10th Wisconsin Legislature

Summary

The Tenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 14, 1857, to March 9, 1857, in regular session.

10th Wisconsin Legislature
9th 11th
Wisconsin State Capitol, 1855
Overview
Legislative bodyWisconsin Legislature
Meeting placeWisconsin State Capitol
TermJanuary 5, 1857 – January 4, 1858
ElectionNovember 4, 1856
Senate
Members30
Senate PresidentArthur MacArthur, Sr. (D)
Party controlRepublican
Assembly
Members97
Assembly SpeakerWyman Spooner (R)
Party controlRepublican
Sessions
1stJanuary 14, 1857 – March 9, 1857

This was the first legislative session after the expansion and redistricting of the Senate and Assembly according to an act of the previous session. The Senate grew from 25 to 30 seats; the Assembly grew from 82 to 97 seats.

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 odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 4, 1856. 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 6, 1855, or were elected in the 1856 election for a newly created district and were serving a one-year term.[1]

Major events edit

Major legislation edit

  • February 19, 1857: Act relating to the writ of Habeas Corpus to persons claimed as Fugitive Slaves, the right of trial by jury, and to prevent kidnapping in this State, 1857 Act 8. This was an attempt to make it more difficult to arrest people on accusation that they were fugitive slaves. It also introduced severe penalties for falsely claiming a person as a fugitive slave.
  • February 28, 1857: Act providing for the erection of the main edifice of the State University, 1857 Act 25
  • February 28, 1857: Act authorizing the enlargement of the State Capitol, and providing and appropriating means for the payment of the same, 1857 Act 26
  • March 4, 1857: Act to extend the right of Suffrage, 1857 Act 44. This was the second attempt to create a referendum which would grant voting rights to African American men in Wisconsin. The first referendum passed, but was deemed illegitimate. This referendum would fail in the 1857 election. Ultimately, the Wisconsin Supreme Court would rule in the 1866 case of Gillespie v. Palmer that the earlier referendum was valid, and that African American men would have the right to vote in the state.
  • March 7, 1857: Act to preserve the purity of Elections, 1857 Act 85
  • March 9, 1857: Act to provide for the appointment of a Superintendent of Public Property and to define his powers and duties, 1857 Act 95

Party summary edit

Senate summary edit

 
Senate partisan composition
  Democratic: 11 seats
  Republican: 19 seats
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Ind. Republican Vacant
End of previous Legislature 12 0 13 25 0
1st Session 11 0 19 30 0
Final voting share 37% 0% 63%
Beginning of the next Legislature 12 0 18 30 0

Assembly summary edit

 
Assembly partisan composition
  Democratic: 34 seats
  Republican: 63 seats
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Ind. Republican Vacant
End of previous Legislature 47 1 34 82 0
1st Session 34 0 63 97 0
Final voting share 35% 0% 65%
Beginning of the next Legislature 44 0 53 97 0

Sessions edit

  • 1st Regular session: January 14, 1857 – March 9, 1857

Leaders edit

Senate leadership edit

Assembly leadership edit

Members edit

Members of the Senate edit

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Tenth Wisconsin Legislature (30):

 
Senate partisan representation
  Democratic: 11 seats
  Republican: 19 seats
District Counties Senator Party Residence
01 Sheboygan Elijah Fox Cook Dem. Sheboygan
02 Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawanaw Perry H. Smith Dem. Appleton
03 Ozaukee Herman J. Schulteis Dem. Ozaukee
04 Washington Baruch S. Weil Dem. Schleisingerville
05 Milwaukee (Northern Half) Augustus Greulich Dem. Milwaukee
06 Milwaukee (Southern Half) Edward O'Neill Dem. Milwaukee
07 Racine Champion S. Chase Rep. Racine
08 Kenosha C. Latham Sholes Rep. Kenosha
09 Adams, Juneau, Sauk John T. Kingston Rep. Necedah
10 Waukesha Edward Gernon Dem. Genesee
11 Dane (Eastern Part) Hiram H. Giles Rep. Stoughton
12 Walworth Jesse C. Mills Rep. Elkhorn
13 Lafayette Philemon B. Simpson Dem. Shullsburg
14 Jefferson (Northern Part) & Dodge (Southern Part) S. W. Barnes Dem. Watertown
15 Iowa & Richland Lemuel W. Joiner Rep. Wyoming
16 Grant J. Allen Barber Rep. Lancaster
17 Rock (Western Part) James Sutherland Rep. Janesville
18 Rock (Eastern Part) Louis P. Harvey Rep. Shopiere
19 Manitowoc, Calumet Temple Clark Dem. Manitowoc
20 Fond du Lac Edward Pier Rep. Fond du Lac
21 Winnebago Edwin Wheeler Rep. Oshkosh
22 Dodge (Northern Part) S. L. Rose Dem. Beaver Dam
23 Jefferson (Southern Part) Samuel C. Bean Rep. Lake Mills
24 Green George E. Dexter Rep. Monroe
25 Columbia Moses M. Davis Rep. Portage
26 Dane (Western Part) Hiram C. Bull Rep. Madison
27 Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood Luther Hanchett Rep. Plover
28 Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix William Wilson Rep. Menomonie
29 Marquette Martin L. Kimball Rep. Berlin
30 Bad Ax, Buffalo, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Tremealeau William T. Price Rep. Black River Falls

