# Enoch Chase

Enoch Colby Chase (January 16, 1809 – August 23, 1892) was an American physician, businessman, and Milwaukee County pioneer. He served three years in the Wisconsin State Senate and five terms in the State Assembly, representing southern Milwaukee County.

## Early life

Chase was born in Derby, Vermont, and attended the school of medicine at Bowdoin College before graduating from Dartmouth College as a Doctor of Medicine in 1831. After living for a time in Coldwater, Michigan, and Chicago, Illinois, he moved to Wisconsin in 1835, settling in Milwaukee County, as a farmer and a manufacturer of brick and glassware.

## Political career

Chase served in various political positions in Wisconsin. He was a member of the Assembly three times, in 1852 and 1853 as a Whig and in 1870 as a Democrat. During his first term he was the Whig candidate for Speaker of the House but was defeated by Moses M. Strong. He represented the southern half of Milwaukee County in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1882 through 1884. Chase, originally a Whig, ran as an independent in 1853 against Democrat Francis Ward and later was himself elected as a Democrat. Chase died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 23, 1892.

## Personal life and family

Horace Chase, the 14th mayor of Milwaukee, was a younger brother of Enoch Chase.
Enoch Chase married twice and had at least 11 children, though four died in childhood. His son Lucian served in the 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War, and died of disease after the Battle of Perryville.

## Electoral history
### Wisconsin Assembly (1851)

Wisconsin Assembly, Milwaukee 6th District Election, 1851 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 4, 1851 ||||||
| | Democratic | Edward Hasse | 198 | 40.99% | |
| | Free Soil | Morgan L. Burdick | 151 | 31.27% | |
| | Whig | Enoch Chase (incumbent) | 134 | 27.74% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 483 | 100.0% | |
| | Democratic gain from Whig | Democratic gain from Whig | Democratic gain from Whig | Democratic gain from Whig | Democratic gain from Whig |

### Wisconsin Assembly (1852)

Wisconsin Assembly, Milwaukee 7th District Election, 1852 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 2, 1852 ||||||
| | Whig | Enoch Chase | 243 | 44.75% | |
| | Democratic | Francis Ward | 215 | 39.59% | |
| | Free Soil | Mr. Johnson | 85 | 15.65% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 543 | 100.0% | |
| | Whig gain from Democratic | Whig gain from Democratic | Whig gain from Democratic | Whig gain from Democratic | Whig gain from Democratic |

### Wisconsin Assembly (1869)

Wisconsin Assembly, Milwaukee 9th District Election, 1869 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 2, 1869 ||||||
| | Democratic | Enoch Chase | 742 | 62.04% | |
| | Republican | Andrew Douglas | 454 | 37.96% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,196 | 100.0% | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

### Wisconsin Senate (1881)

Wisconsin Senate, 6th District Election, 1881 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| General Election, November 8, 1881 ||||||
| | Democratic | Enoch Chase | 2,495 | 53.30% | |
| | Republican | Peter Barth | 2,092 | 44.69% | |
| | Greenback | Newell Daniels | 94 | 2.01% | |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 4,681 | 100.0% | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |