Wilmot Brookings
| Wilmot W. Brookings | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Provisional Governor of Dakota Territory | |
|
In office January 1859 – March 2, 1861 |
|
| President | James Buchanan |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by |
William Jayne (as Governor) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 23, 1830 Woolwich, Maine, United States |
| Died | June 13, 1905 (aged 74) Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Clara Carney |
| Profession | Politician, judge |
Wilmot Wood Brookings (October 23, 1830 – June 13, 1905) was an American pioneer, frontier judge, and early South Dakotan politician. He was provisional governor of the Dakota Territory, and both the cities of Wilmot and Brookings as well as the county of Brookings, South Dakota are named for him.
Brookings was born on October 23, 1830 in Woolwich, Maine to Abner and Susannah Bayley Brookings. (The 1860 Dakota Territory census lists his birthplace, possibly incorrectly, as North Carolina). Brookings attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, graduating in 1855. He married Clara Carney of Dresden, Maine and went on to teach at Litchfield, North Anson, and Wiscasset before being admitted to the bar in May 1857.
Brookings moved to Sioux Falls, Minnesota Territory on August 27, 1857, where he helped pioneers organize a county government (Minnehaha County). The county appointed him district attorney.
In February 1858, Brookings rode a horse from Sioux Falls to the Yankton area during a blizzard. His horse slipped and fell into Split Rock Creek in the freezing weather. Brookings made it safely to Yankton, but his wet legs had suffered such severe frostbite they both needed to be amputated. He spent the rest of his life using a pair of squeaky, wooden legs that caused him discomfort and sometimes made walking difficult.
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