14th Wisconsin Legislature
The Fourteenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1861, to April 17, 1861, in regular session. The legislature re-convened in special session from May 15, 1861, to May 27, 1861, at the request of Wisconsin Governor Alexander Randall, to approve funding for a brigade of volunteers for the American Civil War.
14th Wisconsin Legislature | |||||
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Overview | |||||
Legislative body | Wisconsin Legislature | ||||
Meeting place | Wisconsin State Capitol | ||||
Term | January 1, 1861 – January 1, 1862 | ||||
Election | November 6, 1860 | ||||
Senate | |||||
Members | 30 | ||||
Senate President | Butler G. Noble (R) | ||||
President pro tempore | Alden I. Bennett (R) | ||||
Party control | Republican | ||||
Assembly | |||||
Members | 97 | ||||
Assembly Speaker | Amasa Cobb (R) | ||||
Party control | Republican | ||||
Sessions | |||||
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Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assembly members were elected to a one-year term. Assembly members and even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 6, 1860. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 8, 1859.[1]
Major events
- March 4, 1861: Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as the 16th President of the United States.
- April 12, 1861: South Carolina militia began bombarding Fort Sumpter in Charleston Harbor.
- April 15, 1861: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation requesting the states provide 75,000 volunteers for service in the American Civil War.
- April 16, 1861: 1st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment raised in Milwaukee.
- May 9, 1861: Wisconsin Governor Alexander Randall called for a special session of the Wisconsin Legislature.
- July 21, 1861: First Battle of Bull Run took place in Prince William County, Virginia.
- November 8, 1861: Louis P. Harvey elected Governor of Wisconsin.
Major legislation
First session
- January 21, 1861: Joint Resolution, co-operating with friends of the Union throughout the United States, 1861 Joint Resolution 1
- April 11, 1861: Act to apportion the State into Senate and Assembly Districts. 1861 Act 216
- April 13, 1861: Act to provide for apportioning the State into Congressional Districts, 1861 Act 238
- April 13, 1861: Act to provide for the defence of the State, and to aid in enforcing the laws and maintaining the authority of the Federal Government, 1861 Act 239
- April 17, 1861: Act to declare the rights and privileges of such persons as may enroll themselves into the service of the country. 1861 Act 309
Special session
- May 21, 1861: Joint Resolution, authorizing the Governor to be absent from the State during the present war, 1861 Special Session Joint Resolution 1
- May 25, 1861: Joint Resolution, recommending to the War Department the formation of a Brigade, and the appointment of Hon. Rufus King to its command, 1861 Special Session Joint Resolution 2
- May 25, 1861: Joint Resolution, in regard to the assassination of Col. Ellsworth, 1861 Special Session Joint Resolution 3
- May 25, 1861: Act to provide for the assistance of volunteers in the service of the United States Government, 1861 Special Session Act 2
- May 25, 1861: Act to provide a military force for immediate service to aid in protecting and defending the Constitution and the Union, 1861 Special Session Act 4
- May 25, 1861: Act to prevent rendering aid to Rebels, 1861 Special Session Act 5
- May 25, 1861: Act to provide for the purchasing of Arms and Equipments for the use of the State, 1861 Special Session Act 6
- May 27, 1861: Act to provide for the payment of discharged Volunteers, 1861 Special Session Act 9
