Seventh Governor, South Dakota
—1909 - 1913 —
Robert S. Vessey was born near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, May 16, 1858. His father was a minister-farmer with a family of 15 children. He attended common school, but dropped out at an early age to work and assist in the support of his father's family. He became a lumber-jack at the age of 16. In 1882, he married Florence Albert. He moved to Jerauld County, South Dakota, in 1883, where he established 'squatters rights' on the S.E. Quarter of Section 12-107-66 in Pleasant Township. Here he erected a 'claim shanty'. He was the father of six children: Florence and Frank (both died in infancy), Harvey, Verna, Bernice and Robert Junior. In 1885, Mr. Vessey, in partnership with a brother, established a mercantile business in Wessington Springs. Later, he sold real estate, was engaged in abstracting and banking. He was active in the Methodist Church and community affairs; helped to establish the Wessington Springs Seminary; was President of the Dakota Telephone Company and President of the Wessington Springs State Bank. He was elected to the Senate in 1904, re-elected in 1906 and served as President pro tempore of the Senate in 1907 Session. He was elected Governor in the Fall of 1908, serving two terms 1909-1913. In this office he gave challenging leadership to a growing State. The State House Building was completed during his term of office.| HM Number | HM24U4 |
|---|---|
| Tags | |
| Year Placed | 1967 |
| Placed By | Dunham Historical Society, Wessington Springs Chamber of Commerce and State Highway Commission |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Monday, January 22nd, 2018 at 1:01am PST -08:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 14T E 534033 N 4880294 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 44.07503333, -98.57496667 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 44° 4.502', W 98° 34.498' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 44° 4' 30.12" N, 98° 34' 29.88" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 605 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near SD-34, Wessington Springs SD 57382, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.
Comments 0 comments