Wellington Rankin: His Family, Life And Times

Wellington Rankin was arguably one of the most powerful Montana figures in the first half of the 20th century. Without him, it might be argued that the name of Jeannette Rankin, his older sister, might not be known to us today. He was instrumental in both her elections to congress. At one time he was the largest landowner in the United States with over one million acres under his ownership, though his stewardship of the many ranches he owned was often controversial. A brilliant, flamboyant attorney, Rankin was a champion of the underdog. Had he lived in the later part of the century, he would have been a nationally known attorney in the pattern of F. Lee Bailey and Gerry Spence. Though serving as the Montana State Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney for the state of Montana, and for years the powerful head of the Montana Republican Party, he was unable to get elected to the office he coveted most, the U.S. Senate.

Dave Walter, Research Historian for the Montana Historical Society states in his forward to the book, "To say that Wellington Rankin presents an enigman is to belabor the obvious. Possessing perhaps Montana's most adept political mind—ever—them man failed to be elected time and time again. Awash in property and wealth, he reached his peak as a courtroom attorney who defended the downtrodden. A horseman of real repute, he proved unable or unwilling to sustain a quality ranching operation."

"Is there a home-grown Montanan who alive who does not have a 'Wellington Rankin story'? This volume sorts through the stories, sifts fact from fiction, and launches the unraveling of a persistent enigma."

Because Rankin kept few records, little has been written of him. Volney Steele spent more than ten years researching through what little information was available and interviewing family and friends. He has done an outstanding job of piecing together the life of this remarkable figure in Montana history.

Author Biography: Volney Steele, a retired physician, has lived in Bozeman, Montana for more than forty years. He has published several articles on frontier medicine, and is a passionate student and researcher of frontier history.