- May 27, 1861: Act to provide for borrowing money to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, and defend the State in time of war, 1861 Special Session Act 13
Party summary
Senate
![](../I/m/WI_Senate_1861.svg.png)
Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||||
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Democratic | Union | Republican | Vacant | ||
End of previous Legislature | 13 | 0 | 17 | 30 | 0 |
1st Session | 8 | 0 | 22 | 30 | 0 |
Final voting share | 27% | 0% | 73% | ||
Beginning of the next Legislature | 11 | 2 | 20 | 33 | 0 |
Assembly
![](../I/m/WI_Assembly_1861.svg.png)
Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Ind. | Union | Republican | Vacant | ||
End of previous Legislature | 38 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 97 | 0 |
Start of 1st Session | 27 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 97 | 0 |
after January 25 | 26 | 71 | ||||
Final voting share | 27% | 0% | 0% | 73% | ||
Beginning of the next Legislature | 43 | 0 | 11 | 44 | 98 | 1 |
Sessions
- 1st Regular session: January 9, 1861 – April 17, 1861
- Special session: May 15, 1861 – May 27, 1861
Leaders
Senate
- President of the Senate: Butler G. Noble, Lieutenant Governor
- President pro tempore: Alden I. Bennett
Assembly
- Speaker of the Assembly: Amasa Cobb
Members
Senate
Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Fourteenth Wisconsin Legislature:[2]
Assembly
Members of the Assembly for the Fourteenth Wisconsin Legislature:[3]
Counties | Representative | Party | |
---|---|---|---|
Adams, Juneau | Otis B. Lapham | Republican | |
Ashland, Burnett, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk, St. Croix | John Comstock | Republican | |
Bad Ax, Crawford | Daniel Harris Johnson | Republican | |
Brown | Frederick S. Ellis | Democrat | |
Buffalo, Jackson, Trempealeau | Calvin R. Johnson | Republican | |
Calumet | Le Roy Graves | Republican | |
Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Pierce | Rodman Palmer | Republican | |
Columbia | 1 | Harvey W. Emery | Republican |
2 | Nathan Hazen | Republican | |
3 | James H. Bonney | Republican | |
Dane | 1 | Sereno W. Graves | Republican |
2 | Willard H. Chandler | Republican | |
3 | Edward W. Dwight | Republican | |
4 | Frederick A. Pfaff | Democrat | |
5 | Dominick O'Malley | Democrat | |
6 | David Atwood | Republican | |
Dodge | 1 | Peter Peters | Democrat |
2 | Jacob Bodden | Democrat | |
3 | David N. Minor | Republican | |
4 | George W. Bly | Republican | |
5 | Frederick H. Kribs | Republican | |
6 | John J. Williams | Republican | |
Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, Shawano | William S. Finley | Republican | |
Fond du Lac | 1 | Charles F. Hammond | Republican |
2 | Benjamin H. Bettis | Republican | |
3 | Selim Newton | Republican | |
4 | John W. Hall | Democrat | |
5 | Horace Stanton | Democrat | |
Grant | 1 | Joseph Harris | Republican |
2 | Henry L. Massey | Republican | |
3 | Hanmer Robbins | Republican | |
4 | John G. Clark | Republican | |
5 | Jared Warner | Republican | |
Green | 1 | James Campbell | Republican |
2 | Obadiah J. White | Republican | |
Green Lake | Alvin L. Flint | Republican | |
Iowa | 1 | Franklin Z. Hicks | Republican |
2 | Amasa Cobb | Republican | |
Jefferson | 1 | Jost D. Petrie | Republican |
2 | Horace B. Willard | Republican | |
3 | Theodore Prentiss | Democrat | |
4 | Samuel Hays | Democrat | |
5 | Sterling M. Cone | Democrat | |
Kenosha | 1 | Michael Frank | Republican |
2 | Marcus Linsley | Republican | |
La Crosse, Monroe | Isaac E. Messmore | Republican | |
Lafayette | 1 | Thomas C. L. Mackay | Democrat |
2 | Lloyd T. Pullen | Republican | |
3 | Elijah C. Townsend | Democrat | |
Manitowoc | 1 | Jabez L. Fobes | Republican |
2 | Joseph Stephenson | Republican | |
Marathon, Portage, Wood | Orestes Garrison | Republican | |
Marquette | Erastus J. Buck | Republican | |
