# 14th Wisconsin Legislature

The Fourteenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1861, to April 17, 1861, in regular session. The legislature re-convened in special session from May 15, 1861, to May 27, 1861, at the request of Wisconsin Governor Alexander Randall, to approve funding for a brigade of volunteers for the American Civil War.
Senators representing odd-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 6, 1860. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 8, 1859.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Alexander Randall, of Waukesha County, serving the second year of his second two-year term, having won re-election in the 1859 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

* January 23, 1861: Timothy O. Howe elected United States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in Joint Session.
* March 4, 1861: Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln as the 16th President of the United States.
* April 12, 1861: South Carolina militia began bombarding Fort Sumpter in Charleston Harbor.
* April 15, 1861: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation requesting the states provide 75,000 volunteers for service in the American Civil War.
* April 16, 1861: 1st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment raised in Milwaukee.
* May 9, 1861: Wisconsin Governor Alexander Randall called for a special session of the Wisconsin Legislature.
* July 21, 1861: First Battle of Bull Run took place in Prince William County, Virginia, one regiment of Wisconsin volunteers participated in the battle.
* November 8, 1861: Louis P. Harvey elected Governor of Wisconsin.

## Major legislation
### First session

* January 21, 1861: Joint Resolution, co-operating with friends of the Union throughout the United States, 1861 Joint Resolution 1
* April 11, 1861: Act to apportion the State into Senate and Assembly Districts. 1861 Act 216
* April 13, 1861: Act to provide for apportioning the State into Congressional Districts, 1861 Act 238
* April 13, 1861: Act to provide for the defence of the State, and to aid in enforcing the laws and maintaining the authority of the Federal Government, 1861 Act 239
* April 17, 1861: Act to declare the rights and privileges of such persons as may enroll themselves into the service of the country. 1861 Act 309

### Special session

* May 21, 1861: Joint Resolution, authorizing the Governor to be absent from the State during the present war, 1861 Special Session Joint Resolution 1
* May 25, 1861: Joint Resolution, recommending to the War Department the formation of a brigade, and the appointment of Hon. Rufus King to its command, 1861 Special Session Joint Resolution 2
* May 25, 1861: Joint Resolution, in regard to the assassination of Col. Ellsworth, 1861 Special Session Joint Resolution 3
* May 25, 1861: Act to provide for the assistance of volunteers in the service of the United States Government, 1861 Special Session Act 2
* May 25, 1861: Act to provide a military force for immediate service to aid in protecting and defending the Constitution and the Union, 1861 Special Session Act 4
* May 25, 1861: Act to prevent rendering aid to Rebels, 1861 Special Session Act 5
* May 25, 1861: Act to provide for the purchasing of Arms and Equipments for the use of the State, 1861 Special Session Act 6
* May 27, 1861: Act to provide for the payment of discharged Volunteers, 1861 Special Session Act 9
* May 27, 1861: Act to provide for borrowing money to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, and defend the State in time of war, 1861 Special Session Act 13

## Party summary
### Senate summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Democratic | Union | Republican | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 11 | 0 | 19 | 30 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 8 | 0 | 22 | 30 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 27% | 0% | 73% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 11 | 2 | 20 | 33 | 0 |

### Assembly summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Democratic | Ind. | Union | Republican | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 38 | 1 | 0 | 58 | 97 | 0 |
| Start of 1st Session | 27 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 97 | 0 |
| after January 25 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 71 | 97 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 27% | 0% | 0% | 73% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 43 | 0 | 11 | 45 | 99 | 1 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 9, 1861 – April 17, 1861
* Special session: May 15, 1861 – May 27, 1861

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Butler G. Noble, Lieutenant Governor
* President pro tempore: Alden I. Bennett

