# 17th Wisconsin Legislature

The Seventeenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 13, 1864, to April 4, 1864, in regular session.
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 odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 3, 1863. 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 4, 1862.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican James T. Lewis, of Columbia County, serving the first year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1863 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

* January 4, 1864: Inauguration of James T. Lewis as the 7th Governor of Wisconsin.
* May 5–7, 1864: Battle of the Wilderness took place in Spotsylvania County and Orange County, Virginia. Four regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the battle.
* May 9–21, 1864: Battle of Spotsylvania Court House took place in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Five regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the battle.
* May 31 – June 12, 1864: Battle of Cold Harbor took place in Hanover County, Virginia. Five regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the battle.
* September 2, 1864: Union Army occupied Atlanta, Georgia.
* November 8, 1864: Abraham Lincoln re-elected as President of the United States.

## Major legislation

* February 19, 1864: Act to organize the county of Burnett, and locate the county seat thereof, 1864 Act 74
* February 26, 1864: Joint Resolution relative to the extension of time for the payment of government bounties to volunteers, 1864 Joint Resolution 2
* March 5, 1864: Joint Resolution relative to the vigorous prosecution of the war, the duty of congress and the people, tendering thanks to the army and navy, and suggesting the renomination of Abraham Lincoln, 1864 Joint Resolution 4
* March 22, 1864: Act to incorporate "Marquette College" in the second ward of the city of Milwaukee, 1864 Act 180
* April 4, 1864: Act to guard against the abuse of the elective franchise, and to preserve the purity of elections, by a registration of electors, 1864 Act 445

## 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 | 15 | 1 | 17 | 33 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 11 | 22 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 33.33% | 66.67% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 8 | 25 | 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 | 43 | 2 | 55 | 100 | 0 |
| Start 1st Session | 29 | 71 | 0 | 100 | 0 |
| After March 16 | 29 | 70 | 0 | 99 | 1 |
| Final voting share | 29.29% | 70.71% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 33 | 67 | 0 | 100 | 0 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 13, 1864 – April 4, 1864

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Wyman Spooner
* President pro tempore: Smith S. Wilkinson

