21st Wisconsin Legislature

21st Wisconsin Legislature
← 20th 22nd →
Wisconsin State Capitol, 1863
Overview
Legislative body	Wisconsin Legislature
Meeting place	Wisconsin State Capitol
Term	January 6, 1868 – January 4, 1869
Election	November 5, 1867
Senate
Members	33
Senate President	Wyman Spooner (R)
President pro tempore	Newton Littlejohn (R)
Party control	Republican
Assembly
Members	100
Assembly Speaker	Alexander M. Thomson (R)
Party control	Republican
Sessions
1st January 8, 1868 – March 6, 1868

The Twenty-First Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 8, 1868, to March 6, 1868, in regular session.

Senators representing even-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 5, 1867. 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 6, 1866. ^[1]

Major events

• February 24, 1868: The United States House of Representatives voted to impeach U.S. President Andrew Johnson for violating the Tenure of Office Act.
• April 29, 1868: General William Tecumseh Sherman brokered the Treaty of Fort Laramie between the United States and the Plains Indians.
• May 26, 1868: In the United States Senate, the impeachment trial of U.S. President Andrew Johnson ended with a verdict of "not guilty".
• July 9, 1868: Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by the required three-fourths of U.S. states.
• July 27, 1868: The U.S. Expatriation Act of 1868 was enacted.
• August 11, 1868: U.S. Representative Thaddeus Stevens, a leader of the Radical Republican faction, died at Washington, D.C.
• October 10, 1868: An uprising in Cuba initiated Ten Years' War for Cuban independence from the Spanish Empire.
• October 28, 1868: Thomas Edison applied for his first patent, the electric vote recorder.
• November 3, 1868: Ulysses S. Grant elected 18th President of the United States.
• December 25, 1868: U.S. President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to all American Civil War rebels.

Major legislation

• January 22, 1868: Joint Resolution declaring it to be the duty of the general government to protect American citizens in the enjoyment of all their rights as such while sojourning in foreign countries, 1868 Joint Resolution 1, endorsing the proposed federal Expatriation Act of 1868.
• February 6, 1868: An Act to punish frauds upon insurance companies, 1868 Act 14.
• February 19, 1868: An Act to abolish the office of bank comptroller, and transfer his duties to the state treasurer, 1868 Act 28.
• February 22, 1868: Joint Resolution defining the duty of the nation towards its native and adopted citizens, 1868 Joint Resolution 8, also relating to the proposed federal Expatriation Act of 1868.
• February 29, 1868: An Act to legalize dissections, 1868 Act 53.
• March 4, 1868: An Act to provide for the completion of the state capitol, 1868 Act 93.
• March 5, 1868: An Act to accept a grant of lands made to the state of Wisconsin by act of congress, to aid in the construction of the Sturgeon Bay and Lake Michigan ship canal and harbor, in the county of Door, to connect the waters of Green Bay with Lake Michigan, and to provide for the construction of the same, 1868 Act 105.
• March 6, 1868: Joint Resolution instructing senators and representatives in congress to preserve the equilibrium between the coordinate branches of government, 1868 Joint Resolution 23.
• March 6, 1868: An Act to authorize the state treasurer to close up the circulation of certain banks, and for other purposes, 1868 Act 144.
• March 6, 1868: An Act to transfer the war fund to the general fund and discontinue the war fund, 1868 Act 148.
• March 6, 1868: An Act to provide for establishing town libraries in this state, 1868 Act 174.

