Robert Wilkinson Furnas

Infobox Governor
name = Robert Wilkinson Furnas


order = 3rd
office = Governor of Nebraska
term_start = 1873
term_end = 1875
lieutenant =
predecessor = William H. James
successor = Silas Garber
birth_date = 1824
birth_place =
death_date = 1905
death_place =
party = Republican
spouse =
profession =
religion =

Robert Wilkinson Furnas (1824 - 1905) was the third Governor of Nebraska . He came to Nebraska in 1856 at age 32. Two months later he published the "Nebraska Advertiser", a publication advertising the agricultural opportunities found in Nebraska. He also published the "Nebraska Farmer", the first agricultural publication out of Nebraska. In the fall of 1856 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Nebraska Territory.

During the Civil War, Furnas became a colonel in the territorial militia, which was loyal to the Union (American Civil War). In 1862 he commanded three Indian regiments aligned with the Union Army and captured the Cherokee Indian chief John Ross.

After the war, he served as Indian agent for the Omaha, Winnebago, and Ponca tribes. He held many other positions including:

*Member of the University of Nebraska board of regents (1869-1875)
*First president of the Nebraska State Historical Society (1878-1890)
*United States commissioner to Philadelphia Centennial Exposition
*United States commissioner to New Orleans Cotton Centennial,
*United States commissioner to the Chicago Columbian Exposition,
*President of the American Fair Association
*President of the State Board of Agriculture
*President of the State Horticultural Society
*Fourth Grand Master of Masons of Nebraska AF&AM 1865-1866

He also helped to create Arbor Day when he was governor. Furnas County, Nebraska, is named in his honor.

References

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External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7265002 Find-A-Grave]
* [http://www.nebraskahistory.org/lib-arch/research/public/state_governors/furnas.pdf Governor Furnas' papers] at the Nebraska State Historical Society