Members of the Assembly edit

Members of the Assembly for the Tenth Wisconsin Legislature (97):[3]

 
Assembly partisan representation
  Democratic: 34 seats
  Republican: 63 seats
Senate
District
County District Representative Party Residence
09 Adams & Juneau Joseph Langworthy Rep. Mauston
28 Ashland, Burnett, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk, St. Croix George Strong Rep. Hudson
30 Bad Ax, Crawford Buel E. Hutchinson Rep. Prairie du Chien
02 Brown Edgar Conklin Dem. Green Bay
30 Buffalo, Jackson, Trempealeau Samuel D. Hastings Rep. Trempealeau
19 Calumet George A. Jenkins Rep. Charlestown
28 Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, & Pierce Orrin T. Maxson Rep. Prescott
25 Columbia[4] 1 George M. Bartholomew Rep. Lodi
2 Oliver C. Howe Rep. Lowville
3 Henry Converse Rep. Wyocena
11 Dane[5][4] 1 John A. Johnson Rep. Stoughton
2 Robert W. Davison Rep. Beverly
3 Robert P. Main Rep. Oregon
26 4 John B. Sweat Dem. Black Earth
5 Horace A. Tenney Rep. Madison
6 Nathaniel W. Dean Rep. Madison
22 Dodge[4] 1 Edward N. Foster Rep. Mayville
2 Peter Potter Dem. Leroy
3 Robert B. Wentworth Rep. Juneau
4 Quartus H. Barron Rep. Fox Lake
5 A. Scott Sloan Rep. Beaver Dam
6 John J. Williams Rep. Springfield
02 Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, & Shawano Ezra B. Stevens Rep. Sturgeon Bay
20 Fond du Lac[4] 1 Edmund L. Runals Rep. Ripon
2 Morris S. Barnett Rep. Rosendale
3 John B. Wilbor Dem. Fond du Lac
4 Major J. Thomas Dem. Fond du Lac
5 Aaron Walters Dem. Fond du Lac
16 Grant[4] 1 Allen Taylor Rep. Hazel Green
2 Albert W. Emerey Dem. Potosi
3 Hanmer Robbins Rep. Platteville
4 Joseph T. Mills Rep. Lancaster
5 Joachim Gulick Rep. Ora Oak
24 Green[4] 1 Charles F. Thompson Rep. Monticello
2 Thomas W. Hall Rep. Monroe
15 Iowa[4] 1 Ephraim Knowlton Dem. Highland
2 Thomas S. Allen Rep. Mineral Point
23 Jefferson[4] 1 Delatus M. Aspinwall Rep. Farmington
2 Jared F. Ostrander Rep. Aztalan
14 3 William Chappell Dem. Watertown
4 William M. Morse Dem. Alderly
5 Kendall P. Clark Dem. Portland
08 Kenosha[4] 1 Frederick S. Lovell Rep. Kenosha
2 Lathrop Burgess Rep. Salem
30 La Crosse, Monroe Dugald D. Cameron Rep. La Crosse
13 Lafayette[4] 1 Joseph White Dem. Cottage Inn
2 Henry W. Barnes Dem. Wiota
3 James H. Earnest Dem. New Diggings
19 Manitowoc[4] 1 Charles H. Walker Dem. Manitowoc
2 Thomas Cunningham Dem. Clarks Mills
27 Marathon, Portage, Wood Anson Rood Rep. Stevens Point
29 Marquette[4] 1 Davis H. Waite Rep. Princeton
2 Paul D. Hayward Rep. Kingston
05 Milwaukee[4] 1 Frederick K. Bartlett Dem. Milwaukee
2 Moses M. Strong Dem. Milwaukee
06 3 Andrew McCormick Dem. Milwaukee
4 Jonathan Taylor Dem. Milwaukee
5 Jasper Humphrey Dem. Milwaukee
05 6 Herman Haertel Dem. Milwaukee
7 Frederick Moskowitt Dem. Milwaukee
06 8 James Reynolds Dem. Milwaukee
9 James D. Reymert Dem. Milwaukee
02 Outagamie Theodore Conkey Dem. Appleton
03 Ozaukee[4] 1 Samuel A. White Dem. Ozaukee
2 Frederick W. Horn Dem. Cedarburg
07 Racine[4] 1 Lewelyn J. Evans Rep. Racine
2 Peter C. Lutkin Rep. Whitesville
3 Joseph Nelson Rep. Raymond
4 James Catton Rep. Burlington
15 Richland Robert C. Field Rep. Richland
18 Rock[4] 1 Lucius G. Fisher Rep. Beloit
2 George R. Atherton Rep. Clinton
17 3 David Noggle Rep. Janesville
4 Ezra A. Foot Rep. Footville
5 William H. Tripp Rep. Janesville
09 Sauk[4] 1 James G. Train Rep. Merrimack
2 Abram West Rep. Reedsburg
01 Sheboygan[4] 1 Zebulon P. Mason Dem. Sheboygan
2 Robert H. Hotchkiss Dem. Plymouth
3 Glenville W. Stone Rep. Winooski
12 Walworth[4] 1 David Williams Rep. Springfield
2 Samuel W. Voorhees Rep. Sharon
3 Solmous Wakeley Rep. Whitewater
4 Wyman Spooner Rep. Elkhorn
04 Washington[4] 1 Hopewell Coxe Dem. Hartford
2 James Vollmar Dem. West Bend
3 James Fagan Dem. Cedarburg
10 Waukesha[4] 1 James M. Lewis Rep. Oconomowoc
2 George Cairncross Rep. Pewaukee
3 Thomas Sugden Rep. North Prairie
4 Elihu Enos Rep. Waukesha
5 Charles S. Hawley Rep. Waukesha
27 Waupaca Benjamin F. Phillips Dem. Mukwa
Waushara George Hawley Rep. Poysippi
21 Winnebago[4] 1 Philetus Sawyer Rep. Oshkosh
2 John Anunson Rep. Winchester
3 William P. McAllister Rep. Omro

