William Seeger

William Seeger
Seeger c.1873
4th Minnesota State Treasurer
In office
January 5, 1872 – February 7, 1873
GovernorHorace Austin
Preceded byEmil D. Munch
Succeeded byEdwin W. Dyke
Minnesota Deputy Treasurer
In office
1867–1871
Personal details
Born(1810-05-12)May 12, 1810
Lauenburg, Schleswig-Holstein
DiedMay 22, 1888(1888-05-22) (aged 78)
Resting placeOakland Cemetery
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Other political
affiliations
Republican
Military service
AllegianceUnited States of America
Branch/serviceUnion Army
Years of service
1862–1863
Rank Sergeant
UnitCompany D, 9th Minnesota Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsDakota War of 1862

William Seeger (May 12, 1810 – May 22, 1888) was a German American soldier, politician, and immigration official who served as the Minnesota Deputy State Treasurer from 1867 to 1871, and later served as the fourth Minnesota State Treasurer from 1872 to 1873. Seeger resigned from the office of state treasurer following an indictment for corruption and embezzling state funds in 1873.

Early life and career

Seeger was born on May 12, 1810, in the city of Lauenburg in Schleswig-Holstein. According to the Minnesota Historical Election Archive Seeger emigrated to the United States in 1852 and moved to Minnesota Territory in 1856. Seeger was one of the founding citizens of New Ulm, Minnesota in 1856 alongside William Pfaender and A. Prieser. Seeger was also an early citizen of St. Peter, Minnesota where he was employed as a brewer alongside Joseph Engesser.

At the outbreak of the American Civil War Seeger volunteered for service in the Union Army on August 19, 1862, and was enrolled into the ranks of Company D of the 9th Minnesota Infantry Regiment as a Sergeant under the command of Captain Asgrim Knutson Skaro. Company D of the 9th Minnesota acted as the military guards for the 1862 Mankato mass execution. Seeger was discharged from service on February 28, 1863, due to disability.

Following his service in the military, Seeger was appointed as deputy to the State Treasurer and served from 1867 to 1871 under Emil D. Munch. Beginning in 1871 Seeger ran for the political office of Minnesota State Treasurer as a Republican. Seeger won the November 7, 1871 treasurer election against Democrat candidate Barney Vosberg and Prohibition Party candidate William L. Mintzer with a majority vote of 60.41% and a margin of victory of +21.00%. In 1873 Seeger was indicted by the Minnesota House of Representatives and investigated by the Minnesota Senate for the embezzlement of state funds and corrupt misconduct. Seeger resigned from office before he could be charged, he was replaced by Edwin W. Dyke.

Following his political career Seeger was placed in charge of the Minnesota Board of Immigration. Seeger was instrumental in the establishment of a Russian expatriate colony of Mennonites in Minnesota from the Chortitza Colony in the Russian Empire and the Molotschna Colony in modern-day Ukraine who ended up settling in Mountain Lake, Minnesota and Cottonwood County, Minnesota. Seeger chose Mennonites due to their strong work ethic. Seeger later established another Mennonite colony in Yankton, South Dakota.

Death

Seeger died on May 22, 1888, from dropsy (edema). Seeger is buried in Oakland Cemetery in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

References

  1. 1 2 3 University of Minnesota Libraries. "Candidate: William Seeger". Minnesota Historical Election Archive. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 "William Seeger, Who Had Lived in the State Thirty-Two Years, Died Saturday". St. Paul Daily Globe. May 23, 1888. p. 2. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  3. ↑ Fritsche, Louis A. (1916). History of Brown County Minnesota. Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company Inc. p. 135.
  4. ↑ Gresham, William G. (1916). History of Nicollet and LeSueur Counties, Minnesota: Their People, Industries and Institutions: With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of many of the Old Families. Vol. 2. Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc. p. 112.
  5. ↑ "Soldier Details". The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Minnesota Adjutant General's Office (1866). Annual Report of the Adjutant General, of the State of Minnesota, for the Year Ending December 1, 1866, and of the Military Forces of the State from 1861 to 1866. Saint Paul: Pioneer Publishing Company. p. 424.
  7. ↑ "Battle Unit Details". The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service). Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  8. ↑ Gresham, William G. (1916). History of Nicollet and LeSueur Counties, Minnesota: Their People, UIndustries and Institutions: With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families. Vol. 1. Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc. p. 234.
  9. 1 2 University of Minnesota Libraries. "1871 Treasurer Election". Minnesota Historical Election Archive. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  10. ↑ Minnesota Senate (March 7, 1873). Proceedings of the Senate of Minnesota, Sitting as a High Court of Impeachment, for the Trial of William Seeger, Treasurer of State, for the Corrupt Conduct and Misdemeanors in Office (PDF). Minneapolis: Johnson & Smith. pp. 11, 16, 17–18.
  11. ↑ "Treasurers, 1849-present - Minnesota Legislative Reference Library". www.lrl.mn.gov. Retrieved 2026-04-20.
  12. 1 2 Kroeker, Elaine E. (October 30, 2017). "How Mennonites came to Cottonwood County, Minnesota". MinnPost. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Backerud, Thomas K. (September 19, 2012). "Mennonites of Mountain Lake". MNopedia. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Oakland Interment Search". Oakland Cemetery. Retrieved April 20, 2026.