A reputation for clearheaded objectivity and disdain for contentious party politics enhanced the appeal of Judge Horace Austin as a gubernatorial candidate in 1869.

Minnesota's sixth governor was determined to bring legislative power to bear against the railroad barons.

His advocacy of strictly regulated passenger and freight rates and his opposition to the wholesale allocation of state lands to railroad development earned him a second term.

But he was unable to resolve completely the problems inherent in controlling a booming transportation industry and curbing the excesses of its owners.

In 1869, while judge of the Sixth Judicial District, Austin impressed state Republican leaders with his fair-mindedness and won the gubernatorial nomination.