Dr. William T. Collins Papers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: OGLMC-1017

Scope and Contents

The Dr. William T. Collins Papers contain biographical materials and one folder of photocopied Civil War pension records. The biographical materials were collected by Professor Louis Geiger, University of North Dakota history professor, for his book University on the Northern Plains: A History of the University of North Dakota, 1883-1958. The original pension records are from the National Archives.

Dates

created: 1863-1956
Other: Date acquired: 04/00/1985

Conditions Governing Access

Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.

Biographical or Historical Information

Dr. William T. Collins was born October 7, 1838, in Chicopee, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the Union Army in September 1861 and served with the Bedan Sharpshooters at the rank of Major. He lost a leg at the Second Battle of Bull Run and was discharged in February 1863. In 1865, he received a medical degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. From 1878 to1887, Collins practiced medicine in Grand Forks, Dakota Territory. He served as mayor of Grand Forks from 1882 to 1883, and was the first President of the University of North Dakota Board of Regents from 1883 to 1885. Collins also served in the Dakota Territorial Legislature in 1887. He was married twice and had two sons by his first wife. Dr. William T. Collins died October 1, 1906, in Santa Monica, California.

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