Party summary

Senate summary

Senate partisan composition

  Democratic: 15 seats

  Republican: 18 seats

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total
	Democratic	Union	Republican		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	11	20	0	31	2
1st Session	15	0	18	33	0
Final voting share	45.45%		54.55%
Beginning of the next Legislature	14	0	19	33	0

Assembly summary

Assembly partisan composition

  Democratic: 41 seats

  Republican: 59 seats

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total
	Democratic	Union	Republican		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	26	74	0	100	0
Start of 1st Session	41	0	59	100	0
Final voting share	41%		59%
Beginning of the next Legislature	32	0	68	100	0

Sessions

• 1st Regular session: January 8, 1868 –March 6, 1868

Leaders

Senate leadership

• President of the Senate: Wyman Spooner (R)
• President pro tempore: Newton Littlejohn (R)

Assembly leadership

• Speaker of the Assembly: Alexander M. Thomson (R)

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Twenty-First Wisconsin Legislature: ^[2]

Senate partisan representation

  Democratic: 15 seats

  Republican: 18 seats

Dist.	Counties	Senator	Residence	Party
01	Sheboygan	Robert H. Hotchkiss	Plymouth	Dem.
02	Brown, Door, Kewaunee	William J. Abrams	Green Bay	Dem.
03	Ozaukee	Lyman Morgan	Ozaukee	Dem.
04	Washington	Adam Schantz	Addison	Dem.
05	Milwaukee (Northern Half)	Henry L. Palmer	Milwaukee	Dem.
06	Milwaukee (Southern Half)	Charles H. Larkin	Milwaukee	Dem.
07	Racine	Henry Stevens	Caledonia	Rep.
08	Kenosha	Anthony Van Wyck	Kenosha	Rep.
09	Adams, Juneau, Monroe	DeWitt C. Wilson	Sparta	Rep.
10	Waukesha	Curtis Mann	Oconomowoc	Dem.
11	Dane (Eastern Part)	Clement Warner	Windsor	Rep.
12	Walworth	Newton Littlejohn	Whitewater	Rep.
13	Lafayette	James H. Earnest	Shullsburg	Dem.
14	Sauk	Stephen S. Barlow	Delton	Rep.
15	Iowa	Joel Whitman	Dodgeville	Rep.
16	Grant	George C. Hazelton	Boscobel	Rep.
17	Rock	Samuel J. Todd	Beloit	Rep.
18	Dodge (Western Part)	Henry W. Lander	Beaver Dam	Dem.
19	Manitowoc	George B. Reed	Manitowoc	Dem.
20	Fond du Lac	Edward S. Bragg	Fond du Lac	Dem.
21	Winnebago	William G. Ritch	Oshkosh	Rep.
22	Calumet, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano	William Young	Medina	Dem.
23	Jefferson	Gerrit T. Thorn	Jefferson	Dem.
24	Green	Henry Adams	Monticello	Rep.
25	Columbia	Robert B. Sanderson	Poynette	Rep.
26	Dane (Western Part)	Carl Habich	Madison	Dem.
27	Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Wood	Edward L. Browne	Waupaca	Rep.
28	Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, Pierce, St. Croix	William J. Copp	Prescott	Rep.
29	Green Lake, Marquette, Waushara	Henry G. Webb	Wautoma	Rep.
30	Crawford, Richland	William Ketcham	Richland Center	Rep.
31	La Crosse, Vernon	Justin W. Ranney	West Salem	Rep.
32	Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Trempealeau	Alfred W. Newman	Trempealeau	Rep.
33	Dodge (Eastern Part)	Satterlee Clark	Horicon	Dem.

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Twenty-First Wisconsin Legislature: ^[2]

