# 18th Wisconsin Legislature

The Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 11, 1865, to April 10, 1865, 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 8, 1864. 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, 1863.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican James T. Lewis, of Columbia County, serving the second year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1863 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

* January 31, 1865: The United States House of Representatives passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, banning slavery in the United States.
* March 4, 1865: Second inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln.
* April 3, 1865: Union Army forces occupied the Confederate capital city Richmond, Virginia, after a months-long siege.
* April 9, 1865: Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
* April 14, 1865: President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in Washington, D.C.
* April 15, 1865: Vice President Andrew Johnson was sworn in as the 17th President of the United States.
* May 10, 1865: Confederate States President Jefferson Davis was captured by the 4th Michigan Cavalry Regiment in Irwin County, Georgia, effectively ending the American Civil War.
* November 7, 1865: Lucius Fairchild elected Governor of Wisconsin.
* December 6, 1865: Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified by the required three-fourths of U.S. states.

## Major legislation

* February 7, 1865: Act to incorporate the Wisconsin soldiers' home, 1865 Act 16
* February 24, 1865: Joint Resolution ratifying proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, 1865 Joint Resolution 5

## 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 | 22 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 8 | 25 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 24.24% | 75.76% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 10 | 23 | 0 | 33 | 0 |

### Assembly 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 | 29 | 71 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| Start of 1st Session | 34 | 66 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| From January 19 | 33 | 66 | 0 | 99 | 1 |
| From February 20 | 33 | 67 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 33% | 67% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 34 | 66 | 0 | 100 | 0 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 11, 1865 – April 10, 1865

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Wyman Spooner
* President pro tempore: Willard H. Chandler

