse, Wadena, Wilkin
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
5/9/1842
Birth Place:
Argyle, Maine
Birth County:
Penobscot
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
6/3/1933
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
S.G.
City of Residence (when first elected):
Moorhead
Occupation (when first elected):
Lawyer
EDUCATION
Maine Rural Schools; Elementary School;
East Corinth Academy, Maine; Secondary;
Hampden Academy, Maine; Secondary;
Maine Wesleyan Academy, Kents Hill; Secondary;
Studied Law; With Judge Humphrey, Bangor, Maine
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Law School; Law Degree; Law; Admitted to the Bar, Omaha, Nebraska, 1869 or 1871
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
County Attorney:
Clay County, Minnesota (Prosecuting Attorney);
04/26/1872 to 1878
U.S. Representative:
5th Congressional District, Minnesota;
03/04/1889 to 03/03/1891
[Elected]
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota State Normal School Board (Member);
1897 to 1905
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Sarah
Children:
Three children: Ada Louise (first full-time President of Radcliffe College), and Jessie May (daughters); George Madison (son)
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
He moved to Omaha, Nebraska in 1869. He came to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1870. He moved to Moorhead, Minnesota in 1871.
He was a "staunch Republican." (Minnesota History, Spring 1998, p. 21); "Mr. Comstock is a staunch Republican." (Biographical Sketches of the Officers of the State Government of Minnesota and of the 19th Minnesota State Legislature by C.L. Hall, 1877, p. 34)
He was an unsuccessful candidate for Minnesota State Attorney General in 1882.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota in 1884.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the United States House of Representatives in 1890.
He donated land and helped establish the Bishop Whipple School in 1882. It closed in 1887 then became Concordia College in 1892. He also donated land and sponsored a bill to create Moorhead Normal School. (Minnesota History, Spring 1998, p. 22)
He died in Moorhead, Minnesota and was buried there in Prairie Home Cemetery.