Sibley, Henry Hastings (20 February 1811–18 February 1891), soldier, congressman, and governor, was born in Detroit, Michigan Territory, the son of Solomon Sibley, a territorial delegate to Congress and justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, and Sarah Sproat. Educated at a local academy, he also received two years of tutoring in the classics. In his late teens Sibley studied law, but in 1828 he began to clerk for an army sutler and the following year for the American Fur Company. In 1834, by which time he had become the company’s chief factor on the upper Mississippi, Sibley entered into a partnership with two veteran fur traders. Together, they operated trading stations at Mackinac, Michigan Territory, and Fort Snelling, Minnesota Territory....