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: Amasa Cobb

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Fourteenth Wisconsin Legislature:
| District | Counties | Senator | Party | Residence |
| 01 | Sheboygan | Luther H. Cary | Rep. | Greenbush |
| 02 | Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawanaw | Edward Decker | Dem. | Kewaunee |
| 03 | Ozaukee | Hugh Cunning | Dem. | Ozaukee |
| 04 | Washington | Densmore W. Maxon | Dem. | Cedar Creek |
| 05 | Milwaukee (Northern Half) | Charles Quentin | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee (Southern Half) | Michael J. Egan | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Racine | William L. Utley | Rep. | Racine |
| 08 | Kenosha | George Bennett | Rep. | Kenosha |
| 09 | Adams, Juneau, Sauk | John T. Kingston | Rep. | Necedah |
| 10 | Waukesha | Denison Worthington | Rep. | Summit |
| 11 | Dane (Eastern Part) | Samuel C. Bean | Rep. | Sun Prairie |
| 12 | Walworth | Oscar F. Bartlett | Rep. | East Troy |
| 13 | Lafayette | Samuel Cole | Dem. | Gratiot |
| 14 | Jefferson (Northern Part) & Dodge (Southern Part) | Charles R. Gill | Rep. | Watertown |
| 15 | Iowa & Richland | Lemuel W. Joiner | Rep. | Wyoming |
| 16 | Grant | Noah H. Virgin | Rep. | Platteville |
| 17 | Rock (Western Part) | Ezra A. Foot | Rep. | Footville |
| 18 | Rock (Eastern Part) | Alden I. Bennett | Rep. | Beloit |
| 19 | Manitowoc & Calumet | Benjamin J. Sweet | Rep. | Chilton |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | Elihu Phillips | Rep. | Fond du Lac |
| 21 | Winnebago | Horace O. Crane (resigned Jun. 1861) | Rep. | Neenah |
| 22 | Dodge | Benjamin Ferguson | Rep. | Fox Lake |
| 23 | Jefferson (Southern Part) | Edwin Montgomery | Rep. | Farmington |
| 24 | Green | John W. Stewart | Rep. | Monroe |
| 25 | Columbia | Gerry W. Hazelton | Rep. | Columbus |
| 26 | Dane (Western Part) | John B. Sweat | Dem. | Black Earth |
| 27 | Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood | Edward L. Browne | Rep. | Waupaca |
| 28 | Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix | Charles B. Cox | Rep. | River Falls |
| 29 | Marquette | Charles S. Kelsey | Rep. | Montello |
| 30 | Bad Ax, Buffalo, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Tremealeau | Buel E. Hutchinson | Rep. | Prairie du Chien |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Fourteenth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Senate District | County | District | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 09 | Adams, Juneau | Adams, Juneau | Otis B. Lapham | Rep. | Friendship |
| 28 | Ashland, Burnett, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk, St. Croix | Ashland, Burnett, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk, St. Croix | John Comstock | Rep. | Hudson |
| 30 | Bad Ax, Crawford | Bad Ax, Crawford | Daniel H. Johnson | Rep. | Prairie du Chien |
| 02 | Brown | Brown | Frederick S. Ellis | Dem. | Green Bay |
| 30 | Buffalo, Jackson, Trempealeau | Buffalo, Jackson, Trempealeau | Calvin R. Johnson | Rep. | Black River Falls |
| 19 | Calumet | Calumet | Le Roy Graves | Rep. | Gravesville |
| 28 | Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Pierce | Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Pierce | Rodman Palmer | Rep. | Chippewa Falls |
| 25 | Columbia | 1 | Harvey W. Emery | Rep. | Portage |
| 25 | Columbia | 2 | Nathan Hazen | Rep. | Poynette |
| 25 | Columbia | 3 | James H. Bonney | Rep. | Belle Fountain |
| 11 | Dane | 1 | Sereno W. Graves | Rep. | Rutland |
| 11 | Dane | 2 | Willard H. Chandler | Rep. | Windsor |
| 11 | Dane | 3 | Edward W. Dwight | Rep. | Oregon |
| 26 | Dane | 4 | Frederick A. Pfaff | Dem. | Cross Plains |
| 26 | Dane | 5 | Dominick O'Malley | Dem. | Westport |
| 26 | Dane | 6 | David Atwood | Rep. | Madison |
| 22 | Dodge | 1 | Peter Peters | Dem. | Rubicon |
| 22 | Dodge | 2 | Jacob Bodden | Dem. | Theresa |
| 22 | Dodge | 3 | David N. Minor | Rep. | Rubicon |
| 22 | Dodge | 4 | George W. Bly | Rep. | Waupun |
| 22 | Dodge | 5 | Frederick H. Kribs | Rep. | Beaver Dam |
| 22 | Dodge | 6 | John J. Williams | Rep. | Lowell |
| 02 | Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, Shawano | Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, Shawano | William S. Finley | Rep. | Kewaunee |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 1 | Charles F. Hammond | Rep. | Ripon |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 2 | Benjamin H. Bettis | Rep. | Ladoga |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 3 | Selim Newton | Rep. | Fond du Lac |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 4 | John W. Hall | Dem. | Dotyville |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 5 | Horace Stanton | Dem. | Fond du Lac |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | Joseph Harris | Rep. | Hazel Green |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | Henry L. Massey | Rep. | Potosi |
