Alphonso Barto was a Minnesota legislator and the seventh Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota.
Background
Barto was born in Hinesburg, Vermont in 1834. His father William Barto was from a French family which had emigrated to the United States before the American Revolution (their surname was originally spelled "Barteau"). His mother Mary Barto (née Gage) was a descendant of English settlers.
Career
Barto moved to Ferrisburgh, Vermont to attend school. Shortly thereafter the two moved west, settling in Elgin, Illinois where he ran a farm and later read law. During the American Civil War Barto enlisted in the 52nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, serving for three years and mustering out with the rank of captain in October 1865.
Barto resumed his life in Elgin, winning election as treasurer of Kane County, Illinois for one term and remarrying in 1866 to Charlotte "Lottie" A. Allen.
In 1869 Barto moved to Sauk Centre, Minnesota to pursue his law career. In 1871 he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, serving a term of two years.
While he did not hold a state office again, Barto served in various local offices in and near Saint Cloud, Minnesota and was appointed as a regent of the University of Minnesota by Governor David Marston Clough. He also remained active with the Republican Party as an organizer and delegate to the 1884 Republican National Convention.
Barto died on November 4, 1899 in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.