4th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly
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The Fourth Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory convened from December 5, 1842, to April 17, 1843, from December 4, 1843, to January 31, 1844, from January 6, 1845, to February 24, 1845, and from January 5, 1846, to February 3, 1846, in regular session.
The first session of this Legislative Assembly was effected by a dispute with the Governor over whether or not the session was legally sanctioned by Congress. The session was adjourned twice, and finally came back into session on the governor's request in March 1843, when they finished their business. This Legislative Assembly was also unusually long, spanning four general elections (1843, 1844, 1845, & 1846).
Major events
- May 22, 1843: The first major wagon train departed from Missouri with 1,000 settlers on the Oregon Trail to the northwest.
- May 24, 1844: The first electrical telegram was sent by Samuel Morse from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to the B&O Railroad "outer depot" in Baltimore, saying "What hath God wrought".
- June 21, 1844: Nathaniel P. Tallmadge appointed 3rd Governor of the Wisconsin Territory.
- September 23, 1844: Morgan Lewis Martin elected delegate to the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Territory's at-large congressional district.
- November 1 – December 4, 1844: James K. Polk elected President of the United States.
- January 23, 1845: The United States Congress established a uniform date for the holding of federal elections—the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, on even-numbered years.
- March 1, 1845: President John Tyler signed a bill approving the annexation of Texas.
- March 4, 1845: Inauguration of James K. Polk as the 11th President of the United States.
- April 8, 1845: Henry Dodge appointed 4th Governor of the Wisconsin Territory.
- December 2, 1845: President James K. Polk announced to Congress that the Monroe Doctrine should be strictly enforced, and that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
- December 29, 1845: Texas was admitted to the United States as the 28th U.S. state.
- April 25, 1846: The Thornton Affair occurred on disputed land between Texas and Mexico, initiating the Mexican–American War.
- May 13, 1846: The United States officially declared war on Mexico.
- June 10, 1846: The California Republic declared independence from Mexico.
- August 3, 1846: Abraham Lincoln was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Illinois's 7th congressional district.
- October 5 – December 16, 1846: The first Wisconsin constitutional convention was held in Madison, Wisconsin Territory.
Major legislation
- March 23, 1843: An Act fixing the time of holding the annual sessions of the Legislative Assembly, and for other purposes.
- April 10, 1843: An Act to repeal an act incorporating the State Bank of Wisconsin.
- April 17, 1843: An Act to abolish certain offices therein named. Abolished the offices of "district attorney" which were previously multi-county officials. County governments were instead empowered by this act to each appoint a prosecuting attorney.
- April 17, 1843: An Act to provide for completing a new roof upon the capitol, and for other purposes.
- April 17, 1843: An Act concerning removals from office. Required the Governor to make written notification when removing a person from office. The act was originally vetoed by the Governor, but the veto was overridden by the Assembly.
- January 24, 1844: An Act prescribing the time of holding the annual session of the Legislative Assembly. Set the start of the legislative session as the first Monday of January.
- January 26, 1844: An Act to submit to the people of Wisconsin the question of the expediency of forming a state government.
- January 30, 1845: Resolution to declare the name of the Territory, "Wisconsin."
- January 31, 1846: An Act in relation to the formation of a State Government in Wisconsin.
