| Ozora Pierson Stearns | |
|---|---|
 | |
| United States Senator from Minnesota | |
| In office January 23, 1871 – March 3, 1871 | |
| Preceded by | William Windom |
| Succeeded by | William Windom |
| Mayor of Rochester, Minnesota | |
| In office 1866–1868 | |
| Preceded by | J. V. Daniels |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Heaney |
| County Attorney of Olmsted County, Minnesota | |
| In office 1865–1866 | |
| In office 1861–1862 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1831-01-15)January 15, 1831 De Kalb, New York |
| Died | June 2, 1896(1896-06-02) (aged 65) Pacific Beach, California |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Sarah Burger |
| Alma mater | Oberlin College University of Michigan |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  Union Army |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Ozora Pierson Stearns (January 15, 1831 – June 2, 1896) was an American politician and attorney. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a US Senator from the state of Minnesota. Prior to his election to the Senate, he served as mayor of Rochester, Minnesota, and county attorney of Olmsted County. He was a Colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Early years
Stearns was born January 15, 1831, in De Kalb, New York. He was the tenth of eleven children. In 1833, the Stearns family moved to Madison, Ohio.
Education
Stearn attended Oberlin College, graduated from the University of Michigan in 1858, and from the law department of that university in 1860. He was admitted to the bar in 1860 and commenced practice in Rochester, Minnesota.
Career
Stearns was elected prosecuting attorney of Olmsted County, Minnesota, in 1861, formed a law partnership with Charles M. Start in 1863, and served as mayor of Rochester from 1866 to 1868.
He served in the Union Army during the Civil War as a first lieutenant in the 9th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment and later as colonel of the 39th United States Colored Infantry. He led the latter regiment at the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864.
Stearns was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate from Minnesota on January 18, 1871, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Daniel S. Norton. He served in the 41st Congress from January 23, 1871, to March 3, 1871.
In 1872, Stearns moved to Duluth and formed a law partnership with J. D. Ensign (future mayor of Duluth). Governor Cushman Kellogg Davis appointed Stearns as a judge of the eleventh judicial district of Minnesota in 1874. He was re-elected three times, serving until 1895. According to Stearns, when he began as a judge, "there was not a court-house in the district. We held court where we could— in churches, in stores, school-houses, and sometimes in places not quite so respected."
Stearns also served as a regent of the University of Minnesota (1890–1895), president and treasurer of the Lakeside Land company, director in the West Duluth Land company, the Duluth Electric Light and Power company, the Masonic Temple association, the Duluth Building and Loan association and the Duluth Union National bank.
Personal life
Stearns married Sarah Burger Stearns, the first president of the Minnesota Woman Suffrage Association. In 1891, he suffered a stroke, and they moved to California in 1894 because of his failing health. He died in Pacific Beach, California, on June 2, 1896. His remains were cremated in Los Angeles, California, and the ashes interred in Forest Hill Cemetery, Duluth, Minnesota.
References
- ^ Butterfield, Consul Willshire (March 1889). "Bench and Bar of Duluth" (PDF). The National magazine. Retrieved April 6, 2019. Alternate link at .
- "Ozora Pierson Stearns". www.law.umich.edu. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- "STEARNS, Ozora Pierson - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- "States in the Senate - Minnesota's United States Senators". www.senate.gov. Retrieved April 6, 2019.
- Stuhler, Barbara (1995). "Organizing for the vote. Leaders of Minnesota's Woman Suffrage Movement" (PDF). collections.MNhs.org. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
External links
- United States Congress. "Ozora P. Stearns (id: S000824)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
| U.S. Senate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byWilliam Windom | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Minnesota 1871 Served alongside: Alexander Ramsey |
Succeeded byWilliam Windom |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded byUnknown | Mayor of Rochester, Minnesota 1866–1868 |
Succeeded byUnknown |
| United States senators from Minnesota | ||
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 |  | |
| Class 2 | ||
- 1831 births
- 1896 deaths
- Mayors of Rochester, Minnesota
- Minnesota state court judges
- People of Minnesota in the American Civil War
- Minnesota Republicans
- Union army colonels
- Republican Party United States senators from Minnesota
- University of Michigan Law School alumni
- People from De Kalb, New York
- University of Michigan alumni
- 19th-century American judges
- 19th-century United States senators