George A. Hand Biography


	This biography appears on page 922 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	GEORGE A. HAND, secretary of Dakota territory and acting governor 
from the illness of Governor Howard until the appointment of his 
successor, a period of almost one year, was born at Akron, Ohio, on the 
9th of August, 1837. He was a lawyer and served in the Civil war as a 
member of the Chicago Board of Trade Battery. He came to Dakota and 
settled at Yankton in 1865 and was two years later appointed United 
States attorney. Later he was register of the land office and in 1874 
was made secretary of the territory, a position he filled for eight 
years. After closing his official career he became the counsel for the 
Northwestern Railway for Dakota and served until his death, which 
occurred while attending a session of the legislature at Pierre on 
March 10, 1891.