27th Wisconsin Legislature

27th Wisconsin Legislature
← 26th 28th →
Wisconsin State Capitol, 1863
Overview
Legislative body	Wisconsin Legislature
Meeting place	Wisconsin State Capitol
Term	January 5, 1874 – January 4, 1875
Election	November 4, 1873
Senate
Members	33
Senate President	Charles D. Parker (D)
President pro tempore	John C. Holloway (R)
Party control	Republican
Assembly
Members	100
Assembly Speaker	Gabriel Bouck (D)
Party control	Democratic
Sessions
1st January 14, 1874 – March 12, 1874

The Twenty-Seventh Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 14, 1874, to March 12, 1874, in regular session.

This was the first session since 1856 in which the Democratic Party held control of the Assembly.

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 4, 1873. 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 5, 1872. ^[1]

The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Democrat William Robert Taylor, of Dane County, serving the first year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1873 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

Major events

• January 5, 1874: Inauguration of William Robert Taylor as 12th governor of Wisconsin.
• June 16, 1874: Wisconsin Supreme Court chief justice Luther S. Dixon resigned from the court. Governor William Robert Taylor immediately appointed Milwaukee city attorney Edward George Ryan to become the 5th chief justice.
• July 1, 1874: The Sholes and Glidden typewriter was first marketed in the United States, it was principally designed by Wisconsin resident C. Latham Sholes.
• October 9, 1874: The Treaty of Bern was signed, establishing a General Postal Union for the coordination of international mail deliveries.
• November 25, 1874: The Greenback Party was established as a United States political party, composed mostly of farmers suffering the financial effects of the Panic of 1873.

Major legislation

• February 26, 1874: An Act to prohibit certain provisions and conditions in contracts, 1874 Act 60. Outlawed contract terms which attempted to remove contract disputes from court jurisdiction.
• March 7, 1874: Joint Resolution providing for biennial sessions of the legislature and compensation of members, 1874 Joint Resolution 5. Proposed an amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin to change Assembly terms from one year to two years. This version of the amendment would be defeated, but a later attempt at the same change would be approved in 1882.
• March 10, 1874: An Act to regulate railroads in certain respects, 1874 Act 227. Required that railroad lines passing through populated areas must make at least one stop in that area per day.
• March 11, 1874: An Act relating to railroads, express and telegraph companies, in the state of Wisconsin, 1874 Act 273. Implemented regulation of railroad freight and passenger rates, and established the Wisconsin Railroad Commission to enforce the new law. Referred to in historical documents and newspapers as the "Potter Law" for its chief sponsor Robert L. D. Potter.
• March 12, 1874: An Act in relation to railroads, 1874 Act 341. Declared that all railroad lines in the state would be common carriers, and carry each others passengers and cars without discrimination.

Party summary

Senate summary

Senate partisan composition

  Democratic: 12 seats

  Reform: 2 seats

  Liberal Republican: 2 seats

  Republican: 17 seats

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)				Total
	Dem.	Ref.	Lib.R.	Rep.		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	10	0	2	21	33	0
1st Session	12	2	2	17	33	0
Final voting share	48.48%			51.52%
Beginning of the next Legislature	9	5	2	17	33	0

Assembly summary

Assembly partisan composition

  Democratic: 29 seats

  Reform: 15 seats

  Independent: 3 seats

  Liberal Republican: 12 seats

  Republican: 41 seats

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)					Total
	Dem.	Ref.	Ind.	Lib.R.	Rep.		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	32	0	0	7	61	100	0
1st Session	29	15	3	12	41	100	0
Final voting share	59%				41%
Beginning of the next Legislature	19	13	0	4	64	100	0

Sessions

• 1st Regular session: January 14, 1874 –March 12, 1874

Leaders

Senate leadership

• President of the Senate: Charles D. Parker (D)
• President pro tempore: John Chandler Holloway (R)

Assembly leadership

• Speaker of the Assembly: Gabriel Bouck (D)

