Winthrop Young

{{Infobox officeholder | name = Winthrop Young | image = File:Winthrop Young 1885 Portrait.jpg | alt = | caption = Young in 1885 | birth_name = | birth_date = September 18, 1817 | birth_place = Waterford, Vermont | death_date = July 10, 1896 | death_place = St. Anthony, Minnesota | other_names = | office = 11th Mayor of St. Anthony, Minnesota | term_start = April 7, 1868 | term_end = April 10, 1869 | predecessor = Orlando C. Merriman | successor = William W. McNair | occupation = | spouse = Mary Catherine Johnson | children = 3 | resting_place = Lakewood Cemetery | party = Democratic | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }} '''Winthrop Young''' (September 18, 1817 – July 10, 1896) was a politician from the U.S. State of Minnesota.

Young was born in Waterford, Vermont in 1817. In 1861, he moved to St. Anthony, Minnesota.

In 1864, he attended the Democratic State Convention of Minnesota.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Democratic State Convention|date=September 7, 1864|url=https://newspaperhub.mnhs.org/?a=d&d=spp18640908-01.1.1&srpos=7&e=------186-en-20--1--img-txIN-Winthrop+Young-----------}}</ref> In 1868, he was the mayor of St. Anthony. In 1871 he was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Minnesota. During the campaign, he often resorted to personal attacks and insults against his opponent, Horace Austin. In late October 1871, he alleged that Austin had accepted a bribe of "several thousand dollars" to pass a bill.<ref>{{cite news|title=AN INFAMOUS SLANDER BROUGHT TO THE TEST OF A PLAIN PROPOSITION|date=October 27, 1871|url=https://newspaperhub.mnhs.org/?a=d&d=spp18711027.1.1&srpos=20&e=------187-en-20--1--img-txIN-Winthrop+Young-----------}}</ref>

==Land-Grabber Scandal== On November 1, 1871, just one week before the 1871 Minnesota gubernatorial election, the St. Paul Daily News published a letter that alleged a conspiracy involving Young. The conspiracy (which had been talked of in previous weeks before any proof was found) alleged that a Young had secretly worked with multiple Republican to undermine Republican support Austin. Governor Austin had vetoed a Land-division bill, preventing so-called 'Land Dividers' or 'Land Grabbers' from being able to buy up a total of 500,000 acres of land. These 'Land-Grabbers' would then bring the bill again to the governor's desk once Winthrop would be elected, and it would be passed, to their benefit. The St. Paul Daily News raised no dispute to with it, however claimed that Young himself was not involved in the planning of the conspiracy.<ref>{{cite news|title=THE LAND GRAB CONSPIRACY|date=November 2, 1871|url=https://newspaperhub.mnhs.org/?a=d&d=spp18711102.1.1&srpos=1&e=------187-en-20--1--img-txIN-Winthrop+Young-----------}}</ref>

His campaign against Austin began to collapse, and he and his supporters continued the campaign against Austin, largely using personal insults and attacks.<ref>{{cite news|title=WHAT THE PEOPLE THINK OF GOVERNOR AUSTIN'S SLANDERERS|date=November 4, 1871|url=https://newspaperhub.mnhs.org/?a=d&d=spp18711104.1.1&srpos=2&e=------187-en-20--1--img-txIN-Winthrop+Young-----------}}</ref> He denied all and any involvement in the conspiracy, or even that such an conspiracy existed. Young would state he was not in support of the Land Division bill. Despite this, in his acceptance speech at the Democratic State Convention he spoke of supporting it.<ref>{{cite news|title=WINTHROP YOUNG'S DENIAL PROVED TO BE A FALSEHOOD|date=November 3, 1871|url=https://newspaperhub.mnhs.org/?a=d&d=spp18711103.1.1&srpos=9&e=------187-en-20--1--img-txIN-Winthrop+Young-----------}}</ref>

He would lose the election to Austin on November 7, 1871, gaining only 38.86% of the vote.

==Later life==

He was a member of the St. Anthony school board from 1878 to 1880.<ref>{{cite web|title=Winthrop Young|url=https://mnelectionarchive.datamade.us/candidate/winthrop-young/}}</ref>

He died on July 10, 1896, in St. Anthony and was buried at Lakewood Cemetery.

==References== {{reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=George L. Otis}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Governor of Minnesota|years=1871}} {{s-aft|after=Ara Barton}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Winthrop}} Category:1817 births Category:1896 deaths Category:Minnesota Democrats Category:19th-century mayors of places in Minnesota Category:Burials at Lakewood Cemetery Category:People from Waterford, Vermont Category:Minnesota gubernatorial candidates