George A. Brackett

George Augustus Brackett (September 16, 1836 – May 17, 1921) was a businessman and Republican politician who served as the sixth mayor of Minneapolis. He was also involved in the development of the White Pass wagon road during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Early life and career Brackett was born in Calais, Maine on September 16, 1836, to Henry H. Brackett and Mary S. Prescott. He attended the local schools and at the age of 20 decided to move west, eventually settling in St. Anthony, Minnesota (along with his acquaintance and fellow Mainer William D. Washburn). He found work with a butcher and eventually ran his own meat company. During the Dakota War of 1862 he received the contract to supply beef to Minnesotan troops. After a unit he was traveling with was attacked he was separated from them and forced to travel alone for five days to reconnect with them.

After the war, Brackett moved into the city's rapidly growing milling industry and worked in partnership with William W. Eastman, William S. Judd and Willam D. Washburn. In 1869 he was contracted by J. Gregory Smith to supply and organize transportation for a scouting expedition for the Northern Pacific Railroad. He supported a second expedition in 1870 which built the railroad's first segment from Carlton, Minnesota to Fargo, North Dakota. For the next decade Brackett had a successful career as a contractor for railroad construction. In addition to the Northern Pacific he also performed work for the Great Northern Railway (U.S.) and the Canadian Pacific Railway. He also continued to remain active in a variety of other industries including meat packing, milling, construction and real estate. The 1888 Minneapolis City Directory noted his name and occupation as "George Brackett, Capitalist."

Brackett became involved in the politics of Minneapolis from its inception: he served as one of the city's first aldermen when the city was formed. In 1873 he was elected mayor of Minneapolis and served a single one-year term. In 1873 he was also involved in The Lord Gordon Affair; he was induced to send his chief of police to Manitoba to arrest Gordon, and finally went himself to assist his chief. There, along with Jay Gould, Loren Fletcher, John Gilfillan, and Eugene McLanahan Wilson, Brackett was arrested by Canadian authorities for kidnapping, sparking an international incident between the U.S. and Canada. He and the rest of Gould's associates were eventually released on bail.

Brackett unsuccessfully ran for re-election in 1874 and 1876. By one account Brackett led such an extensive campaign against vice in the city that "the city was unable to live up to its opportunities thus offered" and opted to elect a less passionate mayor. Brackett was also a major force behind some of the early city's civic events including the 1886 Industrial Exposition, the 1891 Harvest Festival, and the 1892 Republican National Convention.

Brackett Field Park in Minneapolis is named in his honor.

Electoral history Minneapolis Mayoral Election, 1873 George Augustus Brackett 2,188 Eli B. Ames 1,362 Minneapolis Mayoral Election, 1874 Eugene McLanahan Wilson 2,533 George Augustus Brackett 2,147 John H. Thompson 415 Minneapolis Mayoral Election, 1876 Albert Alonzo Ames 2,842 George Augustus Brackett 2,515 Write-Ins and Scattering 51