18th Wisconsin Legislature

Wisconsin legislative term for 1865

18th Wisconsin Legislature

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Wisconsin State Capitol, 1863

Overview
Legislative body| Wisconsin Legislature
Meeting place| Wisconsin State Capitol
Term| January 2, 1865 – January 1, 1866
Election| November 8, 1864
Senate
Members| 33
Senate President| Wyman Spooner (U)
President pro tempore| Willard H. Chandler (U)
Party control| National Union
Assembly
Members| 100
Assembly Speaker| William W. Field (U)
Party control| National Union
Sessions
| 1st| January 11, 1865 – April 10, 1865

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The Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 11, 1865, to April 10, 1865, 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 8, 1864. 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 3, 1863.[1]

The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican James T. Lewis, of Columbia County, serving the second year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1863 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

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* January 31, 1865: The United States House of Representatives passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, banning slavery in the United States.
* March 4, 1865: Second inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln.
* April 3, 1865: Union Army forces occupied the Confederate capital city Richmond, Virginia, after a months-long siege.
* April 9, 1865: Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
* April 14, 1865: President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Washington, D.C.
* April 15, 1865: Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th President of the United States.
* May 10, 1865: Confederate States President Jefferson Davis was captured by the 4th Michigan Cavalry Regiment in Irwin County, Georgia, effectively ending the American Civil War.
* November 7, 1865: Lucius Fairchild elected Governor of Wisconsin.
* December 6, 1865: Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by the required three-fourths of U.S. states.

## Major legislation

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* February 7, 1865: Act to incorporate the Wisconsin soldiers' home, 1865 Act 16
* February 24, 1865: Joint Resolution ratifying proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 1865 Joint Resolution 5[2]

## Party summary

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### Senate summary

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Senate partisan composition

Democratic: 8 seats

National Union: 25 seats

| Party

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

| Total  |

|
|
|

|  |  |
Democratic | Union | Republican | Vacant
End of previous Legislature | 11  | 22  | 0  | 33  | 0
1st Session  | 8  | 25  | 0  | 33  | 0
Final voting share  | 24.24%  | 75.76%  |
Beginning of the next Legislature | 10  | 23  | 0  | 33  | 0

### Assembly summary

[edit]

Assembly partisan composition

Democratic: 33 seats

National Union: 67 seats

| Party

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

| Total  |

|
|
|

|  |  |
Democratic | Union | Republican | Vacant
End of previous Legislature | 29  | 71  | 0  | 100  | 0
Start of 1st Session  | 34  | 66  | 0  | 100  | 0
From January 19  | 33  | 99  | 1
From February 20  | 67  | 100  | 0
Final voting share  | 33%  | 67%  |
Beginning of the next Legislature | 34  | 66  | 0  | 100  | 0

## Sessions

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* 1st Regular session: January 11, 1865 – April 10, 1865

## Leaders

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### Senate leadership

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* President of the Senate: Wyman Spooner
* President pro tempore: Willard H. Chandler

### Assembly leadership

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* Speaker of the Assembly: William W. Field

## Members

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### Members of the Senate

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Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature:[3]