Members

Members of the Senate

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

Senate partisan representation

  Democratic: 12 seats

  Reform: 2 seats

  Lib. Rep.: 2 seats

  Republican: 17 seats

Dist.	Counties	Senator	Residence	Party
01	Sheboygan	Patrick H. O'Rourk	Lyndon	Dem.
02	Brown, Door, & Kewaunee	John M. Read	Kewaunee	Dem.
03	Milwaukee (Northern Part)	Frederick W. Cotzhausen	Milwaukee	Dem.
04	Monroe & Vernon	Adelbert Bleekman	Tomah	Rep.
05	Racine	Charles Herrick	Racine	Lib.R.
06	Milwaukee (Southern Half)	John Black	Milwaukee	Dem.
07	Dane (Eastern Part)	John A. Johnson	Madison	Rep.
08	Kenosha & Walworth	Thompson Weeks	Whitewater	Rep.
09	Iowa	Francis Little	Linden	Rep.
10	Waukesha	John A. Rice	Merton	Dem.
11	Lafayette	Francis Campbell	Gratiot	Rep.
12	Green	Harvey T. Moore	Brodhead	Ref.
13	Dodge	Samuel D. Burchard	Beaver Dam	Dem.
14	Sauk	John B. Quimby	Sauk City	Rep.
15	Manitowoc	Carl H. Schmidt	Manitowoc	Dem.
16	Grant	John C. Holloway	Lancaster	Rep.
17	Rock	Horatio N. Davis	Beloit	Rep.
18	Fond du Lac (Western Part)	William Hiner	Fond du Lac	Rep.
19	Winnebago	Robert McCurdy	Oshkosh	Rep.
20	Fond du Lac (Eastern Part)	Joseph Wagner	Marshfield	Dem.
21	Marathon, Oconto, Shawano, Waupaca, & Northern Outagamie	Myron H. McCord	Shawano	Rep.
22	Calumet & Southern Outagamie	Reinhard Schlichting	Chilton	Ref.
23	Jefferson	Walter S. Greene	Milford	Dem.
24	Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Pierce, Polk, & St. Croix	Henry D. Barron	St. Croix Falls	Rep.
25	Green Lake, Marquette, & Waushara	Robert L. D. Potter	Wautoma	Rep.
26	Dane (Western Part)	Romanzo E. Davis	Middleton	Lib.R.
27	Columbia	Evan O. Jones	Courtland	Rep.
28	Crawford & Richland	George Krouskop	Richland Center	Dem.
29	Adams, Juneau, Portage, & Wood	Thomas B. Scott	Grand Rapids	Rep.
30	Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire , & Pepin	Hiram P. Graham	Eau Claire	Dem.
31	La Crosse	Gideon Hixon	La Crosse	Rep.
32	Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, & Trempealeau	Robert C. Field	Sumner	Rep.
33	Ozaukee & Washington	Adam Schantz	Addison	Dem.

Members of the Assembly

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

Assembly partisan composition

  Democratic: 29 seats

  Reform: 15 seats

  Independent: 3 seats

  Liberal Republican: 12 seats

  Republican: 41 seats

Senate District	County	Dist.	Representative	Party	Residence
29	Adams & Wood		Charles A. Cady	Rep.	Dell Prairie
24	Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk		Sam Fifield	Rep.	Ashland
02	Brown & Southern Kewaunee	1	Morgan L. Martin	Ref.	Green Bay
		2	William H. Bartran	Rep.	Fort Howard
		3	Patrick Hobbins	Dem.	Holland
32	Buffalo		Augustus F. Finkelnburg	Rep.	Fountain City
22	Calumet		Benjamin F. Carter	Dem.	Harrison
30	Chippewa		James M. Bingham	Rep.	Chippewa Falls
32	Clark & Jackson		Mark Douglas	Rep.	Melrose
27	Columbia	1	Jonathan Bowman	Rep.	Newport
		2	Samuel Hasey	Rep.	Hampden
		3	Hiram W. Roblier	Rep.	Wyocena
28	Crawford		William H. Evans	Ref.	Clayton
07	Dane	1	John Johnson	Ind.	York
		2	Philo Dunning	Ref.	Madison
26		3	John Kehl	Dem.	Vermont
		4	Michael Johnson	Ref.	Springdale
13	Dodge	1	Edward J. Boomer	Rep.	Trenton
		2	David C. Gowdey	Dem.	Beaver Dam
		3	Darius L. Bancroft	Rep.	Chester
		4	Jacob Bodden	Dem.	Theresa
		5	August H. Lehmann	Ref.	Hustisford
		6	John Dunn Jr.	Dem.	Ashippun
02	Door & Northern Kewaunee		Dennis A. Reed	Ind.	Sturgeon Bay
30	Dunn & Pepin		Samuel L. Plummer	Rep.	Waterville
	Eau Claire		Thomas Carmichael	Ref.	Eau Claire
18	Fond du Lac	1	David Whitton	Ref.	Brandon
		2	Thomas S. Weeks	Dem.	Fond du Lac
20		3	James Lafferty	Dem.	Empire
16	Grant	1	Thomas Jenkins	Dem.	Platteville
		2	John B. Callis	Lib.R.	Lancaster
		3	Gottlieb Wehrle	Lib.R.	Fennimore
		4	Robert Glenn	Rep.	Wyalusing
12	Green		Charles R. Deniston	Rep.	Cadiz
25	Green Lake		Seymour M. Knox	Rep.	Green Lake
09	Iowa	1	William E. Rowe	Lib.R.	Arena
		2	William Robinson	Rep.	Moscow
23	Jefferson	1	Charles Beckman	Ref.	Watertown
		2	Austin Kellogg	Dem.	Concord
		3	Lucien B. Caswell	Rep.	Fort Atkinson
29	Juneau		John T. Kingston	Rep.	Necedah
08	Kenosha		Robert S. Houston	Ref.	Pleasant Prairie
31	La Crosse		Donald A. McDonald	Lib.R.	La Crosse
11	Lafayette		John F. Beard	Ref.	Gratiot
15	Manitowoc	1	Charles R. Zorn	Dem.	Schleswig
		2	Bryan S. Lorigan	Dem.	Maple Grove
		3	Joseph Rankin	Dem.	Manitowoc
21	Marathon		Willis C. Silverthorn	Ref.	Wausau
25	Marquette		William Murphy	Dem.	Douglas
03	Milwaukee	1	Alfred L. Cary	Dem.	Milwaukee
		2	Joseph Hamilton	Ref.	Milwaukee
06		3	James McGrath	Dem.	Milwaukee
		4	A. Warren Phelps	Lib.R.	Milwaukee
		5	Charles H. Larkin	Dem.	Milwaukee
03		6	Daniel H. Richards	Dem.	Milwaukee
06		7	Francis H. West	Lib.R.	Milwaukee
		8	Frederick Vogel	Lib.R.	Milwaukee
03		9	John L. Semmann	Dem.	Milwaukee
		10	Peter Porth	Dem.	Granville
06		11	James McIver	Ind.	Lake
04	Monroe	1	Eli Waste	Rep.	Sparta
		2	Thomas McCaul	Lib.R.	Tomah
21	Oconto		Henry M. Royce	Rep.	Oconto
22	Outagamie, Shawano , & Waupaca	1	George N. Richmond	Ref.	Appleton
21		2	Lorenzo E. Darling	Rep.	Ellington
		3	Columbus Caldwell	Rep.	Lind
33	Ozaukee	1	Edward R. Blake	Dem.	Ozaukee
		2	Adolphus Zimmermann	Dem.	Mequon
24	Pierce		James H. Persons	Rep.	Union
29	Portage		David R. Clements	Rep.	Stevens Point
05	Racine	1	Charles F. Bliss	Dem.	Racine
		2	Elias White	Ref.	Burlington
28	Richland	1	Joseph McGrew	Rep.	Richland Center
		2	Philip M. Smith	Rep.	Marshall
17	Rock	1	Marvin Osborne	Rep.	Magnolia
		2	Solomon C. Carr	Rep.	Milton
		3	Andrew Barlass	Rep.	Harmony
		4	Asahel Henderson	Rep.	Beloit
		5	John Winans	Ref.	Janesville
14	Sauk	1	Carl C. Kuntz	Lib.R.	Honey Creek
		2	David E. Welch	Rep.	Delton
01	Sheboygan	1	Julius Bodenstab	Lib.R.	Howard's Grove
		2	Samuel D. Hubbard	Lib.R.	Lyndon
		3	Louis Wolf	Dem.	Sheboygan Falls
24	St. Croix		Harvey Clapp	Rep.	New Richmond
32	Trempealeau		Noah D. Comstock	Rep.	Arcadia
04	Vernon	1	William Frazier	Rep.	Sterling
		2	Edgar Eno	Rep.	Forest
08	Walworth	1	Wilson R. Herron	Rep.	Sharon
		2	Francis A. Buckbee	Rep.	Spring Prairie
		3	William Burgit	Rep.	East Troy
33	Washington	1	Hiram W. Sawyer	Dem.	Hartford
		2	Jeremiah Riordan	Dem.	Trenton
10	Waukesha	1	William H. Hardy	Dem.	Genesee
		2	Henry J. Clasen	Dem.	Brookfield
25	Waushara		Charles H. Stowers	Rep.	Bloomfield
19	Winnebago	1	Gabriel Bouck	Dem.	Oshkosh
		2	William P. Peckham	Lib.R.	Neenah
		3	Carlton Foster	Rep.	Oshkosh
		4	Frank A. Leach	Rep.	Utica

