lawyer, politician, judge, founder of Galesville, college president, author, b. Burlington, Vt. He was admitted to the Vermont bar in 1841, moved to Wisconsin the same year, and settled in Elkhorn where he began to practice law. About 1845 he founded the Elkhorn Western Star, of which he was editor and publisher for one year. He was a delegate to the constitutional convention of 1847-1848, and was elected district attorney for Walworth County (1847). A Democrat, he served as state senator (1850- 1851). In 1851 he moved to La Crosse, and subsequently served as circuit judge for the 6th judicial district (1856-1861). In 1853 he purchased a large tract of land, which included the present site of Galesville; in 1854 he platted the town and obtained legislative consent to establish the county of Trempealeau. At the same time he was also granted a charter to establish a college in Galesville, on which construction was begun in 1858. In 1859 the first classes were held. Gale served as president of the college until 1865. He was the author of The Wisconsin Form Book (1846) and The Upper Mississippi (1867). Coils. State Hist. Soc. Wis., 7 (1876); Biog. Hist. of La Crosse, Trempealeau . . . Cos. (Chicago, 1892); J. G. Gregory, ed., W. Central Wis. (4 vols., Indianapolis, 1933); Trempealeau Trempealeau Co. Record, May 1, 1868; WPA field notes; G. Gale Papers.

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the George Gale Papers for details.

View a biographical sketch of Gale at Wisconsin Historical Collections.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]