William Gates LeDuc

William Gates LeDuc (March 29, 1823 – October 30, 1917) was an American politician from Minnesota who served as the fourth United States commissioner of agriculture from July 1, 1877, to 1881. He also served in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was a prominent figure in the early development of Minnesota.

Biography

Early life and career William Gates LeDuc was born on March 29, 1823, in Wilkesville, Ohio. He attended public schools and Howe's Academy in Lancaster, Ohio. He was friends with William Tecumseh Sherman and Sherman's sister while at school. From 1844 to 1848 he attended Kenyon College. LeDuc was admitted to the bar in Ohio in 1849 or 1850, after studying under Columbus Delano in Mount Vernon. His wife was named Mary. Advertisement for Le Duc's Bookstore, from Minnesota Year Book for 1851. He moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota Territory, in 1850, reportedly with less than $100. Mary came to the city the following year. In 1851, he was present when the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux was signed. He published a Minnesota Year Book in 1851, 1852, and 1853. LeDuc was involved in planning West St. Paul, Minnesota.

In 1853, he was made commissioner for Minnesota to the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations (the World's Fair in New York). With a grant of $300 from the territory, LeDuc gathered samples of common items in Minnesota, such as grain, fur pelts, mining items, and Native American items, including a "birch-bark canoe, beaded clothing and wild rice". He also took a bison to New York, leading it through the city to the location of the World's Fair. LeDuc and his wife began construction on a mansion (completed 1867), later named the "William G. LeDuc House" and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. LeDuc died at his home in Hastings on October 30, 1917.