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: William W. Field

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature:
| District | Counties | Senator | Residence | Party |
| 01 | Sheboygan | John A. Bentley | Sheboygan | Union |
| 02 | Brown, Kewaunee | Frederick S. Ellis | Green Bay | Dem. |
| 03 | Ozaukee | Lyman Morgan | Ozaukee | Dem. |
| 04 | Washington | Frederick O. Thorpe | West Bend | Dem. |
| 05 | Milwaukee (Northern Part) | William K. Wilson | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 06 | Milwaukee (Southern Part) | Hugh P. Reynolds | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 07 | Racine | Jerome I. Case | Racine | Union |
| 08 | Kenosha | Anthony Van Wyck | Kenosha | Union |
| 09 | Adams, Juneau, Waushara | Henry G. Webb | Wautoma | Union |
| 10 | Waukesha | William Blair | Waukesha | Union |
| 11 | Dane (Eastern Part) | Willard H. Chandler | Windsor | Union |
| 12 | Walworth | Newton Littlejohn | Whitewater | Union |
| 13 | Lafayette | Samuel Cole | Gratiot | Union |
| 14 | Sauk | Smith S. Wilkinson | Prairie du Sac | Union |
| 15 | Iowa | Wyman Lincoln | Avoca | Union |
| 16 | Grant | Milas K. Young | Glen Haven | Union |
| 17 | Rock | William A. Lawrence | Janesville | Union |
| 18 | Dodge (Western Part) | William E. Smith | Fox Lake | Union |
| 19 | Manitowoc, Calumet | George B. Reed | Manitowoc | Dem. |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | George F. Wheeler | Nanaupa | Union |
| 21 | Winnebago | George S. Barnum | Waukau | Union |
| 22 | Door, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawanaw | Joseph Harris | Sturgeon Bay | Union |
| 23 | Jefferson | S. W. Budlong | Waterloo | Dem. |
| 24 | Green | Walter S. Wescott | Monroe | Union |
| 25 | Columbia | Jonathan Bowman | Monroe | Union |
| 26 | Dane (Western Part) | Thomas Hood | Madison | Union |
| 27 | Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Wood | Milan H. Sessions | Waupaca | Union |
| 28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix | Austin H. Young | Prescott | Union |
| 29 | Marquette, Green Lake | G. DeWitt Elwood | Princeton | Union |
| 30 | Bad Ax, Crawford, Richland | William Ketcham | Richland City | Union |
| 31 | La Crosse, Monroe | John A. Chandler | Sparta | Union |
| 32 | Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Trempealeau | Carl C. Pope | Black River Falls | Union |
| 33 | Dodge (Eastern Part) | Satterlee Clark | Horicon | Dem. |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Senate District | County | District | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 09 | Adams | Adams | Revel K. Fay | Union | Roche a Cri |
| 28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk | Amos S. Gray (until Jan. 19) | Dem. | Osceola |
| 28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk | Albert C. Stuntz (from Jan. 19) | Union | Bayfield |
| 02 | Brown | Brown | William J. Abrams | Dem. | Green Bay |
| 32 | Buffalo, Pepin, Trempealeau | Buffalo, Pepin, Trempealeau | John Burgess | Union | Maxville |
| 19 | Calumet | Calumet | Hector McLean | Dem. | Stockbridge |
| 32 | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire | Francis R. Church | Union | Menomonie |
| 32 | Clark, Jackson | Clark, Jackson | Richard Dewhurst | Union | Neillsville |
| 25 | Columbia | 1 | Levi W. Barden | Union | Portage |
| 25 | Columbia | 2 | Jesse F. Hand | Union | Rocky Run |
| 25 | Columbia | 3 | William Owen | Union | Cambria |
| 30 | Crawford | Crawford | Ormsby B. Thomas | Union | Prairie du Chien |
| 11 | Dane | 1 | William M. Colladay | Union | Stoughton |
| 11 | Dane | 2 | Abram A. Boyce | Union | Lodi |
| 26 | Dane | 3 | David Ford | Dem. | Leicester |
| 26 | Dane | 4 | John S. Frary | Union | Oregon |
| 26 | Dane | 5 | James Ross | Union | Madison |
| 18 | Dodge | 1 | James M. McGuire (died Jan. 19) | Union | Danville |
| 18 | Dodge | 1 | Stoddard Judd (from Feb. 20) | Union | Fox Lake |
| 18 | Dodge | 2 | Michael F. Lowth | Dem. | Beaver Dam |
| 18 | Dodge | 3 | Oscar F. Jones | Dem. | Juneau |
| 33 | Dodge | 4 | Peter Peters | Dem. | Rubicon |
| 33 | Dodge | 5 | Ferdinand Gnewuch | Dem. | Hustisford |
| 22 | Door, Oconto, Shawano | Door, Oconto, Shawano | Dennis A. Reed | Union | Sturgeon Bay |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 1 | D. C. Van Ostrand | Union | Ripon |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 2 | John H. Brinkerhoff | Union | Waupun |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 3 | James Sawyer | Union | Fond du Lac |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 4 | Thomas Boyd | Dem. | Calumet |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 5 | Jonathan Large | Dem. | Oakfield |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | William Brandon | Union | Smelser's Grove |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | Allen Taylor | Union | Dickeyville |
| 16 | Grant | 3 | Henry Utt | Union | Platteville |
| 16 | Grant | 4 | William W. Field | Union | Boscobel |
| 16 | Grant | 5 | Robert Glenn | Union | Wyalusing |
| 24 | Green | 1 | William W. McLaughlin | Union | Brooklyn |
| 24 | Green | 2 | David Dunwiddie | Union | Brodhead |
| 29 | Green Lake | Green Lake | Lorentus J. Brayton | Union | Marquette |
| 15 | Iowa | 1 | Elihu Goodsell | Dem. | Highland |
| 15 | Iowa | 2 | Francis Little | Union | Mineral Point |
| 23 | Jefferson | 1 | Jonathan Piper | Dem. | Ixonia |
| 23 | Jefferson | 2 | Gardner Spoor | Union | Aztalan |
| 23 | Jefferson | 3 | Alanson Pike | Union | Whitewater |
| 23 | Jefferson | 4 | William P. Forsyth | Union | Golden Lake |
| 09 | Juneau | Juneau | Eliphalet S. Miner | Union | Necedah |
| 08 | Kenosha | Kenosha | Zalmon G. Simmons | Union | Kenosha |
| 02 | Kewaunee | Kewaunee | Lyman Walker | Dem. | Kewaunee |
| 31 | La Crosse | La Crosse | Townsend N. Horton | Union | West Salem |
| 13 | Lafayette | 1 | James Harker | Dem. | New Diggings |
| 13 | Lafayette | 2 | Sylvester W. Osborn | Union | Darlington |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 1 | Henry Mulholland | Dem. | Meeme |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 2 | Michael Murphy | Dem. | Maple Grove |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 3 | Charles B. Daggart | Dem. | Two Rivers |
| 27 | Marathon & Wood | Marathon & Wood | H. W. Remington (until Jan. 19) | Dem. | Grand Rapids |
| 27 | Marathon & Wood | Marathon & Wood | M. J. McRaith (from Jan. 19) | Dem. | Montello |
| 29 | Marquette | Marquette | Spencer A. Pease | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 1 | Jackson Hadley | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 2 | David Knab | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 3 | James McGrath | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 4 | DeWitt Davis | Union | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 5 | Jared Thompson Jr. | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 6 | Jacob Obermann | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 7 | Henry Fowler | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 8 | John W. Weiler | Dem. | Root Creek |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 9 | Richard White | Dem. | Lamberton |
| 31 | Monroe | Monroe | Josiah M. Tarr | Union | Tunnel City |
| 22 | Outagamie | Outagamie | Samuel Ryan Jr. | Dem. | Appleton |
| 03 | Ozaukee | Ozaukee | William T. Bonniwell Jr. | Dem. | Cedarburg |
| 28 | Pierce & St. Croix | Pierce & St. Croix | Marcus Fulton | Union | Hudson |
| 27 | Portage | Portage | Newton H. Emmons | Union | Stevens Point |
| 07 | Racine | 1 | John Vaughan | Union | Racine |
| 07 | Racine | 2 | Elijah C. Salisbury | Union | Union Grove |
| 07 | Racine | 3 | Frederick A. Weage | Union | Waterford |
| 30 | Richland | Richland | Henry L. Eaton | Union | Lone Rock |
| 17 | Rock | 1 | Daniel Johnson | Union | Evansville |
| 17 | Rock | 2 | Solomon C. Carr | Union | West Milton |
| 17 | Rock | 3 | Henry S. Wooster | Union | Clinton |
| 17 | Rock | 4 | Edward P. King | Union | Beloit |
| 17 | Rock | 5 | John B. Cassoday | Union | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 6 | Daniel Mowe | Union | Orfordville |
| 14 | Sauk | 1 | William Palmer | Union | Logansville |
| 14 | Sauk | 2 | Argalus W. Starks | Union | Baraboo |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 1 | Joseph Wedig | Dem. | Sheboygan |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 2 | Cephas Whipple | Union | Sheboygan Falls |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 3 | Charles Rogers | Union | Hingham |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 4 | Edwin Slade | Union | Glenbeulah |
| 30 | Vernon | 1 | William H. Officer | Union | Springville |
| 30 | Vernon | 2 | James Berry | Union | Springville |
| 12 | Walworth | 1 | Hezekiah C. Tilton | Union | Allen's Grove |
| 12 | Walworth | 2 | Thomas Davis | Union | Millard |
| 12 | Walworth | 3 | Benjamin F. Groesbeck | Union | Tirade |
| 12 | Walworth | 4 | Horatio S. Winsor | Union | Elkhorn |
| 04 | Washington | 1 | George C. Williams | Dem. | Hartford |
| 04 | Washington | 2 | Mitchell L. Delaney | Dem. | Barton |
| 04 | Washington | 3 | Ernst Franckenberg | Dem. | Newburg |
| 10 | Waukesha | 1 | Thomas Weaver | Dem. | Pewaukee |
| 10 | Waukesha | 2 | John N. Cadby | Union | Merton |
| 10 | Waukesha | 3 | John B. Monteith | Union | Genesee |
| 10 | Waukesha | 4 | Myron Gilbert | Union | Prospect Hill |
| 27 | Waupaca | Waupaca | Reuben G. Doud | Union | Weyauwega |
| 09 | Waushara | Waushara | Oscar Babcock | Union | Dacotah |
| 21 | Winnebago | 1 | William A. Knapp | Union | Oshkosh |
| 21 | Winnebago | 2 | Nathan Cobb | Union | Neenah |
| 21 | Winnebago | 3 | William Simmons | Union | Nekimi |

