Andrew E. Lee Biography


	This biography appears on pages 965-966 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				HON. ANDREW E. LEE. 

	Ex-Governor Andrew E. Lee was born near Bergen, Norway, in 1847 
and emigrated to America with his parents in 1851, the family settling 
in Dane county, Wisconsin. He was educated in the common schools and 
hater took a course in the high schools of Fort Atkinson and Waterloo, 
Wisconsin. 

	At an early age Mr. Lee engaged as a clerk in the mercantile 
business at McGregor, Iowa, where he served successfully for five 
years, after which he was engaged in the same capacity at Madison, 
Wisconsin, for three years. Severing his connection with the Madison 
house, he emigrated to Dakota territory and settled at Vermillion, 
where in 1869 he formed a partnership with Charles E. Prentis, with 
whom he has been engaged in mercantile and farming operations ever 
since. The firm has been largely successful in its dealings, owning 
large tracts of land in Clay, Charles Mix and other South Dakota 
counties, and being extensively engaged in stock feeding and fine stock 
breeding. They also own and operate a ranch of sixteen thousand acres 
in Nebraska. 

	Mr. Lee was always an active participant in local county 
politics, but his political career may be said to have begun in the 
year 1892, when he became owner of stock in a waterworks company which 
was organized to furnish the people of Vermillion with water. A 
disagreement arose between the citizens of the town and the waterworks 
company on the terms of the contract which it was proposed to enter 
into with the company. The contract was of such a character that Mr. 
Lee opposed the company, notwithstanding the fact that he was 
interested financially in it. He took up the battle in favor of the 
citizens of the town as against the encroachments of the water company 
and became a member of the city council. The contention between the 
waterworks company and the citizens continued and he later became mayor 
of the town and was twice elected to that position on the issue raised 
between the taxpayers and the water corporation. The splendid fighting 
ability and the sterling integrity which he displayed in that contest 
attracted the attention of the populist leaders of the state and they 
sought him out as an available candidate for the governorship. For some 
months he was strongly pressed to accept the nomination but declined to 
receive it. However, at the convention held at Huron in July, 1896, the 
feeling was so strongly in his favor and the pressure so great that he 
finally yielded and became the candidate of the party, being elected in 
the fall of 1896. He served his two years successfully and in spite of 
the most bitter opposition from the republican party leaders, and 
especially the railroad interests of the state, which he had 
antagonized by his strenuous efforts to secure an increase in the 
taxation of railroad property, he was reelected over K. G. Phillips, 
his republican opponent, by a majority of three hundred and seventy 
votes, whereas the rest of the populist ticket was defeated by 
majorities ranging from three thousand to six thousand five hundred. 

	Mr. Lee was married in 1872 in Vermillion to Miss Annie M. 
Chappell, who was born in Kingston, Rhode Island. They have a daughter, 
Jasemine, who is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and of the 
law school of the University of South Dakota.