Employees edit

Senate employees edit

Assembly employees edit

Changes from the 9th Legislature edit

The most significant structural change to the Legislature between the 9th and 10th sessions was the reapportionment and redistricting of legislative seats. The new districts were defined in 1856 Wisconsin Act 109, passed into law in the 9th Wisconsin Legislature.

Senate redistricting edit

Summary of changes edit

  • 17 senate districts were left unchanged.
  • Dane County went from having one senator to two (11, 26).
  • Jefferson County went from having one senator to two (14, 23).
  • Marquette County became its own senate district (29), after previously having been in a shared district with Adams, Sauk, and Waushara counties.
  • Sheboygan County became its own senate district (1), after previously having been in a shared district with Calumet and Manitowoc counties
  • Waukesha County went from two senators to one (10).
  • The multi-county, lightly-populated northern and western regions of the state went from two senators to four (2, 27, 28, 30).

Senate districts edit

 
after redistricting
 
before redistricting
Dist. 9th Legislature 10th Legislature
1 Calumet, Manitowoc, Sheboygan counties Sheboygan County
2 Brown, Door, Marathon, Oconto, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca counties Brown, Outagamie, Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, Shawano counties
3 Ozaukee County Ozaukee County
4 Washington County Washington County
5 Northern Milwaukee County Northern Milwaukee County
6 Southern Milwaukee County Southern Milwaukee County
7 Racine County Racine County
8 Kenosha County Kenosha County
9 Northern Waukesha County Sauk, Adams, Juneau counties
10 Southern Waukesha County Waukesha County
11 Dane County Eastern Dane County
12 Walworth County Walworth County
13 Lafayette County Lafayette County
14 Jefferson County Northern Jefferson County
15 Iowa, Richland counties Iowa, Richland counties
16 Grant County Grant County
17 Western Rock County Western Rock County
18 Eastern Rock County Eastern Rock County
19 Bad Ax, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix counties Manitowoc, Calumet County
20 Fond du Lac County Fond du Lac County
21 Winnebago County Winnebago County
22 Dodge County Dodge County
23 Adams, Marquette, Sauk, Waushara counties Southern Jefferson County
24 Green County Green County
25 Columbia County Columbia County
26 Did not exist in 9th Legislature Western Dane County
27 Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood County
28 Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix counties
29 Marquette County
30 Bad Ax, Buffalo, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Tremealeau counties