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: William W. Field

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Seventeenth Wisconsin Legislature:
| District | Counties | Senator | Residence | Party |
| 01 | Sheboygan | John E. Thomas | Sheboygan Falls | Dem. |
| 02 | Brown, Kewaunee | Frederick S. Ellis | Green Bay | Dem. |
| 03 | Ozaukee | John R. Bohan | 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 | Timothy D. Morris | Whitesville | Union |
| 08 | Kenosha | Anthony Van Wyck | Kenosha | Union |
| 09 | Adams, Juneau, Waushara | Alanson M. Kimball | Pine River | Union |
| 10 | Waukesha | William Blair | Waukesha | Union |
| 11 | Dane (Eastern Part) | Willard H. Chandler | Windsor | Union |
| 12 | Walworth | Newton Littlejohn | Whitewater | Union |
| 13 | Lafayette | James Earnest | Shullsburg | Dem. |
| 14 | Sauk | Smith S. Wilkinson | Prairie du Sac | Union |
| 15 | Iowa | George L. Frost | Mineral Point | Dem. |
| 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 | Joseph Vilas | Manitowoc | Dem. |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | George F. Wheeler | Nanaupa | Union |
| 21 | Winnebago | Joseph B. Hamilton | Neenah | Union |
| 22 | Door, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawanaw | Joseph Harris | Sturgeon Bay | Union |
| 23 | Jefferson | J. D. Clapp | Fort Atkinson | Dem. |
| 24 | Green | Walter S. Wescott | Monroe | Union |
| 25 | Columbia | Jonathan Bowman | Kilbourn City | Union |
| 26 | Dane (Western Part) | Thomas Hood | Madison | Union |
| 27 | Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Wood | Alexander S. McDill | Plover | Union |
| 28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix | Austin H. Young | Prescott | Union |
| 29 | Marquette, Green Lake | Charles S. Kelsey | Montello | Union |
| 30 | Bad Ax, Crawford, Richland | William Ketcham | Richland City | Union |
| 31 | La Crosse, Monroe | Angus Cameron | La Crosse | 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 Seventeenth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Senate District | County | District | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 09 | Adams | Adams | Anson Rood (Until March 16) | Union | Kilbourn City |
| 28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk | Henry D. Barron | Union | St. Croix Falls |
| 02 | Brown | Brown | William J. Abrams | Dem. | Green Bay |
| 32 | Buffalo, Pepin, Trempealeau | Buffalo, Pepin, Trempealeau | Fayette Allen | Union | Durand |
| 19 | Calumet | Calumet | Thomas McLean | Dem. | Stockbridge |
| 32 | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire | Thaddeus C. Pound | Union | Chippewa Falls |
| 32 | Clark, Jackson | Clark, Jackson | Calvin R. Johnson | Union | Black River Falls |
| 25 | Columbia | 1 | A. J. Turner | Union | Portage |
| 25 | Columbia | 2 | Edwin W. McNitt | Union | Otsego |
| 25 | Columbia | 3 | Yates Ashley | Union | Pardeeville |
| 30 | Crawford | Crawford | Horace Beach | Union | Prairie du Chien |
| 11 | Dane | 1 | William W. Blackman | Union | Stoughton |
| 11 | Dane | 2 | William H. Miller | Union | Door Creek |
| 26 | Dane | 3 | Alden S. Sanborn | Dem. | Mazomanie |
| 26 | Dane | 4 | George Wright | Union | Mount Horeb |
| 26 | Dane | 5 | George B. Smith | Dem. | Madison |
| 18 | Dodge | 1 | George H. Adams | Union | Danville |
| 18 | Dodge | 2 | William H. Green | Union | Lowell |
| 18 | Dodge | 3 | Oscar F. Jones | Dem. | Juneau |
| 33 | Dodge | 4 | Max Bachhuber | Dem. | Farmersville |
| 33 | Dodge | 5 | John G. Daily | Dem. | Hustisford |
| 22 | Door, Oconto, Shawano | Door, Oconto, Shawano | Herman Naber | Union | Shawano |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 1 | William Starr | Union | Ripon |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 2 | James McElroy | Union | Waupun |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 3 | Edwin H. Galloway | Union | Fond du Lac |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 4 | Charles Geisse | Dem. | Taycheedah |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 5 | Edgar Wilcox | Union | Byron |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | Hanmer Robbins | Union | Platteville |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | Allen Taylor | Union | Dickeyville |
| 16 | Grant | 3 | J. Allen Barber | Union | Lancaster |
| 16 | Grant | 4 | William W. Field | Union | Fennimore |
| 16 | Grant | 5 | Wood R. Beach | Union | Beetown |
| 24 | Green | 1 | William W. McLaughlin | Union | Oregon |
| 24 | Green | 2 | Frederick B. Rolph | Union | Monroe |
| 29 | Green Lake | Green Lake | James Field | Union | Berlin |
| 15 | Iowa | 1 | Wyman L. Lincoln | Union | Avoca |
| 15 | Iowa | 2 | Francis Little | Union | Mineral Point |
| 23 | Jefferson | 1 | Robert Hass | Dem. | Watertown |
| 23 | Jefferson | 2 | Aaron B. Smith | Union | Lake Mills |
| 23 | Jefferson | 3 | Joseph Powers | Union | Hebron |
| 23 | Jefferson | 4 | James M. Bingham | Union | Palmyra |
| 09 | Juneau | Juneau | Lyman Clark | Union | Kildare |
| 08 | Kenosha | Kenosha | A. Constantine Barry | Union | Sylvania |
| 02 | Kewaunee | Kewaunee | Nelson Boutin | Dem. | Kewaunee |
| 31 | La Crosse | La Crosse | Samuel S. Burton | Union | La Crosse |
| 13 | Lafayette | 1 | Tarleton Dunn | Dem. | Elk Grove |
| 13 | Lafayette | 2 | Samuel Cole | Union | Gratiot |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 1 | Peter P. Fuessenich | Union | Eaton |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 2 | Thomas Thornton | Dem. | Clark's Mills |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 3 | David Smoke | Dem. | Two Rivers |
| 27 | Marathon, Wood | Marathon, Wood | Bartholomew Ringle | Dem. | Wausau |
| 29 | Marquette | Marquette | Robert Cochran | Dem. | Westfield |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 1 | Levi Hubbell | Union | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 2 | David Knab | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 3 | John W. Eviston | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 4 | Napoleon B. Caswell | Union | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 5 | J. C. U. Niedermann | Union | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 6 | Frederick T. Zetteler | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 7 | James Watts | Dem. | Granville |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 8 | Edward McGarry | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 9 | Anton Frey | Dem. | Franklin |
| 31 | Monroe | Monroe | Carleton E. Rice | Union | Sparta |
| 22 | Outagamie | Outagamie | George Kreiss | Dem. | Appleton |
| 03 | Ozaukee | Ozaukee | William T. Bonniwell Jr. | Dem. | Cedarburg |
| 28 | Pierce, St. Croix | Pierce, St. Croix | Joseph S. Elwell | Union | Hudson |
| 27 | Portage | Portage | John Phillips | Union | Stevens Point |
| 07 | Racine | 1 | George C. Northrop | Union | Racine |
| 07 | Racine | 2 | Henry Stevens | Union | Caledonia |
| 07 | Racine | 3 | Philo Belden | Union | Rochester |
| 30 | Richland | Richland | John Walworth | Union | Richland Center |
| 17 | Rock | 1 | Thomas Earle | Union | Fulton |
| 17 | Rock | 2 | Thomas H. Goodhue | Union | Whitewater |
| 17 | Rock | 3 | Guy Wheeler | Union | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 4 | Perry Bostwick | Union | Beloit |
| 17 | Rock | 5 | Hamilton Richardson | Union | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 6 | Jerome Burbank | Union | Brodhead |
| 14 | Sauk | 1 | Alonzo Wilcox | Union | Spring Green |
| 14 | Sauk | 2 | Argalus W. Starks | Union | Baraboo |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 1 | Carl Zillier | Dem. | Sheboygan |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 2 | Louis Wolf | Dem. | Sheboygan Falls |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 3 | Michael Winter | Union | Adell |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 4 | Mark Martin | Union | Onion River |
| 30 | Vernon | 1 | William H. Officer | Union | Springville |
| 30 | Vernon | 2 | Albert Bliss | Union | Readstown |
| 12 | Walworth | 1 | John Jeffers | Union | Darien |
| 12 | Walworth | 2 | Daniel Smith | Union | Richmond |
| 12 | Walworth | 3 | Daniel C. Roundy | Union | Geneva |
| 12 | Walworth | 4 | Lucius Allen | Union | East Troy |
| 04 | Washington | 1 | Nicholaus Marx | Dem. | Wayne |
| 04 | Washington | 2 | Henry Hildebrandt | Dem. | Station |
| 04 | Washington | 3 | Martin Schottler | Dem. | Staatsville |
| 10 | Waukesha | 1 | William Costigan | Dem. | Marshall |
| 10 | Waukesha | 2 | Joel R. Carpenter | Union | Oconomowoc |
| 10 | Waukesha | 3 | Norman Shultis | Union | North Prairie |
| 10 | Waukesha | 4 | John Schmidt | Union | Muskego |
| 27 | Waupaca | Waupaca | Albert K. Osborn | Union | Iola |
| 09 | Waushara | Waushara | William C. Webb | Union | Wautoma |
| 21 | Winnebago | 1 | Richard C. Russell | Union | Oshkosh |
| 21 | Winnebago | 2 | Jeremiah Hunt | Union | Menasha |
| 21 | Winnebago | 3 | George S. Barnum | Union | Waukau |

