Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Dayton, George D. 1857 - 
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Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908)

  GEORGE D. DAYTON, of the Dayton Dry Goods company, one of the large department

stores of Minneapolis, was for nineteen years a resident of Worthington. During

that time he was one of the most prominent citizens, taking a very active part

in its business, social, educational and religious life.



  Geo. D. Dayton was born in Clifton Springs, N. Y., March 6, 1857, the son of

D. D. Dayton, who died Aug. 3, 1881, and Caroline W. (Draper) Dayton, who died

in 1886. When the subject of this sketch was three months old the family moved

to Geneva, N. Y., and in that town he was raised and received his education.

There also he engaged in the lumber business after reaching manhood.



  In March, 1883, Mr. Dayton came to Worthington and purchased the Bank of

Worthington from Thos. H. Parsons. This he conducted for a number of years as a

private bank, and then reorganized it into a state bank, and was its president

until 1898, when he sold his interest. In 1884, he, in company with J. P.

Moulton and other Worthington capitalists, organized the Minnesota Loan and

Investment company, an institution that proved of great value to Worthington and

Nobles county. Mr. Dayton was chosen president and has been at the head of the

institution ever since. During the panic of 1893 and the period of hard times

following Mr. Dayton piloted the bank and investment company safely through and

took care of the patrons of those institutions. Not a business man who had his

account with either failed. As president of the investment company, Mr. Dayton

platted Clary's addition to Worthington and was largely instrumental in the

settlement of that part of the city.



  Mr. Dayton became interested in many business enterprises while residing in

Worthington. Among others was the Worthington mill, which was bought in 1885.

The Worthington Milling Co. was organized and successfully operated the mill.

Another enterprise, which, had it been successful, would have resulted in the

greatest good to the county, was the Minnesota Northern Railroad company,

organized in the early nineties by Messrs. Dayton, Moulton and others. It was

proposed to construct a line of railroad from Worthington northward to either

the Northern Pacific or the Great Northern, and the work had progressed so far

that construction work was about to begin when the failure of Baring Bros., of

London, caused a permanent suspension of the work.



  During his residence in Worthington Mr. Dayton took a great interest in

educational matters. He served as a member of the school board twelve years,

during all of which time he was president or treasurer of the board, and he was

largely instrumental in bringing about the erection of Worthington's school

house. He was active in church work, serving as elder, trustee and Sunday school

superintendent of the Westminster Presbyterian church.



  In 1902 Mr. Dayton moved to Minneapolis, in which city he engaged in the

mercantile business, being the principal owner of the store of the Dayton Dry

Goods Co. Besides the mammoth store at the corner of Seventh and Nicollet, he

has other business interests in Minneapolis  and has large land interests.



  Mr. Dayton was married in Yates county, N. Y., Dec, 17, 1878, to Emma W.

Chadwick, daughter of Prof. Edmund Chadwick. To them have been born four

children—D. Draper, treasurer of the Dayton Dry Goods Co.; Caroline W., George

Nelson and Josephine.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:



AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY

MINNESOTA

BY

ARTHUR P. ROSE



NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY 

WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA 

PUBLISHERS

1908



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