Boyd Phelps

The Reverend
Boyd Phelps
Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 13th District
In office
December 2, 1857 – December 6, 1859
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byAlonzo J. Edgerton
Chaplain of the Wisconsin Senate
In office
June 5, 1848 – January 1, 1849
Personal details
Born(1804-10-15)October 15, 1804
Tyrrell County, North Carolina, U.S.
DiedMarch 17, 1886(1886-03-17) (aged 81)
Morris, Minnesota, U.S.
Other political
affiliations
Republican

Rev. Boyd Phelps (October 15, 1804 – March 17, 1886) was an American Methodist clergyman, politician, and early pioneer to the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Phelps served a single term in the Minnesota Senate during the 1st Minnesota Legislature.

Early life and career

Phelps was born on October 15, 1804 in Tyrrell County, North Carolina. Around the age of 19 Phelps became a Methodist minister and in 1826 moved to Indiana and worked for the Indiana Conference of Methodists.:63 Phelps later moved to Wisconsin Territory, in 1839 Phelps preached his first sermon in Evansville, Wisconsin.:157:207 In 1841 Phelps ministered in Green Bay, Wisconsin.:63 In August 1856, Phelps relocated to Hamilton, Wisconsin and was the Presiding Elder of the Beaver Dam District.:207

Phelps was later appointed by the Methodist church to preach in Minnesota Territory.:129 While in Minnesota Territory Phelps settled in the village of Elkhorn in Mower County, Minnesota where he owned a farm.

Political career

1857 constitutional convention

Phelps was a member of the Republican Party of Minnesota. From July 13, 1857 to August 29, 1857 Phelps was elected as a representative of the 8th Council District of the Minnesota Territorial Republican Constitutional Convention which helped ratify the Minnesota Constitution.

Minnesota Senate

On October 13, 1857 Phelps was elected to serve in the Minnesota Senate representing Minnesota's 13th Senate district. At the time, the district included Dodge County and Mower County. Phelps served during the 1st Minnesota Legislature from December 2, 1857, to December 6, 1859. During his term, Phelps was a member of the towns and counties, public lands, and engrossments committees.

Later life and death

Following his political career, Phelps continued to serve as a local minister for the Methodist church. Phelps died on March 17, 1886 in Morris, Minnesota.

Personal life

Phelps was married to Clarissa Robinson in 1833, together they had five children.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "DEATH OF REV. BOYD PHELPS". Morris tribune. March 24, 1886. p. 3. LCCN sn91059394. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Carroll, Grady Lee Ernset Sr. (1994). The Reverend William Glendenning (1747-1816): Pioneer Methodist Circuit Rider and Churchman, Raleigh, North Carolina. p. 181.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bennett, P. S. (1890). History of Methodism in Wisconsin, in Four Parts. Cincinnati: Cranston & Stowe.
  4. 1 2 Miller, W. G. (1875). Thirty Years in the Itinerancy (PDF). Milwaukee: I. L Hauser & Co.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Boyd Phelps". Minnesota Legislators Past & Present. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
  6. ↑ "DIED - At his residence in Morris, March 17, Rev. Boyd Phelps". The Sun. March 18, 1886. p. 4. LCCN sn91059392. Retrieved October 4, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Neighboring Towns". Little Falls Transcript. March 19, 1886. p. 5. LCCN sn89064525. Retrieved October 4, 2026.