Hugh S. Donaldson

Hugh Stephan Donaldson (January 12, 1832 - May 13, 1904) was a Canadian-American settler, fur trader, businessman, politician, military officer, and postmaster from Montreal. During his lifetime Donaldson was closely associated with the politics and history of the states of Minnesota and North Dakota, as well as Fort Garry in the Red River Colony. Donaldson was later a founding citizen of the city of Winnipeg in Manitoba. Donaldson was an associate and business partner of Joe Rolette.

Early life Hugh Stephan Donaldson was born on January 12, 1832 in Montreal, Upper Canada to parents William Donaldson and Elizabeth Louise Stewart. Donaldson's father was Scottish, while his mother was French Canadian. Donaldson ventured to Minnesota Territory as a young man and was an early settler of the Red River Colony and often traded furs with the Métis. He became an established citizen in the village of Pembina (now part of the state of North Dakota). Dakota Territory was not a formally recognized state until 1889.

Military service

In the aftermath of the Dakota War of 1862 Donaldson raised a militia company in the Red River Colony in order to protect citizens living in Pembina as well as nearby settlements such as St. Joseph. Donaldson later volunteered his militia to the service of United States Major Edwin Aaron Clark Hatch and joined the ranks of Hatch's Minnesota Cavalry Battalion as the Captain of Company D on November 19, 1863. Donaldson was dismissed from his command on November 19, 1864 and returned to Pembina.

Donaldson would continue living in Canada and eventually was one of the founding citizens of Winnipeg when the city was formally platted in 1873. Donaldson continued to live in Winnipeg until 1903 when he moved to Whitby, Ontario.