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Frank M. Stewart
** Assistant Clerk: L. B. Hills
*** Bookkeeper: S. Hauxhurst
** Engrossing Clerk: O. F. Clapp
** Enrolling Clerk: Thomas Marshall
** Transcribing Clerk: H. Harvey
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Nelson Williams
** 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: James L. Wilder
** 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: D. W. C. Wilson
** Sergeant-at-Arms' Porter: Thomas Goss
* Postmaster: Frank Leland
** Assistant Postmaster: W. S. Williams
* Doorkeeper: J. P. Miller
** Assistant Doorkeeper: George D. Potter
** Assistant Doorkeeper: S. J. Abbott
** Assistant Doorkeeper: Eames Wadsworth
** Assistant Doorkeeper: Norman McBeath
** Assistant Doorkeeper: August Wandrey
* Firemen:
** James Yates
** Roswell Stow
** Fireman and Porter: William Holden
* Messengers:
** Jonathan C. Hutchins
** Rufus H. Roys
** C. C. Frey
** Thomas Goss
** Seymour Stoughton

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: John S. Dean
** Assistant Clerk: Ephraim W. Young
*** Bookkeeper: William M. Newcomb
** Engrossing Clerk: L. R. Davis
** Enrolling Clerk: J. H. Balch
** Transcribing Clerk: R. H. Blodgett
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Alonzo Wilcox
** 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Lewis M. Hammond
** 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: E. H. Bartholt
* Postmaster: Hiram Morley
** 1st Assistant Postmaster: Hiram Beckwith
** 2nd Assistant Postmaster: R. Law
* Doorkeepers:
** S. Raymond
** M. Colby
** H. H. Helms
** George D. Phinney
* Firemen:
** E. E. Brown
** John Grant
** F. K. Melvin
** Nelson Bowerman
** William Fitzpatrick
** G. A. Foss
* Speaker's Messenger: William P. Beach
* Chief Clerk's Messenger: James E. Dean
* Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: Louis Sholes
* Gallery Attendant: S. Nye Jr.
* Messengers:
** George F. Williston
** Frederic A. Frank
** Howard W. Tilton
** Linus S. Webb
** Alfred F. Bishop
** Frank Mason
** Harvey Olin
** Nicholas F. Weber
** John S. Young
** Richard C. Notbohm