| 16 | Grant | 3 | Hanmer Robbins | Rep. | Platteville |
| 16 | Grant | 4 | John G. Clark | Rep. | Lancaster |
| 16 | Grant | 5 | Jared Warner | Rep. | Patch Grove |
| 24 | Green | 1 | James Campbell | Rep. | Albany |
| 24 | Green | 2 | Obadiah J. White | Rep. | Monroe |
| 29 | Green Lake | Green Lake | Alvin L. Flint | Rep. | Princeton |
| 15 | Iowa | 1 | Franklin Z. Hicks | Rep. | Avoca |
| 15 | Iowa | 2 | Amasa Cobb | Rep. | Mineral Point |
| 23 | Jefferson | 1 | Jost D. Petrie | Rep. | Concord |
| 23 | Jefferson | 2 | Horace B. Willard | Rep. | Lake Mills |
| 14 | Jefferson | 3 | Theodore Prentiss | Dem. | Watertown |
| 14 | Jefferson | 4 | Samuel Hays | Dem. | Neosho |
| 14 | Jefferson | 5 | Sterling M. Cone | Dem. | Waterloo |
| 08 | Kenosha | 1 | Michael Frank | Rep. | Kenosha |
| 08 | Kenosha | 2 | Marcus Linsley | Rep. | Kenosha |
| 30 | La Crosse & Monroe | La Crosse & Monroe | Isaac E. Messmore | Rep. | La Crosse |
| 13 | Lafayette | 1 | Thomas C. L. Mackay | Dem. | Elk Grove |
| 13 | Lafayette | 2 | Lloyd T. Pullen | Rep. | Argyle |
| 13 | Lafayette | 3 | Elijah C. Townsend | Dem. | Shullsburg |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 1 | Jabez L. Fobes | Rep. | Two Rivers |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 2 | Joseph Stephenson | Rep. | Meeme |
| 27 | Marathon, Portage, Wood | Marathon, Portage, Wood | Orestes Garrison | Rep. | Centralia |
| 29 | Marquette | Marquette | Erastus J. Buck | Rep. | Westfield |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 1 | Robert Haney | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 2 | George Abert | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 3 | Edward Keogh | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 4 | Charles Caverno | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 5 | John Rugee | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 6 | Carl Winkler | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 7 | William Dieves | Dem. | Greenfield |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 8 | John Hanrahan | Dem. | Good Hope |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 9 | James Riordan | Dem. | Franklin |
| 02 | Outagamie | Outagamie | Almeron B. Everts | Dem. | Appleton |
| 03 | Ozaukee | 1 | William H. Ramsey | Dem. | Ozaukee |
| 03 | Ozaukee | 2 | William F. Opitz | Dem. | Mequon |
| 07 | Racine | 1 | Gilbert Knapp | Rep. | Racine |
| 07 | Racine | 2 | Orlando C. Munroe | Rep. | Racine |
| 07 | Racine | 3 | Simeon S. Bradford | Rep. | Union Grove |
| 07 | Racine | 4 | Samuel E. Chapman | Rep. | Waterford |
| 15 | Richland | Richland | Elihu Bailey | Rep. | Mill Creek |
| 18 | Rock | 1 | Stiles S. Northrop | Rep. | Ogden |
| 18 | Rock | 2 | Benjamin F. Cary | Rep. | Johnstown |
| 17 | Rock | 3 | Alexander Graham | Rep. | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 4 | Anson W. Pope | Rep. | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 5 | James Kirkpatrick | Rep. | Brodhead |
| 09 | Sauk | 1 | John Bear | Rep. | Plain |
| 09 | Sauk | 2 | Marsena Temple | Rep. | Newport |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 1 | John Gee | Dem. | Sheboygan |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 2 | John Bredemeyer | Rep. | Edwards |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 3 | Cadwaller W. Humphrey (until Jan. 25) | Dem. | Cascade |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 3 | William F. Mitchell (from Jan. 25) | Rep. | Gibbsville |
| 12 | Walworth | 1 | Schuyler W. Benson | Rep. | Bloomfield |
| 12 | Walworth | 2 | Chester D. Long | Rep. | Darien |
| 12 | Walworth | 3 | Francis Smith | Rep. | Millard |
| 12 | Walworth | 4 | Wyman Spooner | Rep. | Elkhorn |
| 04 | Washington | 1 | Nathan Parker | Rep. | Hartford |
| 04 | Washington | 2 | Leander F. Frisby | Rep. | West Bend |
| 04 | Washington | 3 | Valentine Schaetzel | Dem. | Menomonee Falls |
| 10 | Waukesha | 1 | Daniel Cottrell | Rep. | Oconomowoc |
| 10 | Waukesha | 2 | William H. Thomas | Dem. | Lisbon |
| 10 | Waukesha | 3 | Henry A. Youmans | Rep. | Mukwonago |
| 10 | Waukesha | 4 | Myron Gilbert | Rep. | Prospect Hill |
| 10 | Waukesha | 5 | Isaac Lain | Rep. | Waukesha |
| 27 | Waupaca | Waupaca | Chester D. Combs | Rep. | North Royalton |
| 27 | Waushara | Waushara | Henry G. Webb | Rep. | Wautoma |
| 21 | Winnebago | 1 | Philetus Sawyer | Rep. | Oshkosh |
| 21 | Winnebago | 2 | Curtis Reed | Dem. | Menasha |
| 21 | Winnebago | 3 | Armine Pickett | Rep. | Weelaunee |

