George A. Hinsdale

George A. Hinsdale (December21, 1826January15, 1874) was a lawyer, miner, and Democratic Party politician who served in the Nebraska Territorial Legislature and the Colorado Territorial Council and was elected lieutenant governor of Colorado Territory. Hinsdale County, Colorado is named for him.

Early life Born in Hinesburg, Vermont, the son of a lawyer, Hinsdale moved with his family to Michigan when he was seven. He graduated from the University of Michigan and then worked in his father's law office. He then traveled to Kentucky to manage a coal mining operation along the Ohio River. There he met and married his wife, Josephine Sebastian. The legislature was set to be Colorado's first upon being granted statehood, but President Johnson vetoed Colorado's statehood application. Hinsdale's tenure as lieutenant governor (and president of the senate) lasted only for the week the legislature existed. From then on, Hinsdale was generally known as "Governor Hinsdale". In 1867, having moved back to Pueblo, he was again elected to the Territorial Council, and in 1870 he was elected its president.

Other service and legacy In Pueblo, he served on the first board of trustees to be seated following the city's incorporation. He also was elected president of the Pueblo school board and served as the county attorney for Pueblo County. Together with Wilbur Fiske Stone, he founded The Pueblo Chieftain newspaper.

Personal life and death George A. Hinsdale married Josephine Murray Sebastian on October 9, 1856, in Cloverport, Kentucky. Together they had four children, three of whom lived to adulthood and one of whom was born the day following Hinsdale's death. Although Hinsdale played a role in advancing the cause of statehood in Colorado, his untimely death — two years, six and one-half months before statehood was granted on August 1, 1876 — prevented him from ever seeing the State of Colorado.