8th Wisconsin Legislature

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8th Wisconsin Legislature
7th 9th
Wisconsin State Capitol 1855.jpg
Wisconsin State Capitol, 1855
Overview
Legislative bodyWisconsin Legislature
Meeting placeWisconsin State Capitol
TermJanuary 1, 1855 – January 7, 1856
ElectionNovember 7, 1854
Senate
Members25
Senate PresidentJames T. Lewis (R)
President pro temporeEleazer Wakeley (D)
Party controlDemocratic
Assembly
Members82
Assembly SpeakerCharles C. Sholes (R)
Party controlRepublican
Sessions
1stJanuary 10, 1855 – April 2, 1855

The Eighth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 10, 1855, to April 2, 1855, in regular session.

This was the first Wisconsin legislature seated after the establishment of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.

Senators representing odd-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 7, 1854. 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, 1853.[1]

Major events[]

  • February 1, 1855: Charles Durkee elected United States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in Joint Session.[2]
  • November 6, 1855: In the 1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, incumbent William A. Barstow was initially declared the winner. The election results were contested and eventually Coles Bashford, the Republican candidate, prevailed and became the next Governor of Wisconsin.

Major legislation[]

  • March 8, 1855: Act to provide for the division of the County of Adams, and to submit the question to a Vote of the people, 1855 Act 28. The referendum passed and resulted in the creation of Juneau County from the western half of Adams County.
  • March 23, 1855: Act relative to the rights of married women, 1855 Act 49. Granted married women the rights to own property and conduct business in circumstances where the husband had been negligent or otherwise irresponsible.

Party summary[]

Senate summary[]

Senate Partisan composition
  Democratic: 13 seats
  Independent: 1 seat
  Republican: 11 seats
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Dem. F.S. Whig Ind. Rep. Vacant
End of previous Legislature 22 0 3 0 0 25 0
1st Session 13 0 0 1 11 25 0
Final voting share 52% 0% 0% 4% 44%
Beginning of the next Legislature 12 0 0 0 13 25 0

Assembly summary[]

Assembly Partisan composition
  Democratic: 34 seats
  Independent: 4 seats
  Republican: 44 seats
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Dem. F.S. Whig Ind. Rep. Vacant
End of previous Legislature 51 4 27 0 0 82 0
1st Session 34 0 0 4 44 82 0
Final voting share 41.46% 0.0% 0.0% 4.88% 53.66%
Beginning of the next Legislature 46 0 0 1 35 82 0

Sessions[]

  • 1st Regular session: January 10, 1855 – April 2, 1855

Leaders[]

Senate leadership[]

Assembly leadership[]

Members[]

Members of the Senate[]

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Eighth Wisconsin Legislature (25):

Senate partisan representation
  Democratic: 13 seats
  Independent: 1 seat
  Republican: 11 seats
District Counties Senator Party Residence
01 Calumet, Manitowoc, Sheboygan David Taylor Rep. Sheboygan
02 Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Marathon, Oconto, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca Joseph F. Loy Dem. Green Bay
03 Ozaukee Bolivar G. Gill Dem. Grafton
04 Washington James Rolfe Ind. Jackson
05 Milwaukee (Northern Half) Jackson Hadley Dem. Milwaukee
06 Milwaukee (Southern Half) Edward McGarry Dem. Milwaukee
07 Racine Charles Clement Rep. Racine
08 Kenosha Francis Paddock Rep. Salem
09 Waukesha (Northern Half) Denison Worthington Rep. Summit
10 Waukesha (Southern Half) James DeNoon Reymert Dem. Denoon
11 Dane Hiram H. Giles Rep. Stoughton
12 Walworth Eleazer Wakeley Dem. Whitewater
13 Lafayette Charles Dunn Dem. Cottage Inn
14 Jefferson Daniel Howell Dem. Jefferson
15 Iowa, Richland Amasa Cobb Rep. Mineral Point
16 Grant Nelson Dewey Dem. Lancaster
17 Rock (Western Half) James Sutherland Rep. Janesville
18 Rock (Eastern Half) Louis P. Harvey Rep. Shopiere
19 Bad Ax, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix William J. Gibson Dem. Black River Falls
20 Fond du Lac Charles A. Eldredge Dem. Fond du Lac
21 Winnebago Coles Bashford Rep. Oshkosh
22 Dodge Ezra A. Bowen Dem. Mayville
23 Adams, Marquette, Sauk, Waushara Edwin B. Kelsey Dem. Montello
24 Green Francis H. West Rep. Monroe
25 Columbia John Q. Adams Rep. Fall River

Members of the Assembly[]

Members of the Assembly for the Eighth Wisconsin Legislature (82):