Assembly redistricting edit

Summary of changes edit

  • Brown County became its own assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Door and Kewaunee counties.
  • Columbia County went from having 2 districts to 3.
  • Dane County went from having 5 districts to 6.
  • Fond du Lac County went from having 4 districts to 5.
  • Green County went from having 1 district to 2.
  • Manitowoc County went from having 1 district to 2.
  • Marquette County went from having 1 district and 1 shared district with Waushara to having 2 districts.
  • Outagamie County became its own assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Oconto and Waupaca counties.
  • Rock County went from having 4 districts to 5.
  • Sauk County went from sharing a district with Adams to having 2 districts of its own.
  • Sheboygan County went from having 2 districts to 3.
  • Walworth County went from having 6 districts to 4.
  • Washington County went from having 2 districts to 3.
  • Waupaca County became its own assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Oconto and Outagamie counties.
  • Waushara County became its own assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Marquette
  • Winnebago County went from having 2 districts to 3.

Assembly districts edit

County Districts in 9th Legislature Districts in 10th Legislature
Adams Shared with Sauk Shared with Juneau
Ashland Did not exist Shared with Burnett, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk, St. Croix
Bad Ax Shared with Crawford Shared with Crawford
Brown Shared with Door, Kewaunee 1 District
Buffalo Did not exist Shared with Jackson, Trempealeau
Burnett Did not exist Shared with Ashland, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk, St. Croix
Calumet 1 District 1 District
Chippewa Shared with La Crosse Shared with Clark, Dunn, Pierce
Clark Did not exist Shared with Chippewa, Dunn, Pierce
Columbia 2 Districts 3 Districts
Crawford Shared with Bad Ax Shared with Bad Ax
Dane 5 Districts 6 Districts
Dodge 6 Districts 6 Districts
Door Shared with Brown, Kewaunee Shared with Kewaunee, Oconto
Douglas Did not exist Shared with Ashland, Burnett, La Pointe, Polk, St. Croix
Dunn Did not exist Shared with Chippewa, Clark, Pierce
Fond du Lac 4 Districts 5 Districts
Grant 5 Districts 5 Districts
Green 1 District 2 Districts
Iowa 2 Districts 2 Districts
Jackson Did not exist Shared with Buffalo, Trempealeau
Jefferson 5 Districts 5 Districts
Juneau Did not exist Shared with Adams
Kenosha 2 Districts 2 Districts
Kewaunee Shared with Brown, Door Shared with Door, Oconto
La Crosse Shared with Chippewa Shared with Monroe
La Pointe Shared with Pierce, Polk, St. Croix Shared with Ashland, Burnett, Douglas, Polk, St. Croix
Lafayette 3 Districts 3 Districts
Manitowoc 1 District 2 Districts
Marathon Shared with Portage Shared with Portage, Wood
Marquette 2 Shared with Waushara 2 Districts
Milwaukee 9 Districts 9 Districts
Monroe Did not exist Shared with La Crosse
Oconto Shared with Outagamie, Waupaca Shared with Door, Kewaunee
Outagamie Shared with Oconto, Waupaca 1 District
Ozaukee 2 Districts 2 Districts
Pierce Shared with La Pointe, Polk, St. Croix Shared with Chippewa, Clark, Dunn
Polk Shared with La Pointe, Pierce, St. Croix Shared with Ashland, Burnett, Douglas, La Pointe, St. Croix
Portage Shared with Marathon Shared with Marathon, Wood
Racine 4 Districts 4 Districts
Richland 1 District 1 District
Rock 4 Districts 5 Districts
Sauk Shared with Adams 2 Districts
Sheboygan 2 Districts 3 Districts
St. Croix Shared with La Pointe, Pierce, Polk Shared with Ashland, Burnett, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk
Trempealeau Did not exist Shared with Buffalo, Jackson
Walworth 6 Districts 4 Districts
Washington 2 Districts 3 Districts
Waukesha 4 Districts 4 Districts
Waupaca Shared with Oconto, Outagamie 1 District
Waushara 2 Shared with Marquette 1 District
Winnebago 2 Districts 3 Districts
Wood Did not exist Shared with Marathon, Portage

References edit

  1. ^ "Annals of the legislature". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1881 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 193–194.
  2. ^ Journal of the Assembly of Wisconsin (Report). Calkins & Proudfit. 1857. pp. 83–85. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  3. ^ Crane, L. H. D., ed. (1859). "List of Assembly districts, with names of members since the last apportionment" (PDF). A Manual of Customs, Precedents, and Forms, in use in the Assembly of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 58–64. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "The Next Legislature". Milwaukee Sentinel. November 4, 1856. p. 2. Retrieved September 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "National Republican Nominations". Wisconsin State Journal. October 25, 1856. p. 2. Retrieved September 4, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

External links edit