9th Wisconsin Legislature

The Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1856, to March 31, 1856, in regular session, and re-convened from September 3, 1856, to October 14, 1856.

9th Wisconsin Legislature
8th 10th
Wisconsin State Capitol, 1855
Overview
Legislative bodyWisconsin Legislature
Meeting placeWisconsin State Capitol
TermJanuary 7, 1856 – January 5, 1857
ElectionNovember 6, 1855
Senate
Members25
Senate PresidentArthur MacArthur Sr. (D)
President pro temporeLouis P. Harvey (R)
Party controlRepublican
Assembly
Members82
Assembly SpeakerWilliam Hull (D)
Party controlDemocratic
Sessions
1stJanuary 9, 1856 – March 31, 1856
2ndSeptember 3, 1856 – October 14, 1856

This was a pivotal legislative session in the fall of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin and the rise of the new Republican Party—the Republicans would dominate the state government for most of the next 100 years. The start of the session saw the dispute over the 1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, in which the Democratic incumbent governor, William A. Barstow, was forced to resign from office three months into this term after the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out a number of apparently fraudulent votes.

Before he left office however, Barstow was involved in an extensive railroad bribery scandal, which ultimately also implicated his Republican challenger, Coles Bashford, and a huge portion of the members of the 9th Wisconsin Legislature. The scheme saw railroad promoters, led by Milwaukee mayor Byron Kilbourn, bribing legislators and other state officials with railroad company bonds and stock in exchange for securing land grants for the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad route. An 1858 investigation found $900,000 worth of bribes had been paid (nearly $33,000,000 adjusted for inflation), averaging $10,000 per official. Although legislators from both parties received the corrupt bonds, Democrats ultimately took the bulk of the blame.[1][2]

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 even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 6, 1855. 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 7, 1854.[3]

Major events

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Major legislation

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Party summary

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Senate summary

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Senate partisan composition
  Democratic: 12 seats
  Republican: 13 seats
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Ind. Republican Vacant
End of previous Legislature 13 1 11 25 0
1st Session 12 0 13 25 0
Final voting share 48% 0% 52%
Beginning of the next Legislature 11 0 19 30 0

Assembly summary

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Assembly partisan composition
  Democratic: 47 seats
  Independent: 1 seat
  Republican: 34 seats
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Ind. Republican Vacant
End of previous Legislature 34 4 44 82 0
start of 1st Session 45 1 36 82 0
January 15 46 1 35 82 0
Final voting share 56.1% 1.22% 42.68%
Beginning of the next Legislature 34 0 63 97 0

Sessions

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  • 1st Regular session: January 9, 1856 – March 31, 1856
  • 2nd Regular session: September 3, 1856 – October 14, 1856

Leaders

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Senate leadership

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Assembly leadership

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Members

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Members of the Senate

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Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Ninth Wisconsin Legislature:

 
Senate partisan representation
  Democratic: 12 seats
  Republican: 13 seats
District Counties Senator Party Residence
01 Calumet, Manitowoc, Sheboygan David Taylor Rep. Sheboygan
02 Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Marathon, Oconto, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca Perry H. Smith Dem. Appleton
03 Ozaukee Bolivar G. Gill Dem. Grafton
04 Washington Baruch S. Weil Dem. Schleisingerville
05 Milwaukee (Northern Half) Jackson Hadley Dem. Milwaukee
06 Milwaukee (Southern Half) Edward O'Neill Dem. Milwaukee
07 Racine Charles Clement Rep. Racine
08 Kenosha C. Latham Sholes Rep. Kenosha
09 Waukesha (Northern Half) Denison Worthington Rep. Summit
10 Waukesha (Southern Half) Edward Gernon Dem. Genesee
11 Dane Hiram H. Giles Rep. Stoughton
12 Walworth Jesse C. Mills Rep. Elkhorn
13 Lafayette Charles Dunn Dem. Cottage Inn
14 Jefferson S. W. Barnes Dem. Waterloo
15 Iowa & Richland Amasa Cobb Rep. Mineral Point
16 Grant J. Allen Barber Rep. Lancaster
17 Rock (Western Part) James Sutherland Rep. Janesville
18 Rock (Eastern Part) 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 Edward Pier Rep. Fond du Lac
21 Winnebago John Fitzgerald Dem. Oshkosh
22 Dodge S. L. Rose Dem. Beaver Dam
23 Adams, Marquette, Sauk, Waushara Edwin B. Kelsey Dem. Montello
24 Green George E. Dexter Rep. Monroe
25 Columbia John Q. Adams Rep. Fall River

Members of the Assembly

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Members of the Assembly for the Ninth Wisconsin Legislature:

