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James Beach Wakefield
8th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
In office January 7, 1876 – January 10, 1880
Governor	Cushman Davis John S. Pillsbury
Preceded by	Alphonso Barto
Succeeded by	Charles A. Gilman
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota's 2nd district
In office March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887
Preceded by	Horace B. Strait
Succeeded by	John Lind
8th Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office 1866–1866
Preceded by	Jared Benson
Succeeded by	John Q. Farmer
Member of the Minnesota Senate
In office 1867-1869
Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
In office 1858 1863 1866
Personal details
Born	(1825-03-21)March 21, 1825 Winsted, Connecticut, U.S.
Died	August 25, 1910(1910-08-25) (aged 85) Blue Earth, Minnesota, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Nannette Reinhart
Profession	lawyer, judge, politician

James Beach Wakefield (March 21, 1825 – August 25, 1910) was a United States Congressman from Minnesota. He was also Senator and 8th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.

Wakefield was born in Winsted, Connecticut to Dr. Luman Wakefield and Betsey Rockwell. His father was a Connecticut politician, and his brother was a Doctor from Yale University, who married Sarah F. Wakefield. His niece was Helen Wakefield Yale, member of the Yale family and wife of Judge John H. Kennard. His sister, Lucy Clarissa, married to the son of Congressman Lancelot Phelps, and brother of Congressman James Phelps, whose father-in-law, Samuel Ingham, was also Congressman and Senator from Connecticut.

James attended the public schools at Westfield, Massachusetts, and Jonesville, New York, graduated from Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, in 1846 and studied law in Painesville, Lake County, Ohio. He was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Delphi, Indiana, in 1852. He moved to Shakopee, Minnesota, in 1854. He was first judge of the probate court of Faribault County, Minnesota.

He was elected as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1858, 1863, and 1866, serving as speaker in the session of 1866. He was elected as a member of the Minnesota State Senate 1867–1869. He was appointed receiver of the United States Land Office at Winnebago City Township, Minnesota, June 1, 1869, and served until January 15, 1875, when he resigned. He was the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota 1875–1877. He was elected as a Republican to the 48th and 49th congresses, (March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887).

He retired from public life and died at Blue Earth, Faribault County, Minnesota with interment in Evergreen Cemetery, Painesville, Ohio.

References

1. White Captives: Gender and Ethnicity on the American Frontier, June Namias, p. 204-208
2. White Captives: Gender and Ethnicity on the American Frontier, June Namias, p. 204-208
3. Rodney Horace Yale (1908). "Yale genealogy and history of Wales. The British kings and princes. Life of Owen Glyndwr. Biographies of Governor Elihu Yale". Archive.org. Milburn and Scott company. pp. 311–312–467–468.
4. Wakefield, Homer (1897). Wakefield memorial, comprising an historical, genealogical and biographical register of the name and family of Wakefield, Bloomington, Ill., Priv. print. for the compiler Pantagraph Printing and Stationery Co., New York Public Library, p. 66

• United States Congress. "James Wakefield (id: W000026)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Minnesota Historical Society
• Minnesota Legislators Past and Present

v t e Lieutenant governors of Minnesota
Holcombe Donnelly Swift Sherwood Armstrong Yale Barto Wakefield Gilman Rice Ives Clough Day Gibbs L. Smith Jones Eberhart E. Smith Gordon Burnquist Sullivan Frankson Collins Nolan Adams Arens Solberg Petersen Richardson (acting) Lindsten Anderson Thye Miller Anderson Nelsen Wright Rolvaag Keith Goetz Perpich Olson Wangberg Johnson Dyrstad Benson Schunk Molnau Prettner Solon T. Smith Fischbach Flanagan

v t e Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Territorial (1849–1857)	Furber Ames Ludden Day Taylor Norris Gardner Furber
State (since 1857)	Watrous Bradley Coggswell Benson Sherwood Benson Armstrong Wakefield Farmer Davidson J. Merriam Hall Kinyon Gibbs Gilman Fletcher Gibbs W. Merriam Graves Champlin Lee Van Sant Jones Dare Dowling Babcock Clague L. Johnson Rockne Dunn Rines Flowers Parker Nolan J. Johnson Swenson Munn G. Johnson Barker Hall Hartle A. Johnson Chilgren Duxbury Dirlam Sabo Searle Norton Sieben Jennings Norton Vanasek Long Anderson Carruthers Sviggum Anderson Kelliher Zellers Thissen Daudt Hortman

• 1825 births
• 1910 deaths
• Republican Party Minnesota state senators
• Lieutenant governors of Minnesota
• Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives
• Minnesota state court judges
• People from Winsted, Connecticut
• People from Painesville, Ohio
• Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota
• People from Blue Earth, Minnesota
• People from Shakopee, Minnesota
• People from Winnebago, Minnesota
• 19th-century American judges
• 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives
• 19th-century members of the Minnesota Legislature