Edwin W. Dyke

Edwin W. Dyke (February 10, 1820 – March 17, 1911), also spelled as Edwin W. Dike, was an American banker, businessman, and politician who served as the fifth Minnesota State Treasurer from 1873 to 1876.

Early life and career Edwin W. Dyke was born on February 10, 1820 in Chittenden, Vermont. Dyke was educated in public schools and later studied at the Burr and Burton Seminary (now the Burr and Burton Academy) in Manchester, Vermont. While in Faribault Dyke worked as a moneylender and importer of goods from Baltimore. with the militia rank of Major. Dyke and other mounted provost units later acted as guards during the 1862 Mankato mass execution. Although previously a Republican, Dyke would end up running as a Democrat-Anti-Monopolist for the office of state treasurer in November 1873 where he defeated the Minnesota Republican candidate Mons Grinager with a majority vote of just 1.57%. According to University of Minnesota professor Dr. Eric Ostermeier, Dyke's electoral success in the 1873 election was the only Democrat statewide victory in Minnesota (then a largely Republican voter state) between 1857 and 1890. Later during the Panic of 1873 Dyke was responsible for managing states funds and bringing order to the state budget. In total, Dyke served in the administrations of three different Minnesota governors, those being; Horace Austin, Cushman K. Davis, and John S. Pillsbury.

Death According to the Minnesota Historical Election Archive Dyke died on March 17, 1911 at the age of 91.