1 rich Libsyn https://www.libsyn.com 90 600 John Pillsbury, a Republican, served three terms as governor of Minnesota, from January&amp;nbsp;1876 to January 1882. An immigrant from New Hampshire, Pillsbury made a fortune in the grain milling business, in the company that still carries his name. He also&amp;nbsp;had a strong commitment to&amp;nbsp; public&amp;nbsp;life. Serving in the state senate from St. Anthony, Pillsbury was a major force in the establishment of the University of Minnesota. As governor he championed accountable and efficient&amp;nbsp;government and struggled to find a humane response to the grasshopper&amp;nbsp;plague that devastated&amp;nbsp;thousands of farms in Western and West Central Minnesota. That response included opening his own purse.&amp;nbsp;Pillsbury remained a widely admired public figure until his death in 1901 at the age of 74. Ramsey County History podcast http://ramseyhistory.libsyn.com/webpage <iframe title="Libsyn Player" style="border: none" src="//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/21356822/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/88AA3C/" height="90" width="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe> https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/item/21356822