Pillsbury is a household word in many parts of the world, but in Minnesota it carries a special ring. Here Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant chronicles the family's pioneering role in making Minneapolis the milling capitol of the world. She explores the career of Minnesota governor "Honest John" Pillsbury, Alfred Pillsbury's impact on the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Philip's remarkable success at reviving a moribund milling giant, and George's efforts to fashion a more inclusive Republican Party. - Publisher. When John S. Pillsbury arrived at the Falls of St. Anthony in 1855, building a state was not his primary concern. The ambitious 28-year-old from central New Hampshire came to the raw boomtown soon to be known as Minneapolis to make money and establish a good life. But his ideas about what constituted a good life for himself and his family were shaped by a New Englander's sense of community and civic responsibility. Almost as a matter of course, Pillsbury took his turn at public office and performed at a high level. So did his brother George and nephews Charles and Fred when they followed him to Minnesota. The result was much more than financial success for one family, considerable though that was. The Pillsburys also affected the civic culture of a state that, more than 150 years later, remains a standout among its American peers in the extent to which its citizens give of themselves for the sake of the whole. The Pillsburys were among those industrious newcomers, many of them from New England, who set a standard of citizenship that has prevailed into the modern era. Their heirs were among Minnesota's twentieth-century political, corporate, and philanthropic leaders, living up to the family's long tradition of commitment to the common good. - Dust jacket.