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7th Wisconsin Legislature 
Summary
The Seventh Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 11, 1854, to April 3, 1854, in regular session.
| 7th Wisconsin Legislature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 Wisconsin State Capitol, 1855 | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | Wisconsin Legislature | ||||
| Meeting place | Wisconsin State Capitol | ||||
| Term | January 2, 1854 – January 1, 1855 | ||||
| Election | November 8, 1853 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 25 | ||||
| Senate President | James T. Lewis (W) | ||||
| President pro tempore | Benjamin Allen (D) | ||||
| Party control | Democratic | ||||
| Assembly | |||||
| Members | 82 | ||||
| Assembly Speaker | Frederick W. Horn (D) | ||||
| Party control | Democratic | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
| |||||
Senators representing even-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assemblymembers were elected to a one-year term. Assemblymembers and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 8, 1853. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 2, 1852.[1]
Major events edit
- January 2, 1854: Inauguration of William A. Barstow as the 3rd Governor of Wisconsin.
- March 20, 1854: A local meeting was held at Ripon, Wisconsin, to oppose the proposed Kansas–Nebraska Act—later cited as the birth of the Republican Party.
- May 30, 1854: U.S. President Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas–Nebraska Act.
- July 13, 1854: The Republican Party of Wisconsin was established at a convention in Madison, Wisconsin.
- November 7, 1854: Wisconsin voters rejected three amendments to the Constitution of Wisconsin which would have doubled legislative terms and instituted biennial legislative sessions.
Major legislation edit
- January 30, 1854: Act to organize the County of Trempe a l'eau, 1854 Act 2
- February 9, 1854: Act to organize the County of Dunn, 1854 Act 7
- February 11, 1854: Act to divide La Pointe county and create the county of Douglass, 1854 Act 10
- March 6, 1854: Act to divide the sixth Judicial Circuit and organize an eighth Judicial Circuit, and to fix the time for holding the Circuit Courts in the Counties of the respective circuits, 1854 Act 13
- March 24, 1854: Act to divide the county of La Crosse and organize the county of Monroe, 1854 Act 35
- March 30, 1854: Act concerning the terms of office of Judges of the several courts of this State, 1854 Act 41. Standardized state judicial terms as starting the first Monday of the year following the election of that judge.
- March 31, 1854: Act to provide for the appointment of an Assistant Secretary of State and Assistant State Treasurer, and to prescribe their duties, 1854 Act 65
- April 24, 1854: Act to divide the second and third Judicial Circuits and organize the ninth Judicial Circuit, and to fix the time of holding the Circuit Courts in the Counties of said respective Circuits, 1854 Act 75
- April 25, 1854: Act to amend Article Four of the Constitution, 1854 Act 89. Created a referendum to modify the lengths of State Senate terms from two years to four years, and for the Assembly from one year to two years, and to change the Legislative sessions from one year to two years. The referendum was rejected by voters in November.
Party summary edit
Senate summary edit
Democratic: 22 seats
Whig: 3 seats
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dem. | F.S. | Whig | Ind. | Rep. | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Legislature | 18 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Start of 1st Session | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 88.00% | 0.0% | 12.00% | 0.0% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 25 | 0 |
Assembly summary edit
Democratic: 51 seats
Free Soil: 4 seats
Whig: 27 seats
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dem. | F.S. | Whig | Ind. | Rep. | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Legislature | 55 | 7 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 51 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 62.20% | 4.88% | 32.92% | 0.0% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 34 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 82 | 0 |
Sessions edit
- 1st Regular session: January 11, 1854 – April 3, 1854
Leaders edit
Senate leadership edit
- President of the Senate: James T. Lewis, Lieutenant Governor
- President pro tempore: Benjamin Allen
Assembly leadership edit
- Speaker of the Assembly: Frederick W. Horn
Members edit
Members of the Senate edit
Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Seventh Wisconsin Legislature:
Democratic: 22 seats
Whig: 3 seats
Members of the Assembly edit
Members of the Assembly for the Seventh Wisconsin Legislature (82):[2]
Democratic: 51 seats
Free Soil: 4 seats
Whig: 27 seats
Employees edit
Senate employees edit
- Chief Clerk: Samuel G. Bugh
- Sergeant-at-Arms: J. M. Sherwood
Assembly employees edit
- Chief Clerk: Thomas McHugh
- Sergeant-at-Arms: William H. Gleason
References edit
- ^ "Annals of the legislature". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1881 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 187–188.
- ^ Journal of the Assembly of Wisconsin. Madison, Wisconsin: Beriah Brown. 1854. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
- ^ "Official Returns". The Weekly Wisconsin. November 23, 1853. p. 3. Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.