Cadwallader Colden Washburn

Cadwallader Colden Washburn (April 22, 1818 – May 14, 1882) was an American businessman, politician, and soldier who founded a flour mill that later became part of the company known as General Mills. A member of the prominent Washburn family of Maine, he became a leading figure in Wisconsin’s political and economic development, serving as a U.S. representative and governor of Wisconsin, and as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The Washburn family had long been strongly opposed to slavery, a conviction that shaped his political alignment and public career.

Washburn was born in Livermore, in what was then Massachusetts (now Maine), into a large family that produced several notable public officials, including brothers Elihu B. Washburne, Israel Washburn Jr., and William D. Washburn. Raised in modest circumstances, he worked from a young age to help support his family, gaining early experience in business and land speculation that would later underpin his success as an entrepreneur. He eventually moved west, part of the broader migration of New Englanders into the Old Northwest, and established himself in Wisconsin, where he became involved in banking, real estate, and milling enterprises. His business ventures, particularly in flour milling, laid the groundwork for the mill operation that would evolve into General Mills, helping to make the Upper Midwest a national center of grain processing.

By the early 1850s, Washburn had emerged as a leading Republican in Wisconsin, reflecting both his antislavery views and his interest in internal improvements and economic development. In 1854, he ran for Congress as a Republican and was elected to represent Wisconsin’s 2nd congressional district. He served three consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the 34th, 35th, and 36th Congresses, from March 4, 1855, to March 3, 1861. During the 34th Congress he, along with his politically active brothers, participated in the protracted 1855–56 election for Speaker of the House, casting his vote for Nathaniel P. Banks, a key contest that helped define the emerging Republican coalition. In his final antebellum term, he served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims, where he dealt with complex issues of land titles and western expansion. Over these five terms in total that he would ultimately serve in Congress, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his Wisconsin constituents. He declined to run for reelection in 1860.

As the sectional crisis deepened, Washburn moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1861, but soon returned to Washington, D.C., later that year as a delegate to a peace convention convened in a last effort to avert the American Civil War. When war came, he entered the Union Army and rapidly rose through the volunteer ranks. He was appointed colonel of the 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Cavalry on February 6, 1862, promoted to brigadier general of volunteers on July 16, 1862, and to major general on November 29, 1862, his commission as a major general bearing the signature of President Abraham Lincoln. Ulysses S. Grant later described Washburn as “one of the best administrative officers we have,” a testament to his organizational abilities and effectiveness in command.

Washburn played an active role in several major operations of the Western Theater. He commanded the cavalry of the XIII Corps in the opening stages of Grant’s Vicksburg campaign, participating in the maneuvers that isolated the Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. Once siege operations had begun against Vicksburg and Grant called for all available forces, Washburn led a detachment of the XVI Corps during the siege itself. Later, he commanded the 1st Division of the XIII Corps in Major General Nathaniel P. Banks’s operations along the Texas coast, leading the expedition against Fort Esperanza in November 1863, which helped secure Union control of key points along the Gulf. For the remainder of the war he served largely in administrative and departmental commands in Mississippi and Tennessee. While commanding Union forces in Memphis, he was the target of an unsuccessful raid led by Confederate cavalry commander Nathan B. Forrest, who sought to kidnap him and other Union generals. Washburn left the Union Army on May 25, 1865.

After the conclusion of the war, Washburn returned to his home in La Crosse and resumed his political career. He was again elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, this time representing Wisconsin’s 6th congressional district in the 40th and 41st Congresses, from March 4, 1867, to March 3, 1871. During this second period of congressional service, he served as chairman of the Committee on Expenditures on Public Buildings in his first postwar term, overseeing federal spending on government facilities at a time of Reconstruction and national expansion. He declined to run for reelection in 1870, turning his attention increasingly to state politics and his expanding business interests.

In 1871, Washburn was urged by fellow Republicans to run for governor of Wisconsin against former U.S. Senator James R. Doolittle. He accepted the nomination, won the election, and was inaugurated governor of Wisconsin on the first Monday in January 1872. He served as governor from 1872 to 1874, a period marked by efforts to promote economic development, support public institutions, and strengthen the state’s infrastructure. He sought reelection in 1873 but was unsuccessful, after which he gradually withdrew from active politics while remaining an influential figure in Wisconsin civic and business affairs. In 1874, he purchased the Edgewood Villa estate from Samuel Marshall, a property on the shore of Lake Wingra near Madison where Edgewood College would later be established.

Washburn’s business success and public service left a lasting imprint on the Upper Midwest. His flour-milling enterprise in Minneapolis became a cornerstone of the region’s industrial economy and ultimately formed part of the corporate lineage of General Mills, one of the nation’s leading food companies. His philanthropy and advocacy for education and science were reflected in the naming of the Washburn Observatory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, built with funds he allocated as governor. Numerous places and institutions were named in his honor, including the city of Washburn in Bayfield County, Wisconsin; Washburn County in northern Wisconsin; and the city of Washburn, North Dakota. In Minneapolis, the Washburn Center for Children and Washburn High School bear his name, recognizing both his business legacy and his contributions to the region’s development. In La Crosse, Wisconsin, where he resided for many years, a downtown neighborhood and park are named for him, and he is laid to rest at his memorial in Oak Grove Cemetery.