Senate partisan representation

Democratic: 8 seats

Union: 25 seats

District  | Counties  | Senator  | Residence  | Party

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01 | Sheboygan | John A. Bentley | Sheboygan | Union
02 | Brown, Kewaunee | Frederick S. Ellis | Green Bay | Dem.
03 | Ozaukee | Lyman Morgan | Ozaukee | Dem.
04 | Washington | Frederick O. Thorpe | West Bend | Dem.
05 | Milwaukee (Northern Part)  | William K. Wilson | Milwaukee | Dem.
06 | Milwaukee (Southern Part)  | Hugh P. Reynolds | Milwaukee | Dem.
07 | Racine | Jerome I. Case | Racine | Union
08 | Kenosha | Anthony Van Wyck | Kenosha | Union
09 | Adams, Juneau, Waushara | Henry G. Webb | Wautoma | Union
10 | Waukesha | William Blair | Waukesha | Union
11 | Dane (Eastern Part)  | Willard H. Chandler | Windsor | Union
12 | Walworth | Newton Littlejohn | Whitewater | Union
13 | Lafayette | Samuel Cole | Gratiot | Union
14 | Sauk | Smith S. Wilkinson | Prairie du Sac | Union
15 | Iowa | Wyman Lincoln | Avoca | Union
16 | Grant | Milas K. Young | Glen Haven | Union
17 | Rock | William A. Lawrence | Janesville | Union
18 | Dodge (Western Part)  | William E. Smith | Fox Lake | Union
19 | Manitowoc, Calumet | George B. Reed | Manitowoc | Dem.
20 | Fond du Lac | George F. Wheeler | Nanaupa | Union
21 | Winnebago | George S. Barnum | Waukau | Union
22 | Door, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawanaw | Joseph Harris | Sturgeon Bay | Union
23 | Jefferson | S. W. Budlong | Waterloo | Dem.
24 | Green | Walter S. Wescott | Monroe | Union
25 | Columbia | Jonathan Bowman | Monroe | Union
26 | Dane (Western Part)  | Thomas Hood | Madison | Union
27 | Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Wood | Milan H. Sessions | Waupaca | Union
28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix | Austin H. Young | Prescott | Union
29 | Marquette, Green Lake | G. DeWitt Elwood | Princeton | Union
30 | Bad Ax, Crawford, Richland | William Ketcham | Richland City | Union
31 | La Crosse, Monroe | John A. Chandler | Sparta | Union
32 | Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Trempealeau | Carl C. Pope | Black River Falls | Union
33 | Dodge (Eastern Part)  | Satterlee Clark | Horicon | Dem.

### Members of the Assembly

[edit]

Members of the Assembly for the Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature:[3]