Sessions
- 1st session: December 5, 1842 – April 17, 1843
- 2nd session: December 4, 1843 – January 31, 1844
- 3rd session: January 6, 1845 – February 24, 1845
- 4th session: January 5, 1846 – February 3, 1846
Leadership
Council President
- Moses M. Strong (D) – during the 1st & 3rd sessions
- Marshall Strong (D) – during the 2nd session
- Nelson Dewey (D) – during the 4th session
Speaker of the House of Representatives
- Albert G. Ellis (D) – during 1st session
- George H. Walker (D) – during 2nd & 3rd sessions
- Mason C. Darling (D) – during 4th session
Members
Members of the Council
| Counties | Councillor | Session(s) | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |||
| Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Marquette, Portage, Sheboygan & Winnebago | Morgan L. Martin | Y | Y | Dem. | ||
| Randall Wilcox | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Crawford, Chippewa, La Pointe, & St. Croix | Theophilus La Chappelle | Y | Y | Dem. | ||
| Wiram Knowlton | Y | Y | Ind. | |||
| Dane, Dodge, Green, Jefferson, & Sauk | Lucius I. Barber | Y | Y | Whig | ||
| John Catlin | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Grant | John H. Rountree | Y | Y | Y | Y | Whig |
| Nelson Dewey | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. | |
| Iowa | Moses M. Strong | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Milwaukee & Washington | Hans Crocker | Y | Y | Dem. | ||
| Lemuel White | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| David Newland | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Adam E. Ray | Y | |||||
| James Kneeland | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Jacob H. Kimball | Y | Y | ||||
| Curtis Reed | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Racine | Consider Heath | Y | ||||
| Peter D. Hugunin | Y | |||||
| Michael Frank | Y | Y | Y | Dem. | ||
| Marshall Strong | Y | Y | Y | Dem. | ||
| Rock & Walworth | Charles M. Baker | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Edward V. Whiton | Y | Y | Y | Y | Whig |
Members of the House of Representatives
Members of the House of Representatives for the Fourth Wisconsin Territorial Assembly:
| Counties | Representative | Session(s) | Party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | |||
| Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Marquette, Portage, Sheboygan & Winnebago | Albert G. Ellis | Y | Y | Dem. | ||
| Mason C. Darling | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. | |
| David Agry | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Abraham Brawley | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| William Fowler | Y | |||||
| Elisha Morrow | Y | |||||
| Crawford, Chippewa, La Pointe, & St. Croix | John H. Manahan | Y | Y | Dem. | ||
| James Fisher | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Dane, Dodge, Green, Jefferson, & Sauk | Isaac H. Palmer | Y | Y | Whig | ||
| Lyman Crossman | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Robert Masters | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Charles S. Bristol | Y | |||||
| Noah Phelps | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| George H. Slaughter | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Mark R. Clapp | Y | |||||
| William M. Dennis | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Grant | Franklin Z. Hicks | Y | Y | Y | Whig | |
| Alonzo Platt | Y | Y | Whig | |||
| Glendower M. Price | Y | Y | Whig | |||
| Thomas P. Burnett | Y | Y | ||||
| Thomas Cruson | Y | Y | Whig | |||
| Armstead C. Brown | Y | Whig | ||||
| Iowa | Robert M. Long | Y | Y | Dem. | ||
| Moses Meeker | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| William S. Hamilton | Y | Whig | ||||
| George Messersmith | Y | Whig | ||||
| James Collins | Y | Whig | ||||
| Robert C. Hoard | Y | Y | ||||
| Solomon Oliver | Y | |||||
| Henry M. Billings | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Charles Pole | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Milwaukee & Washington | Andrew E. Elmore | Y | Y | Whig | ||
| Benjamin Hunkins | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Thomas H. Olin | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Jonathan Parsons | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Jared Thompson | Y | Y | Whig | |||
| George H. Walker | Y | Y | Y | Dem. | ||
| Charles E. Brown | Y | |||||
| Pitts Ellis | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Byron Kilbourn | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Benjamin H. Mooers | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| William Shew | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Samuel H. Barstow | Y | |||||
| John Crawford | Y | Dem. | ||||
| James Magone | Y | |||||
| Luther Parker | Y | Dem. | ||||
| William H. Thomas | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Racine | Philander Judson | Y | Whig | |||
| John T. Trowbridge | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Peter Van Vliet | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Levi Grant | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Ezra Birchard | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Robert McClellan | Y | |||||
| Orson Sheldon | Y | Y | ||||
| Albert G. Northway | Y | |||||
| Andrew B. Jackson | Y | Dem. | ||||
| Julius Wooster | Y | |||||
| Rock & Walworth | John Hopkins | Y | Y | Whig | ||
| James Tripp | Y | Y | Whig | |||
| John M. Capron | Y | Y | Whig | |||
| William A. Bartlett | Y | Y | Dem. | |||
| Stephen Field | Y | |||||
| Jesse C. Mills | Y | Whig | ||||
| Salmon Thomas | Y | Whig | ||||
| Jesse Moore | Y | Whig | ||||
| Ira Jones | Y | |||||
| Caleb Crosswell | Y | |||||
| Warren Earl | Y | |||||
| Gaylord Graves | Y | Dem. |
Employees
Council employees
- Secretary: John V. Ingersol, 1st session, resigned March 31, 1843 John P. Sheldon, 1st session, following Ingersol's resignation Ben C. Eastman, 2nd, 3rd & 4th sessions, resigned Jan. 19, 1846 William Rudolph Smith, 4th session, following Eastman's resignation
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles C. Brown, 1st session G. C. S. Vail, 2nd session Charles H. Larkin, 3rd session Joseph Brisbois, 4th session
House employees
- Chief Clerk: John Catlin, 1st & 2nd sessions La Fayette Kellogg, 3rd & 4th sessions
- Sergeant-at-Arms: William S. Anderson, 1st session J. W. Trowbridge, 2nd session Chauncey Davis, 3rd session David Bonham, 4th session