January 19, 1919: Hubert H. d’Autremont marries Helen C. Congdon

On this day in Duluth in 1919, Hubert Hart d’Autremont was married to Helen C. Congdon, joining two of Duluth’s most powerful families. On paper, the union seemed inevitable: Hubert was the son of Charles d’Autremont, Jr., a native of Angelica, New York, who came to Duluth in 1882 and opened a legal practice specializing in land office law. A Democrat, in 1884 he was elected St. Louis County Attorney and in 1892 he became the mayor of Duluth. After he left the mayor’s office he became interested in iron mining, partnering with James Sheridan, with whom he opened the Sheridan Mine on the Mesabi Range. He later became a founder of the Calumet & Arizona Mining Company. Helen was the daughter of Charles Congdon, whose father was born in Rochester, New York. He moved to Duluth in 1892 to practice law and became a partner in the Oliver Mining company, arranging land purchases on the Mesabi Iron Range. He too retired from practicing law and got into the mining game, and he also was a founder of the Calumet & Arizona Mining Company. A Republican, later in his life Congdon served Duluth in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Like his father, Hubert became a lawyer and was licensed to practice law in Minnesota, New York, and Arizona to watch over the family’s varied interests. The nuptials must have occurred right after Hubert returned from military service in France, as he was honorably discharged just a month after his marriage.

Hugh and Helen D’Autremont photographed a a month or so before their marriage in January, 1919. (Image: Glensheen Historic Estate)