Assembly partisan representation

  Democratic: 41 seats

  Republican: 59 seats

Senate District	County	District	Representative	Party	Residence
09	Adams		William J. Kershaw	Rep.	Big Spring
28	Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, Polk		Henry D. Barron	Rep.	St. Croix Falls
02	Brown	1	John B. Eugene	Rep.	Green Bay
		2	David Cooper Ayres	Rep.	Fort Howard
32	Buffalo		Conrad Moser Jr.	Rep.	Alma
22	Calumet		Casper H. M. Petersen	Dem.	New Holstein
32	Chippewa & Dunn		Samuel W. Hunt	Rep.	Menomonie
	Clark & Jackson		James O'Neill	Rep.	Neillsville
25	Columbia	1	Alanson Holly	Rep.	Kilbourn City
		2	Ira Ford	Rep.	Columbus
		3	David C. Davies	Rep.	Portage
30	Crawford		James Fisher	Dem.	Eastman
11	Dane	1	Nelson Williams	Rep.	Stoughton
		2	Knute Nelson	Rep.	Cambridge
26		3	Frank Gault	Dem.	Mendota
		4	Gunnuf Tollefson	Rep.	Mount Vernon
		5	Levi B. Vilas	Dem.	Madison
18	Dodge	1	Lawrence Connor	Dem.	Fox Lake
		2	Lewis M. Benson	Dem.	Lowell
33		3	Charles E. Goodwin	Dem.	Mayville
		4	George W. Colomy	Dem.	Alderley
02	Door & Kewaunee		Moses Kilgore	Dem.	Baileys Harbor
32	Eau Claire & Pepin		Horace W. Barnes	Rep.	Eau Claire
20	Fond du Lac	1	Henry C. Bottum	Rep.	West Rosendale
		2	Rollin C. Kelley	Rep.	Brandon
		3	David B. Conger	Rep.	Fond du Lac
		4	Seth A. Chase	Rep.	Fond du Lac
		5	Nicholas Klotz	Dem.	Eden
		6	Joseph Wagner	Dem.	Moria
16	Grant	1	Hanmer Robbins	Rep.	Platteville
		2	James H. Neaville	Dem.	Potosi
		3	Jeremiah Dodge	Rep.	Lancaster
		4	Matthew Birchard	Rep.	Fennimore
		5	Nathaniel W. Kendall	Rep.	Wyalusing
24	Green	1	Albert H. Pierce	Rep.	Monticello
		2	Jacob Mason	Rep.	Monroe
29	Green Lake		Ira Manley Jr.	Rep.	Markesan
15	Iowa	1	Goodwin Lowry	Dem.	Helena
		2	Jefferson Rewey	Rep.	Mifflin
23	Jefferson	1	Henry S. Howell	Dem.	Watertown
		2	Charles P. Goodrich	Rep.	Christiana
		3	Jonas Folts	Dem.	Bark River
		4	Franz G. L. Struve	Rep.	Helenville
09	Juneau		John O'Rourke	Dem.	Kildare
08	Kenosha		Jacob B. Shibley	Rep.	Bassett
31	La Crosse	1	Theodore Rodolf	Dem.	La Crosse
		2	Nathan P. Waller	Rep.	West Salem
13	Lafayette	1	Charles Pole	Dem.	Shullsburg
		2	Samuel Cole	Rep.	Gratiot
19	Manitowoc	1	John H. Bohne	Dem.	Meeme
		2	Richard Donovan	Dem.	Manitowoc
		3	David Smoke	Dem.	Manitowoc
27	Marathon & Wood		Willis C. Silverthorn	Dem.	Wausau
29	Marquette		Francis Russell	Dem.	Westfield
05	Milwaukee	1	Patrick Drew	Dem.	Milwaukee
		2	George Abert	Dem.	Milwaukee
06		3	James McGrath	Dem.	Milwaukee
		4	James M. Reynolds	Dem.	Milwaukee
		5	John Fellenz	Dem.	Milwaukee
05		6	Daniel H. Richards	Dem.	Milwaukee
		7	William A. Prentiss	Rep.	Milwaukee
		8	Henry C. Runkel	Dem.	Milwaukee
06		9	Patrick Walsh	Dem.	Hales Corners
		10	John Sullivan	Dem.	Ten Mile House
09	Monroe		Charles A. Hunt	Rep.	Melvina
22	Oconto & Shawano		Isaac Stephenson	Rep.	Marinette
22	Outagamie		Thomas R. Hudd	Dem.	Appleton
03	Ozaukee		Frederick W. Horn	Dem.	Cedarburg
28	Pierce		Eleazor Holt	Rep.	Maiden Rock
27	Portage		Benjamin Burr	Dem.	Stevens Point
07	Racine	1	Charles E. Dyer	Rep.	Racine
		2	Hiram L. Gilmore	Rep.	North Cape
30	Richland		Warren C. S. Barron	Rep.	Loyd
17	Rock	1	Burr Sprague	Rep.	Orfordville
		2	William C. Whitford	Rep.	Milton
		3	Almerin M. Carter	Rep.	Johnstown
		4	Charles H. Parker	Rep.	Beloit
		5	Alexander M. Thomson	Rep.	Janesville
14	Sauk	1	James I. Waterbury	Rep.	Prairie du Sac
		2	John Gillespie	Rep.	Dellona
01	Sheboygan	1	Joseph Wedig	Dem.	Sheboygan
		2	John A. Smith	Dem.	Glenbeulah
		3	George S. Graves	Rep.	Sheboygan Falls
28	St. Croix		Marcus Fulton	Rep.	Hudson
32	Trempealeau		John Nicholls	Rep.	Trempealeau
31	Vernon	1	Henry Chase	Rep.	Chaseburg
		2	Daniel B. Priest	Rep.	Viroqua
12	Walworth	1	Joseph F. Lyon	Rep.	Darien
		2	John A. Smith	Rep.	Geneva
		3	George A. Ray	Rep.	La Grange
04	Washington	1	George H. Kleffler	Dem.	West Bend
		2	Densmore W. Maxon	Dem.	Cedar Creek
10	Waukesha	1	Silas Barber	Dem.	Waukesha
		2	William Thompson	Rep.	Oconomowoc
		3	Adam Muehl	Dem.	St. Martin
27	Waupaca		Jarvis W. Carter	Rep.	New London
29	Waushara		Edgar Sears	Rep.	Pine River
21	Winnebago	1	Luther Buxton	Rep.	Oshkosh
		2	George W. Trask	Rep.	Winneconne
		3	Milo C. Bushnell	Rep.	Omro