Assembly partisan representation
  Democratic: 34 seats
  Independent: 4 seats
  Republican: 44 seats
Senate
District
County District Representative Party Residence
23 Adams & Sauk Richard H. Davis Rep. Baraboo
19 Bad Ax & Crawford James Fisher Dem. Prairie du Chien
02 Brown, Door, Kewaunee Morgan L. Martin Ind. Green Bay
19 Buffalo, Chippewa, La Crosse Chase A. Stevens Dem. La Crosse
01 Calumet Almond Merrill Rep. Charlestown
25 Columbia 1 William T. Whirry Dem. Randolph
2 Alfred Topliff Rep. Columbus
11 Dane 1 Jonathan Mosher Rep. Stoughton
2 William R. Taylor Dem. Cottage Grove
3 Samuel G. Abbott Rep. Verona
4 George P. Thompson Dem. Cross Plains
5 Levi Baker Vilas Dem. Madison
22 Dodge 1 Narcisse M. Juneau Dem. Theresa
2 John B. Ribble Dem. Horicon
3 Fred F. Schwefel Ind. Lebanon
4 John D. Griffin Dem. Shields
5 Solomon L. Rose Dem. Beaver Dam
6 John M. Sherman Rep. Burnett
20 Fond du Lac 1 George W. Parker Rep. Metomen
2 Benjamin R. Harrington Rep. Byron
3 William H. Ebbets Dem. Fond du Lac
4 John Boyd Dem. Calumet
16 Grant 1 Allen Taylor Rep. Hazel Green
2 William Hull Dem. Potosi
3 William W. Field Rep. Platteville
4 William Cole Rep. Fennimore
5 Noah H. Virgin Rep. Beetown
24 Green Amos D. Kirkpatrick Rep. Dayton
15 Iowa 1 Stephen P. Hollenbeck Rep. Highland
2 John Love Rep. Mineral Point
14 Jefferson 1 Patrick Rogan Dem. Watertown
2 John G. Merriam Rep. Lake Mills
3 A. H. Van Norstrand Dem. Jefferson
4 John Gibb Dem. Ixonia
5 Willard Grant Rep. Hebron
08 Kenosha 1 Charles C. Sholes Rep. Kenosha
2 Philander Judson Rep. Bristol
13 Lafayette 1 James Earnest Dem. New Diggings
2 A. A. Townsend Rep. Shullsburg
3 Joseph White Dem. Cottage Inn
19 La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, & St. Croix Smith R. Gunn Rep. Prescott
01 Manitowoc James Bennett Rep. Manitowoc
02 Marathon & Portage Walter D. McIndoe Rep. Wausau
23 Marquette & Waushara 1 Harvey Grant Rep. Tichora
2 Samuel R. Rood Dem. Packwaukee
05 Milwaukee[3] 1 James B. Cross Dem. Milwaukee
2 Jasper Vliet Dem. Milwaukee
06 3 Edward O'Neill Dem. Milwaukee
4 I. E. Goodall Rep. Milwaukee
5 Edwin De Wolf Ind. Milwaukee
6 John Ruan Dem. Oak Creek
7 Peter Lavies Dem. Greenfield
05 8 Reuben Chase Rep. Wauwatosa
9 Frederick Moskowitt Dem. Milwaukee
02 Oconto, Outagamie, & Waupaca David Scott Dem. Appleton
03 Ozaukee 1 William H. Ramsey Dem. Ozaukee
2 Henry Blazer Dem. Mequon River
07 Racine 1 Thomas Falvey Dem. Racine
2 Alanson Filer Rep. Racine
3 Ebenezer Adams Rep. Yorkville
4 Caleb P. Barns Dem. Burlington
15 Richland Daniel L. Downs Dem. Richmond
18 Rock 1 Samuel G. Colley Rep. Beloit
2 Joseph Goodrich Rep. Milton
17 3 George H. Williston Rep. Janesville
4 Nathan B. Howard Rep. Magnolia
01 Sheboygan 1 Joseph Schrage Rep. Sheboygan
2 Luther H. Cary Rep. Greenbush
12 Walworth 1 Solmous Wakeley Rep. Whitewater
2 Daniel Hooper Rep. Troy
3 Samuel Pratt Rep. Spring Prairie
4 Levi Lee Rep. Elkhorn
5 Willard W. Isham Rep. Delavan
6 George Allen Rep. Linn
04 Washington 1 Byron Smith Dem. Erin
2 Mitchell L. Delaney Rep. Barton
09 Waukesha[4] 1 Benjamin F. Goss Dem. Pewaukee
2 Stephen Warren Rep. Delafield
10 3 Joseph Bond Dem. Mukwonago
4 Alexander W. Randall Ind.[5] Waukesha
21 Winnebago 1 George Gary Rep. Oshkosh
2 Ebenezer S. Welch Rep. Neenah

Employees[]

Senate employees[]

  • Chief Clerk: Samuel G. Bugh
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: William H. Gleason

Assembly employees[]

  • Chief Clerk: David Atwood
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: William Blake

References[]

  1. ^ Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Annals of the legislature" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 189–191.
  2. ^ Journal of the Assembly of Wisconsin (Report). Beriah Brown, Printer. 1855. p. 199. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "Official Returns". The Weekly Wisconsin. November 22, 1854. p. 1. Retrieved August 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Democratic Nominations". Waukesha Plain Dealer. November 1, 1854. p. 2. Retrieved September 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Waukesha County". Milwaukee Sentinel. November 9, 1854. p. 2. Retrieved September 3, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.

External links[]

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