1. Long a proponent of education, John Gilfillan drafted legislation that organized the grade school system in Minneapolis.
13 Facts About John Gilfillan
1. 2.
John Gilfillan was admitted to the bar and began law practice in 1860.
3.
John Gilfillan served four terms as the municipal attorney for St Anthony, Minnesota.
4.
John Gilfillan remained in that position for 10 years, although was briefly replaced by George Robinson.
5.
John Gilfillan served as a state senator for 10 years, first representing Minnesota's District 25 and later District 28.
6.
John Gilfillan left the senate in 1884 to pursue national office and was elected to the United States Congress to represent Minnesota's 4th congressional district.
7.
John Gilfillan served one term but was not re-elected in 1886 when St Paul mayor Edmund Rice won.
8.
John Gilfillan followed that loss with extensive travel to Europe and the Middle East.
9.
John Gilfillan had been appointed a regent of the University of Minnesota by Minnesota Governor Pillsbury in 1880, and after serving eight years, remained in an advisory capacity.
10.
John Gilfillan endowed the University of Minnesota with $50,000 in 1901 for student scholarships.
11.
In 1903, John Gilfillan was president of the First National Bank.
12.
John Gilfillan continued to work with the bank as a member of its board of directors from 1905 until at least 1907.
13.
John Gilfillan was Republican and a member of the Minneapolis Club, the Minnesota State Bar Association, and the Westminster Presbyterian Church until his death in 1924.