Maginnis, Martin, 1841-1919

Martin Maginnis was born near Pultneyville, New York on October 27, 1841 to Patrick and Winifred Devine Maginnis, He moved to Minnesota with his parents in 1852 where he eventually became a newspaper editor. During the Civil War, Maginnis enlisted as a private in the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment, eventually reaching the rank of major in the 11th Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He moved to Montana Territory with his brothers in 1866 where he tried his hand at mining and returned to newspaper work in Helena. In the election of 1872, Maginnis won the position of territorial representative to the United States House of Representatives where he served until 1885. He also served as the Montana State Commissioner of Mineral Land from 1890 to 1893. Maginnis eventually moved to Los Angeles, California where he died on March 27, 1919

From the guide to the Martin Maginnis Incoming Correspondence Transcriptions, 1964, (Montana State University-Bozeman Library, Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections)

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