Employees

Senate employees

• Chief Clerk: L. B. Hills ^[2]
  • Assistant Clerk: John S. Wilson
    • Bookkeeper: A. W. Wilson
  • Engrossing Clerk: W. L. Abbott
  • Engrossing Clerk: Joseph Copp
  • Transcribing Clerk: David Schreiner
• Sergeant-at-Arms: W. H. Hamilton
  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: S. M. Bond
  • Sergeant-at-Arms' Porter: Thomas Goss
• Postmaster: Frank Leland
  • Assistant Postmaster: J. S. Cavert
• Doorkeeper: Franklin Kelly
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: W. G. McEwen
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: Walter Cook
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: Henry Taylor
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: Thornton Thompson
• Fireman: Francis Downs
• Messengers:
  • Robert B. McCord
  • William Keyes
  • Charlton Turner

Assembly employees

• Chief Clerk: Ephraim W. Young ^[2]
  • Assistant Clerk: William M. Newcomb
    • Bookkeeper: O. A. Southmayd
  • Engrossing Clerk: Fred Dennett
  • Enrolling Clerk: William A. Prentiss Jr.
  • Transcribing Clerk: William H. Holt
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles L. Harris
  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Alex Stevens
• Postmaster: Luther Poland
  • Assistant Postmaster: D. B. Crandall
• Doorkeepers:
  • Henry Collins
  • Frank Fletcher
  • Thomas Healy
• Firemen:
  • Nahum Bangs
  • John Flood
• Porter: Edwin Glenn
• Speaker's Messenger: Frank Thompson
• Chief Clerk's Messenger: John J. Norton
• Messengers:
  • Thomas A. Robbins
  • T. W. Sutliff
  • William H. Denison
  • Charlie J. Johnson
  • James Burke
  • C. E. Conger

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. 217–219. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
2. "Legislative Department" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1868. pp. 167–168, 171–174. Retrieved November 4, 2021.