29th Wisconsin Legislature
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The Twenty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 12, 1876, to March 14, 1876, 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 2, 1875. 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, 1874.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Harrison Ludington, of Milwaukee County, serving the first year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1875 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.
Major events
- January 3, 1876: Inauguration of Harrison Ludington as the 13th Governor of Wisconsin.
- February 2, 1876: The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs was founded at a meeting in Chicago.
- March 7, 1876: Alexander Graham Bell was granted a United States patent for the telephone.
- March 27, 1876: The United States Supreme Court decided the case United States v. Reese, narrowing the scope of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and enabling the creation of new laws to limit the voting rights of African Americans. On the same day, the court also decided the case United States v. Cruikshank, significantly limiting the power of the federal government to enforce civil rights protections.
- June 25 – June 26, 1876: 300 men of the 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment were killed by a force of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
- July 4, 1876: United States Centennial.
- November 7, 1876: The 1876 United States presidential election was held. Rutherford B. Hayes was the apparent winner of the electoral college votes, but the results were bitterly disputed due to various fraud schemes in southern states, and the fact that Samuel J. Tilden was the apparent winner of the popular vote.
Major legislation
- March 13, 1876: An Act to apportion the state into senate and assembly districts, .
Party summary
Senate summary
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dem. | Ref. | Lib.R. | Rep. | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Legislature | 9 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 33 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 33 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 36.36% | 63.64% | ||||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 8 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 33 | 0 |
Assembly summary
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dem. | Ref. | Ind. | Lib.R. | Rep. | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Legislature | 19 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 64 | 100 | 0 |
| Start of 1st Session | 35 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 100 | 0 |
| From Feb. 17 | 11 | 52 | 100 | 0 | |||
| Final voting share | 48% | 52% | |||||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 33 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 100 | 0 |
Sessions
- 1st Regular session: January 12, 1876 – March 14, 1876
Leaders
Senate leadership
- President of the Senate: Charles D. Parker (D)
- President pro tempore: Robert L. D. Potter (R)
Assembly leadership
Members
Members of the Senate
Members of the Senate for the Twenty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature:
Members of the Assembly
Members of the Assembly for the Twenty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature:
Employees
Senate employees
- Chief Clerk: Andrew Jackson Turner Assistant Clerk: J. F. A. Williams Bookkeeper: J. T. Huntington Engrossing Clerk: Ms. Georgie Clise Enrolling Clerk: J. T. Jacobson Transcribing Clerk: Ed. Borcherdt
- Sergeant-at-Arms: R. T. Gardner Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: George Hawley
- Postmaster: D. McBride Assistant Postmaster: C. A. Carter
- Gallery Attendant: R. B. Winsor Assistant Attendant: A. T. Conger Committee Room Attendants: H. A. Head Alfred Newgent C. H. Newton
- Doorkeepers: M. Lynch T. Torkelson S. F. Leavitt Hohn Hallahan
- Porter: T. H. Hanson
- Janitor: P. Gilluly
- Messengers: Arthur A. Hills Sherman G. Potter Daniel Trainer Herbert Rinder Eugene Abbott Fred Richards George Gewicke Lucien Pickarts Willie Scampton
Assembly employees
- Chief Clerk: Rollin M. Strong Assistant Clerk: Chester Deming Long Bookkeeper: William M. Fogo Engrossing Clerk: Mrs. Fannie Vilas Enrolling Clerk: R. A. Gillett Transcribing Clerk: J. P. Cooper Clerk for the Committee on Judiciary: Frank O. Wisner
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Elisha Starr Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: George H. Osgood
- Postmaster: John H. Manschot Assistant Postmaster: Fred M. Griswold
- Doorkeepers: Henry Matthews William F. Shallock T. E. Abbott E. S. Chase
- Committee Room Attendants: John Hannon W. H. Bell W. R. Kent Richard Prichard
- Gallery Attendants: W. Alten Frank Burgess
- Porter: W. F. Bingman
- Night Watch: C. F. Ainsworth
- Fireman: Thomas Nelson
- Speaker's Messenger: Charles Weight
- Chief Clerk's Messenger: Theo. Thorson
- Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: M. L. Parker
- Messengers: Willie Betts Walter Holt Joseph Ready Mark Baker Harry Meeker B. B. Jones Lyman Curtis James DeBauker Willie Plumb Julius Voltz Lucius Cannon Freddie D. Fagg Henry Delaney