The Office of the Commissioner of Railroads is the independent regulatory agency responsible for regulating railroads located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.[1]
The commissioner was originally much involved in fare setting for the railroads in Wisconsin. The Office of the Commissioner of Railroads is now largely focused on issues of safety. It is the state agency with primary responsibility for making determinations of the adequacy of warning devices at railroad crossings, along with other railroad related regulations. These duties include:
Installation of new highway/rail crossings
Alteration of existing crossings
Closing or consolidating existing crossings
Repair of rough crossings
Determining adequate railroad fences and
Exemptions from railroad track clearance laws
The commissioner's office consists of one full-time commissioner appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Wisconsin State Senate for a six-year term.[2] The current commissioner is Don Vruwink. The commissioner is assisted by a staff of four, as of January 29, 2021.[3]
History
Wisconsin regulation of railroads began with the 1874 passage of the "Potter Law" ("An act relating to Railroads, Express and Telegraph Companies in the State of Wisconsin," later Chapter 273 of the laws of 1874) regulating the freight rates charged by railroads, a central concern of the Grangers movement. The bill was introduced by RepublicanState SenatorRobert L. D. Potter and passed with the support of GovernorWilliam Robert Taylor's coalition of Democrats (such as George Howard Paul), reform Republicans, and Grangers (the "Reform party"), which had secured the election of Taylor as governor in 1873. The Board of Railroad Commissioners thus created consisted of three commissioners: John Wesley Hoyt, George Howard Paul, and J. H. Osborn.[4] When the law was challenged by powerful interests led by politician, financier and railroad owner Alexander Mitchell, a compromise with Mitchell was eventually worked out; but the reform coalition was nonetheless defeated in the 1875 election and the Potter Law was repealed in favor of a much weaker substitute body.
William Robert Taylor was an American politician and the 12th Governor of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1876.
Harrison Ludington was an American businessman, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as the 13th governor of Wisconsin and was the 20th and 22nd mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Thomas Richard Hudd was an American lawyer from Wisconsin who represented that state for two terms in the United States House of Representatives, as well as serving in both houses of that state's legislature and holding other public offices.
John Winans was an American lawyer and politician in Janesville, Wisconsin. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st congressional district, and served six years in the Wisconsin State Assembly representing Janesville and central Rock County. He also held several local offices, including two terms as Mayor of Janesville.
George Howard Paul was an American newspaperman, businessman, and politician. He was a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, served two terms in the Wisconsin State Senate representing southern Milwaukee County, and was the 5th Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin. He also served in various other state and local offices, including several years as a member and president of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.
Robert Lewis Dorr Potter was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served four years as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Waushara County and central Wisconsin. He is the namesake of the "Potter Law"—a railroad reform law from 1874 which established state regulation of Wisconsin railroads.
Elias Nelson White was an American farmer and produce dealer from Burlington, Wisconsin who spent three one-year terms (1874–1876) as a "People's Reform" member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
The Reform Party, also called Liberal Reform Party or People's Reform Party, was a short-lived coalition of Democrats, reform and Liberal Republicans, anti-temperance forces, and Grangers formed in 1873 in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, which secured the election for two years of William Robert Taylor as Governor of Wisconsin, as well as electing a number of state legislators.
Owen King was a lumber dealer from Helena, Wisconsin, who served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly representing part of Iowa County, being elected in 1874 as a Reform Party member, then in 1877 as a Greenbacker.
Richard Dewhurst was an English American immigrant, lawyer, judge, businessman, and politician. He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly for four non-consecutive terms over four different decades under four different political party labels ; and was defeated twice when running for election on the ticket of a fifth party, the Democratic.
John B. Kehl was an American merchant, miller, logger and banker from Wisconsin who served a one-year term as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Dane County before eventually settling in Chippewa Falls.
Samuel Decius Hubbard was an American farmer, livestock dealer, and politician who served four discontinuous terms over three decades as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. He also served as a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
Michael Johnson was an American farmer from Springdale, Wisconsin, who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Dane County, as well as holding various local offices.
Patrick Geraghty was an American farmer and schoolteacher from Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin who spent a single one-year term as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Sheboygan County.
Philo Quincy Boyden was an American pharmacist from Hudson, Wisconsin, who served two one-year terms as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Robert Samuel Houston was an American dairy farmer and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Kenosha County during the 1874 and 1891 sessions.
Job N. Grant was an American farmer from the Town of Wonewoc, Wisconsin, near Union Center, who held a number of local public offices, and spent a single one-year term as a Reform Party member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Juneau County.
Charles Beckman was an American farmer and politician from Watertown, Wisconsin, who held a number of public offices, from mayor to member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.
William Justan Fisk was an American businessman, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served three years in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1875–1878), representing Brown County. He was a prominent banker in Green Bay and was one of the legislators responsible for the repeal of the railroad regulating Potter Law in 1875.
The 1875 Wisconsin gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1875. Republican Party candidate Harrison Ludington was elected with 50% of the vote, narrowly defeating incumbent Democratic Governor William Robert Taylor.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