Assembly partisan representation

Democratic: 33 seats

Union: 67 seats

Senate
District  | County  | District  | Representative  | Party  | Residence

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|
|
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09 | Adams | Revel K. Fay | Union  | Roche a Cri
28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk | Amos S. Gray (until Jan. 19) | Dem.  | Osceola
Albert C. Stuntz (from Jan. 19) | Union  | Bayfield
02 | Brown | William J. Abrams | Dem.  | Green Bay
32 | Buffalo, Pepin, Trempealeau | John Burgess | Union  | Maxville
19 | Calumet | Hector McLean | Dem.  | Stockbridge
32 | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire | Francis R. Church | Union  | Menomonie
Clark, Jackson | Richard Dewhurst | Union  | Neillsville
25 | Columbia | 1  | Levi W. Barden | Union  | Portage
2  | Jesse F. Hand | Union  | Rocky Run
3  | William Owen | Union  | Cambria
30 | Crawford | Ormsby B. Thomas | Union  | Prairie du Chien
11 | Dane | 1  | William M. Colladay | Union  | Stoughton
2  | Abram A. Boyce | Union  | Lodi
26 | 3  | David Ford | Dem.  | Leicester
4  | John S. Frary | Union  | Oregon
5  | James Ross | Union  | Madison
18 | Dodge | 1  | James M. McGuire (died Jan. 19) | Union  | Danville
Stoddard Judd (from Feb. 20) | Union  | Fox Lake
2  | Michael F. Lowth | Dem.  | Beaver Dam
3  | Oscar F. Jones | Dem.  | Juneau
33 | 4  | Peter Peters | Dem.  | Rubicon
5  | Ferdinand Gnewuch | Dem.  | Hustisford
22 | Door, Oconto, Shawano | Dennis A. Reed | Union  | Sturgeon Bay
20 | Fond du Lac | 1  | D. C. Van Ostrand | Union  | Ripon
2  | John H. Brinkerhoff | Union  | Waupun
3  | James Sawyer | Union  | Fond du Lac
4  | Thomas Boyd | Dem.  | Calumet
5  | Jonathan Large | Dem.  | Oakfield
16 | Grant | 1  | William Brandon | Union  | Smelser's Grove
2  | Allen Taylor | Union  | Dickeyville
3  | Henry Utt | Union  | Platteville
4  | William W. Field | Union  | Boscobel
5  | Robert Glenn | Union  | Wyalusing
24 | Green | 1  | William W. McLaughlin | Union  | Brooklyn
2  | David Dunwiddie | Union  | Brodhead
29 | Green Lake | Lorentus J. Brayton | Union  | Marquette
15 | Iowa | 1  | Elihu Goodsell | Dem.  | Highland
2  | Francis Little | Union  | Mineral Point
23 | Jefferson | 1  | Jonathan Piper | Dem.  | Ixonia
2  | Gardner Spoor | Union  | Aztalan
3  | Alanson Pike | Union  | Whitewater
4  | William P. Forsyth | Union  | Golden Lake
09 | Juneau | Eliphalet S. Miner | Union  | Necedah
08 | Kenosha | Zalmon G. Simmons | Union  | Kenosha
02 | Kewaunee | Lyman Walker | Dem.  | Kewaunee
31 | La Crosse | Townsend N. Horton | Union  | West Salem
13 | Lafayette | 1  | James Harker | Dem.  | New Diggings
2  | Sylvester W. Osborn | Union  | Darlington
19 | Manitowoc | 1  | Henry Mulholland | Dem.  | Meeme
2  | Michael Murphy | Dem.  | Maple Grove
3  | Charles B. Daggart | Dem.  | Two Rivers
27 | Marathon & Wood | H. W. Remington (until Jan. 19) | Dem.  | Grand Rapids
M. J. McRaith (from Jan. 19) | Dem.  | Montello
29 | Marquette | Spencer A. Pease | Dem.  | Milwaukee
05 | Milwaukee | 1  | Jackson Hadley | Dem.  | Milwaukee
2  | David Knab | Dem.  | Milwaukee
06 | 3  | James McGrath | Dem.  | Milwaukee
4  | DeWitt Davis | Union  | Milwaukee
5  | Jared Thompson Jr. | Dem.  | Milwaukee
05 | 6  | Jacob Obermann | Dem.  | Milwaukee
7  | Henry Fowler | Dem.  | Milwaukee
06 | 8  | John W. Weiler | Dem.  | Root Creek
9  | Richard White | Dem.  | Lamberton
31 | Monroe | Josiah M. Tarr | Union  | Tunnel City
22 | Outagamie | Samuel Ryan Jr. | Dem.  | Appleton
03 | Ozaukee | William T. Bonniwell Jr. | Dem.  | Cedarburg
28 | Pierce & St. Croix | Marcus Fulton | Union  | Hudson
27 | Portage | Newton H. Emmons | Union  | Stevens Point
07 | Racine | 1  | John Vaughan | Union  | Racine
2  | Elijah C. Salisbury | Union  | Union Grove
3  | Frederick A. Weage | Union  | Waterford
30 | Richland | Henry L. Eaton | Union  | Lone Rock
17 | Rock | 1  | Daniel Johnson | Union  | Evansville
2  | Solomon C. Carr | Union  | West Milton
3  | Henry S. Wooster | Union  | Clinton
4  | Edward P. King | Union  | Beloit
5  | John B. Cassoday | Union  | Janesville
6  | Daniel Mowe | Union  | Orfordville
14 | Sauk | 1  | William Palmer | Union  | Logansville
2  | Argalus W. Starks | Union  | Baraboo
01 | Sheboygan | 1  | Joseph Wedig | Dem.  | Sheboygan
2  | Cephas Whipple | Union  | Sheboygan Falls
3  | Charles Rogers | Union  | Hingham
4  | Edwin Slade | Union  | Glenbeulah
30 | Vernon | 1  | William H. Officer | Union  | Springville
2  | James Berry | Union  | Springville
12 | Walworth | 1  | Hezekiah C. Tilton | Union  | Allen's Grove
2  | Thomas Davis | Union  | Millard
3  | Benjamin F. Groesbeck | Union  | Tirade
4  | Horatio S. Winsor | Union  | Elkhorn
04 | Washington | 1  | George C. Williams | Dem.  | Hartford
2  | Mitchell L. Delaney | Dem.  | Barton
3  | Ernst Franckenberg | Dem.  | Newburg
10 | Waukesha | 1  | Thomas Weaver | Dem.  | Pewaukee
2  | John N. Cadby | Union  | Merton
3  | John B. Monteith | Union  | Genesee
4  | Myron Gilbert | Union  | Prospect Hill
27 | Waupaca | Reuben G. Doud | Union  | Weyauwega
09 | Waushara | Oscar Babcock | Union  | Dacotah
21 | Winnebago | 1  | William A. Knapp | Union  | Oshkosh
2  | Nathan Cobb | Union  | Neenah
3  | William Simmons | Union  | Nekimi