 
Assembly partisan representation
  Democratic: 47 seats
  Independent: 1 seat
  Republican: 34 seats
Senate
District
County District Representative Party Residence
23 Adams, Sauk David K. Noyes Rep. Baraboo
19 Bad Ax, Crawford Andrew Briggs Dem. Bad Ax
02 Brown, Door, & Kewaunee John Day Dem. Green Bay
19 Buffalo, Chippewa, & La Crosse Dugald D. Cameron Rep. La Crosse
01 Calumet James Cramond Dem. Manchester
25 Columbia 1 Moses M. Davis Rep. Portage
2 Oliver C. Howe Rep. Lowville
11 Dane 1 Charles R. Head Rep. Albion
2 Augustus A. Huntington Dem. York
3 William M. Colladay Rep. Dunn
4 George P. Thompson Dem. Cross Plains
5 Augustus A. Bird Dem. Madison
22 Dodge 1 Benjamin F. Barney Dem. Williamstown
2 Daniel Fletcher Dem. Hustisford
3 Lawrence Connor Dem. Emmet
4 Fred H. Ehinger Dem. Clyman
5 Charles Burchard Rep. Beaver Dam
6 Henry Butterfield Rep. Waupun
20 Fond du Lac 1 George W. Parker Rep. Metomen
2 Peter Johnson Dem. Ashford
3 Isaac Brown Dem. Fond du Lac
4 Joseph Wagner Dem. Marshfield
16 Grant 1 Allen Taylor Rep. Hazel Green
2 William Hull Dem. Potosi
3 James T. Brown Rep. Clifton
4 Joseph T. Mills Rep. Lancaster
5 Horace Catlin Dem. Cassville
24 Green Martin Flood Rep. Brooklyn
15 Iowa 1 Ephraim Knowlton Dem. Highland
2 Richard M. Smith Dem. Mineral Point
14 Jefferson 1 William Chappell Dem. Watertown
2 Henry C. Drake Rep. Milford
3 David L. Morrison Dem. Koskonong
4 William W. Woodman Dem. Farmington
5 Darius Reed Rep. Sullivan
08 Kenosha 1 Henry Johnson Rep. Kenosha
2 Franklin Newell Rep. Paris
13 Lafayette 1 Matthew Murphy Dem. Benton
2 Hamilton H. Gray Dem. Shullsburg
3 James H. Knowlton Rep. Darlington
19 La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, & St. Croix Almon D. Gray Dem. Hudson
01 Manitowoc Charles H. Walker Dem. Manitowoc
02 Marathon, Portage Joseph Wood Rep. Grand Rapids
23 Marquette, Waushara 1 William F. Chipman Rep. Warren
2 Horatio S. Thomas Dem. Moundville
05 Milwaukee 1 Joshua Starks Dem. Milwaukee
2 Augustus Greulich Dem. Milwaukee
06 3 William A. Hawkins Rep. Milwaukee
4 George Hahn Dem. Milwaukee
5 John Mitchell Dem. Milwaukee
6 Andrew McCormick Dem. Milwaukee
7 Peter Lavies Dem. Greenfield
05 8 Henry Crawford Dem. Wauwatosa
9 John Tobin Dem. Granville
02 Oconto, Outagamie, Waupaca William Brunquest (until Jan. 15) Rep. Waupaca
Louis Bostedo (from Jan. 15) Dem. Weyauwega
03 Ozaukee 1 Charles Beger Dem. Port Washington
2 William Vogenitz Dem. Cedarburg
07 Racine 1 Thomas Falvey Dem. Racine
2 Eliphalet Cram Dem. Racine
3 John T. Palmer Dem. Norway
4 Patrick G. Cheves Rep. Waterford
15 Richland Robert Aken Ind. Richland
18 Rock 1 Horatio J. Murray Rep. Turtle
2 John Child Rep. Lima
17 3 Levi Alden Rep. Janesville
4 John M. Evans Rep. Union
01 Sheboygan 1 William Whippermann Dem. Mosel
2 Reed C. Brazelton Rep. Scott
12 Walworth 1 James Lauderdale Rep. La Grange
2 Robert T. Seymour Rep. Lafayette
3 John F. Potter Rep. East Troy
4 Asa W. Farr Dem. Geneva
5 Salmon Thomas Rep. Darien
6 William D. Chapin Rep. Bloomfield
04 Washington 1 Thomas Hayes Dem. Richfield
2 John Sell Dem. Addison
09 Waukesha 1 Jeremiah Noon Rep. Merton
2 James Weaver Dem. Lisbon
10 3 John James Dem. Eagle
4 Charles S. Hawley Rep. Waukesha
21 Winnebago 1 Lucius B. Townsend Rep. Nepeuskun
2 John Anunson Dem. Winchester

Employees

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Senate employees

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  • Chief Clerk: Byron Paine
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Joseph Baker

Assembly employees

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  • Chief Clerk: James Armstrong
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Egbert Moseley

References

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  1. ^ "The Corruptionists–––Who are They!". Wisconsin State Journal. October 30, 1858. p. 2. Retrieved February 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Report of the Land Grant Investigation–Startling Disclosures–nearly the whole Legislature of 1856 bought up". Vernon County Cencsor. May 26, 1858. p. 2. Retrieved February 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Annals of the legislature". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1881 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 191–192.
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