Milwaukee | 1 | Robert Haney | Democrat |
2 | George Abert | Democrat | |
3 | Edward Keogh | Democrat | |
4 | Charles Caverno | Republican | |
5 | John Rugee | Republican | |
6 | Carl Winkler | Democrat | |
7 | William Dieves | Democrat | |
8 | John Hanrahan | Democrat | |
9 | James Riordan | Democrat | |
Outagamie | Almeron B. Everts | Democrat | |
Ozaukee | 1 | William H. Ramsey | Democrat |
2 | William F. Opitz | Democrat | |
Racine | 1 | Gilbert Knapp | Republican |
2 | Orlando C. Munroe | Republican | |
3 | Simeon S. Bradford | Republican | |
4 | Samuel E. Chapman | Republican | |
Richland | Elihu Bailey | Republican | |
Rock | 1 | Stiles S. Northrop | Republican |
2 | Benjamin F. Cary | Republican | |
3 | Alexander Graham | Republican | |
4 | Anson W. Pope | Republican | |
5 | James Kirkpatrick | Republican | |
Sauk | 1 | John Bear | Republican |
2 | Marsena Temple | Republican | |
Sheboygan | 1 | John Gee | Democrat |
2 | John Bredemeyer | Republican | |
3 | Cadwaller W. Humphrey Until January 25 | Democrat | |
From January 25 William F. Mitchell | Republican | ||
Walworth | 1 | Schuyler W. Benson | Republican |
2 | Chester Deming Long | Republican | |
3 | Francis Smith | Republican | |
4 | Wyman Spooner | Republican | |
Washington | 1 | Nathan Parker | Republican |
2 | Leander F. Frisby | Republican | |
3 | Valentine Schaetzel | Democrat | |
Waukesha | 1 | Daniel Cottrell | Republican |
2 | William H. Thomas | Democrat | |
3 | Henry A. Youmans | Republican | |
4 | Myron Gilbert | Republican | |
5 | Isaac Lain | Republican | |
Waupaca | Chester D. Combs | Republican | |
Waushara | Henry G. Webb | Republican | |
Winnebago | 1 | Philetus Sawyer | Republican |
2 | Curtis Reed | Democrat | |
3 | Armine Pickett | Republican |
Employees
Senate
- Chief Clerk: John H. Warren[2]
- Assistant Clerk: Stephen Steele Barlow
- Engrossing Clerk: Willard Merrill
- Enrolling Clerk: Edward Colman
- Transcribing Clerk: F. H. Megdeburg
- Sergeant-at-Arms: J. A. Hadley
- Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: David M. McBride
- Postmaster: James Moore
- Assistant Postmaster: A. B. Finch
- Doorkeeper: Phillip Carey
- Assistant Doorkeeper: Henry Case
- Fireman: George Wittle
- Messengers:
- Walter C. Wyman
- Albert F. Dexter
- Patrick Lanner
Assembly
- Chief Clerk: L. H. D. Crane[3]
- Assistant Clerk: John S. Dean
- Bookkeeper: Ephraim W. Young
- Engrossing Clerk: Joseph C. Pickard
- Enrolling Clerk: Nathaniel F. Lund
- Transcribing Clerk: Harvey Briggs
- Assistant Clerk: John S. Dean
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Craig B. Beese
- Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Asher Armstrong
- Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Ebenezer Sprague
- Postmaster: Hiram Beckworth
- Assistant Postmaster: John N. Stone
- Doorkeeper: Joel Barber
- Assistant Doorkeeper: Joshua W. Tolford
- Firemen:
- William C. Lasure
- Reese Evans
- Henry N. Solbert
- Messengers:
- William H. Barnes
- William Benedict
- William Bennett
- H. M. Bingham
- Charles L. Catlin
- Edwin C. Mason
- William E. Miller
- James H. Neavill
- George D. Potter
- William H. Smith
References
- "Annals of the legislature". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1882 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 201–202. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- "Statistical list of members of the Senate of the state of Wisconsin". A manual of customs, precedents, and forms, in use in the Assembly of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1861. pp. 12–13. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
- "Statistical list of the members and officers of the Assembly of Wisconsin". A manual of customs, precedents, and forms, in use in the Assembly of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1861. pp. 7–11. Retrieved October 12, 2019.