Hon. George B. Winship, founder and publisher of "The Herald," the leading daily paper west of the Twin cities is one of the prominent men of North Dakota. He has devoted his attention to the growth and success of the "Herald," and after over twenty years of earnest labor has met with the success he so well deserves, and may well be proud of the results of his effort. Aside from his work in connection with the "Herald," he has found time to labor for the advancement and development of the social and financial resources of North Dakota, and is one of the well-known public-spirited men in the state. A portrait of Mr. Winship will be found in connection with this sketch.
Our subject was born in Saco, Maine, September 28, 1847, and emigrated to LaCrosse, Wisconsin with his parents in 1851, and to LaCrescent, Houston County, Minnesota, six years later. He attended the district school until thirteen years of age, and then spent three years sanding brick molds, and setting type in the local printing office. He offered himself as a soldier for the Civil war in 1862, and was rejected on account of his youth, but in 1863 he was accepted and became a member of the Second Minnesota Cavalry, in which he served till the close of the war. He was then engaged at various employments, and in 1867 started to the Idaho gold fields with Captain Davy's expedition, but part of the outfit failed to arrive at Fort Abercrombie, and our subject, with others, declined to go on account of danger from hostile Indians, and he then spent a year driving a freight team from the end of the railroad at St. Cloud to the various posts for the government, and in the spring of 1868 he engaged with Dr. Schultz, of Winnipeg, (who later became lieutenant-governor of the province), and the work of our subject was on the "Norwester, then the only paper published north of St. Cloud. He remained there about two years and then went to Pembina and spent a year in the employ of A. W. Stiles, post trader. There he met William Budge, and in 1871, when the Blakeley & Carpenter line of stages from Breckenridge to Winnipeg was started, the two men formed a partnership, and established a stage station at Turtle River, fourteen miles north of Grand Forks, where Manvel is now located. They built rough stables for the accommodation of stage and other horses, and a rough log house furnished shelter for guests, and thus business prospered at Turtle river station. In 1873 Mr. Winship sold his interests to Budge and Eshelman, and went to St. Paul, where he stayed three years, setting type on all the prominent papers then established in the city. He moved to Caledonia, Minnesota, in the spring of 1877, and established the weekly "Courier," which he operated two years with success, and in 1879 he moved his plant to Grand, Forks, North Dakota, and established the "Herald," and has remained here continuously since that date.
Our subject has taken an active interest in public affairs, and has served as state senator, to which position he was elected in 1889, being the first state senator from the seventh district, and gave his best energies for the interests of his community. In politics he is an ardent Republican, and the policy of the "Herald" has always been for the advancement of the principles of that party. Mr. Winship was married, in 1874, to Miss Mary T. Minshall, of La Crescent, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Winship have one daughter now, Mrs. F. W. Weego, of Grand Forks. He is a member of the G. A. R. and Masonic fraternity.
Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota 1900 Page 166