## Employees

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### Senate employees

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* Chief Clerk: Frank M. Stewart[3]
* Assistant Clerk: L. B. Hills
* Bookkeeper: S. Hauxhurst
* Engrossing Clerk: O. F. Clapp
* Enrolling Clerk: Thomas Marshall
* Transcribing Clerk: H. Harvey
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Nelson Williams
* 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: James L. Wilder
* 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: D. W. C. Wilson
* Sergeant-at-Arms' Porter: Thomas Goss
* Postmaster: Frank Leland
* Assistant Postmaster: W. S. Williams
* Doorkeeper: J. P. Miller
* Assistant Doorkeeper: George D. Potter
* Assistant Doorkeeper: S. J. Abbott
* Assistant Doorkeeper: Eames Wadsworth
* Assistant Doorkeeper: Norman McBeath
* Assistant Doorkeeper: August Wandrey
* Firemen:
* James Yates
* Roswell Stow
* Fireman and Porter: William Holden
* Messengers:
* Jonathan C. Hutchins
* Rufus H. Roys
* C. C. Frey
* Thomas Goss
* Seymour Stoughton

### Assembly employees

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* Chief Clerk: John S. Dean[3]
* Assistant Clerk: Ephraim W. Young
* Bookkeeper: William M. Newcomb
* Engrossing Clerk: L. R. Davis
* Enrolling Clerk: J. H. Balch
* Transcribing Clerk: R. H. Blodgett
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Alonzo Wilcox
* 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Lewis M. Hammond
* 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: E. H. Bartholt
* Postmaster: Hiram Morley
* 1st Assistant Postmaster: Hiram Beckwith
* 2nd Assistant Postmaster: R. Law
* Doorkeepers:
* S. Raymond
* M. Colby
* H. H. Helms
* George D. Phinney
* Firemen:
* E. E. Brown
* John Grant
* F. K. Melvin
* Nelson Bowerman
* William Fitzpatrick
* G. A. Foss
* Speaker's Messenger: William P. Beach
* Chief Clerk's Messenger: James E. Dean
* Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: Louis Sholes
* Gallery Attendant: S. Nye Jr.
* Messengers:
* George F. Williston
* Frederic A. Frank
* Howard W. Tilton
* Linus S. Webb
* Alfred F. Bishop
* Frank Mason
* Harvey Olin
* Nicholas F. Weber
* John S. Young
* Richard C. Notbohm

## References

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1. ^ Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Annals of the Legislature" (PDF). The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 210–212. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
2. ^ "Ratification of Constitutional Amendments" The U.S. Constitution Online USConstitution.net
3. ^ a b c d Stewart, Frank M.; Dean, John S., eds. (1865). "Legislative Department" (PDF). The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 76–77, 88–91. Retrieved June 9, 2021.

## Notes

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## External links

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