House 1895-98 (District 50)
Party when first elected: Republican
Counties Served:
Becker, Clay, Wilkin
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
Date of Birth:
9/21/1852
Birth Place:
Lynden/Leyden, New York
Birth County:
Lewis
Birth Country:
United States
Date of Death:
12/9/1930
Gender:
Male
Religion:
Reported Minority: None Reported
Other Names:
City of Residence (when first elected):
Moorhead
Occupation (when first elected):
Engaged in the Practice of Law
EDUCATION
New York Common Schools; Elementary School;
Illinois Common Schools; Secondary;
Cazenovia Seminary, New York; Attended College;
University of Michigan, Law Department, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Law Degree; 1875; Admitted to the Bar, 1875
OTHER GOVERNMENT SERVICE
State Board/Commission/Council:
Minnesota State Board of Forestry (Chair, 20 years);
1??? to 1???
Municipal Attorney:
Moorhead, Minnesota (City Attorney, 5 years);
18?? to 18??
School Board/Administration:
Moorhead, Minnesota (Board of Education, President, number of years);
18?? to 18??
County Attorney:
Clay County, Minnesota (6 years);
18?? to 18??
[Elected]
State Attorney General:
Minnesota;
01/02/1899 to 04/1904
[Elected]
Judge:
Minnesota Supreme Court (Associate Justice, Appointed by Governor Van Sant);
04/1904 to 01/01/1905
[Appointed]
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Spouse:
Ella M. Smith (married on May 19, 1881)
Children:
Two children: Harold B., and Lila "Lulu" L.
Family Members Who Have Served in the Minnesota Legislature:
GENERAL NOTES
Toensing lists his birth year as 1853. The Minnesota Legislative Manuals, 1895 and 1897; the Ramsey County Bar Association Memorial, 1931, and Progressive Men of Minnesota, 1897 list 1852.
He was of Scottish and Dutch ancestry.
He moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1866. He came to Moorhead, Minnesota in 1883.
He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican endorsement for Minnesota Attorney General in 1896.
He was a member of the Masons, Odd Fellows, and Knights of Pythias.
Douglas Lodge in Itasca State Park, Minnesota was named after him.
He died in Ellendale or Ferndale, Washington.