Henry A. Castle

Henry Anson Castle (August 22, 1841 – August 16, 1916) was an American lawyer, Civil War captain, Adjutant General of Minnesota, politician and founder of the town of North St. Paul, Minnesota.

Ancestry and Early life

Henry's father was of English descent. His paternal 6th great-grandfather Henry Castle II immigrated to America from Wiltshire, England after 1647. Henry's mother was of Dutch and Scottish descent, his material grandfather James Frazier Jacquess was a Colonel in the American Civil War, which he later fought in.

Henry was born in 1841 to Timothy Hunt Castle (1814-1880) and Julia Anne Boyd (1812-1890). In the 1860 United States Census he listed his occupation as "student" and a year later he enlisted in the Union Army.

Military career

When the Civil War broke out, Castle enlisted in the Union Army around 1861 and was put into the 73rd Illinois Infantry Regiment. He gained the rank of Sergeant Major and was discharged after being injured during the Battle of Stone River on April 19, 1863. He rejoined the army as Captain of the 137th Illinois Infantry Regiment and remained in the army until 1865.

Post-war

After the war Castle met and married Margaret Wesley Jaquess and they moved to Minnesota in 1866. They first moved to St. Cloud, then St. Paul and had several children together.

Political career

In 1873, he was a member of the Minnesota State Legislature, and was appointed as the Adjutant General of Minnesota. In 1875, and served under two governors. In 1876, he became the editor-in-chief of the St. Paul Daily Dispatch and subsequently became the sole proprietor until 1885. In 1892 he was appointed as postmaster of St. Paul by President Benjamin Harrison and served for 5 years before being appointed to auditor of the Post Office Department, on May 17, 1897, by President William McKinley. During his time as postmaster, he became president of the Chamber of Commerce, president of the Library Association, commander of the Loyal Legion of Minnesota, department commander of the G.A.R., president of the board of trustees of State Soldiers' Home, president of the State Editorial Association, and was a leading member of the republican state central committee for nearly 10 years. On October 7, 1903 he retired from his post due to his declining health and personal business affair.