George N. Lamphere Papers

Collection

Identifier: Mss 1151

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The George N. Lamphere Papers have been organized into three series: Correspondence, Subject files and Manuscripts. The Correspondence Series, arranged chronologically, contains several letters from Mr. Lamphere including an 1863 Civil War letter, two 1867 letters to his sister, a 1911 letter to Mr. J.D. Merritt and three letters to Eugenie Schneiderhan (1916-1918). There are letters from Supt. J.F. Callahan (1894) and one from Ed Johnson to Andrew Turnquist (1899). There are also several letters from Eugenie Schneiderhan and Robert Lamphere to Leonard Sackett of the Institute (1961-67). In the Subject Files Series are tax receipts, land contracts and a warranty deed (1882-1894), an 1892 Invitation to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, a set of Memorials to Mrs. Lamphere, and clippings on the Lamphere family. Of interest is Mr. Lamphere's scrapbook containing an assortment of clippings on many subjects including humorous articles by Fannie Fern, the "Nasby Papers", and others, many from the 1865-1880 Washington D.C. era, numerous articles by Mr. Lamphere, poems, presidential elections and other miscellaneous subjects from 1865 to 1915 including the Grange. In the Manuscript Series, there is an account of Mr. Lamphere's 1917 trip east (incomplete), and a photostat copy of Experiences and Observations of a Private Soldier in the Civil war. Also included is a copy of his article "History of Wheat Raising in the Red River Valley" taken from the Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society, 1900.

Dates

1863-1967

Creator

Lamphere, George N. (Person)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.

Copyrights

The Institute does not own the copyrights.

Biography

George Nathan Lamphere was born August 23, 1845 at Mystic, Connecticut to David and Mary Ann Lamphere. When sixteen he worked briefly on his uncle's newspaper before enlisting July 1862, in the Sixteenth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers. He fought in many Civil War battles until April 1864, when he was wounded in the arm and captured at Plymouth, North Carolina; his left arm was amputated in May. He was kept in several prison camps until he was exchanged, after which he went to Washington where he was appointed a shipping clerk. He later was a clerk class I, in the office of the Quartermaster General and then in the Census Office. He took part in the first Civil Service exam, becoming a clerk in the Treasury Department and eventually Chief of the Appointments Division there, despite a campaign by the Order of the American Union against him because his wife was Catholic. During this time he was also a correspondent for several papers. In 1882 a change in administrations cost him his job, so he came to Moorhead, Minnesota where he was in real estate and insurance until 1883 when he purchased the Moorhead Daily News. In 1900 he sold the paper and went to Minneapolis where he became Secretary of the Minnesota Soldier's home, leaving there in 1907 for Palouse, Washington. On April 15, 1868, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he married Sarah Cecelia Jones, born October 3, 1848 in Baltimore, Maryland. They had nine children, Charles, George Jr., Nellie, Gertrude, Ralph, Joseph, Eugenie, Addie and Allie. Mrs. Lamphere died August 20, 1916, and Mr. Lamphere died February 1918, of pneumonia. They are buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Palouse, Washington. Mr. Lamphere was the author of numerous articles and in 1880 published a book, The United States Government. He was the Director of the Chamber of Commerce of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Treasurer of the Park Congregational Church there. He was Mayor of Palouse, Secretary of the Palouse Chamber of Commerce, and also belonged to Royal Arcanum and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Politically he was a populist, and he also briefly edited the Palouse Republic.

Extent

0.4 Linear Feet (0.4 linear feet)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

George Lamphere was a Civil War veteran and owner of Moorhead Daily News. The papers consist of a scrapbook containing clippings on government and politics, articles by Mr. Lamphere, reviews on his book, The United States Government, poems, family and other subjects.