Employees

Senate employees

• Chief Clerk: J. H. Waggoner ^[2]
  • Assistant Clerk: Robert A. Gillett
    • Bookkeeper: T. S. Ansley
  • Engrossing Clerk: Mrs. Fannie Vilas
  • Enrolling Clerk: W. L. Abbott
  • Transcribing Clerk: John W. Brackett
  • Clerk for the Committee on Engrossed Bills: E. S. Knight
  • Clerk for the Committee on Enrolled Bills: Will Bates
• Sergeant-at-Arms: O. U. Akin
  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: E. J. Cole
• Postmaster: A. J. White
  • Assistant Postmaster: Nils Michelet
• Doorkeeper: W. H. Bell
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: M. Lynch
  • Assistant Doorkeeper: M. H. Cram
  • Gallery Doorkeeper: J. A. Newman
  • Gallery Doorkeeper: J. K. Dunn
  • Committee Room Attendant: J. Williams
  • Night Watch: Fred Bright
• Lt. Governors Messenger: Wendell Paine
• Clerk's Messenger: Eddie McCurdy
• Messengers:
  • Fred Richards
  • Daniel Fitzpatrick
  • Charlie Colvin
  • Richard Murphy
  • Marcus Moody

Assembly employees

• Chief Clerk: George Wilbur Peck ^[2]
  • Assistant Clerk: Frank Hatch
    • Bookkeeper: J. W. Ryckman
  • Engrossing Clerk: J. C. Eggers
  • Enrolling Clerk: E. C. Enos
  • Transcribing Clerk: G. J. Patton
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Joseph Deuster
  • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Columbus Germain
• Postmaster: Agesilaus Wilson
  • Assistant Postmaster: A. S. Weil
• Doorkeepers:
  • B. S. Rollin
  • Michael Kelly
  • W. Hyde
• Night Watch: Bernard C. Wolter
• Fireman: Felix McLindon
• Committee Room Attendants:
  • D. S. Harkness
  • W. Hughes
  • Richard Donovan
  • Edward Flaherty
• Porter: David Goodell
• Speaker's Messenger: Clinton Snow
• Chief Clerk's Messenger: Winnie Hassell
• Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: Helson Bronnell
• Messengers:
  • Charles Johnson
  • Charles Murphy
  • James Foran
  • Frank Dunn
  • Willie Pitman
  • Charlie Whitton
  • Theodore Cooper
  • Walter Reyson

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. 231–233. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
2. Turner, A. J., ed. (1874). "Official Directory" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 448–480. Retrieved December 18, 2021.

External links

• 1874: Related Documents from Wisconsin Legislature