27th Wisconsin Legislature

27th Wisconsin Legislature
26th 28th
Wisconsin State Capitol, 1863
Overview
Legislative bodyWisconsin Legislature
Meeting placeWisconsin State Capitol
TermJanuary 5, 1874 – January 4, 1875
ElectionNovember 4, 1873
Senate
Members33
Senate PresidentCharles D. Parker (D)
President pro temporeJohn C. Holloway (R)
Party controlRepublican
Assembly
Members100
Assembly SpeakerGabriel Bouck (D)
Party controlDemocratic
Sessions
1stJanuary 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]

Major events

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 Referred to in historical documents and newspapers as the "Potter Law" for its chief sponsor Robert L. D. Potter.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

Assembly leadership

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
  • 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. ^ a b c d 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.