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: John H. Warren
** Assistant Clerk: Stephen Steele Barlow
** Engrossing Clerk: Willard Merrill
** Enrolling Clerk: Edward Colman
** Transcribing Clerk: F. H. Megdeburg
* Sergeant-at-Arms: J. A. Hadley
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: David M. McBride
* Postmaster: James Moore
** Assistant Postmaster: A. B. Finch
* Doorkeeper: Phillip Carey
** Assistant Doorkeeper: Henry Case
* Fireman: George Wittle
* Messengers:
** Walter C. Wyman
** Albert F. Dexter
** Patrick Lanner

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: L. H. D. Crane
** Assistant Clerk: John S. Dean
*** Bookkeeper: Ephraim W. Young
** Engrossing Clerk: Joseph C. Pickard
** Enrolling Clerk: Nathaniel F. Lund
** Transcribing Clerk: Harvey Briggs
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Craig B. Beese
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Asher Armstrong
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Ebenezer Sprague
* Postmaster: Hiram Beckworth
** Assistant Postmaster: John N. Stone
* Doorkeeper: Joel Barber
** Assistant Doorkeeper: Joshua W. Tolford
* Firemen:
** William C. Lasure
** Reese Evans
** Henry N. Solbert
* Messengers:
** William H. Barnes
** William Benedict
** William Bennett
** H. M. Bingham
** Charles L. Catlin
** Edwin C. Mason
** William E. Miller
** James H. Neavill
** George D. Potter
** William H. Smith