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Frank M. Stewart
** Assistant Clerk: P. H. Brady
*** Bookkeeper: J. Spooner
** Engrossing Clerk: Sineus B. Dibble
** Enrolling Clerk: Thomas Marshall
** Transcribing Clerk: F. O. Wisner
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Nelson Williams
** 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: H. Esperson
** 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: John B. Eugene
* Postmaster: Henry H. Taylor
** Assistant Postmaster: S. Raymond
* Doorkeeper: G. M. Cary
** Assistant Doorkeeper: J. P. Miller
** Assistant Doorkeeper: J. H. Jones
** Assistant Doorkeeper: Otis A. Albee
** Assistant Doorkeeper: William P. Close
** Gallery Doorkeeper: B. S. Miller
* Firemen:
** Barnet Wilson
** William W. Baker
** William Holden
* Messengers:
** John C. Hutchins
** Albert F. Dexter
** Rufus H. Roys
** William C. Jones
** C. C. Frey
** Frank C. Freeman
* Porter: John Crowley

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: John S. Dean
** Assistant Clerk: Ephraim W. Young
*** Bookkeeper: E. L. Fitzhugh
** Engrossing Clerk: A. L. Rockwell
** Enrolling Clerk: J. H. Balch
** Transcribing Clerk: A. C. Byers
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Alexander McDonald Thomson
** 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: William P. Forsyth
** 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Lewis M. Hammond
* Postmaster: N. A. Spooner
** 1st Assistant Postmaster: Hiram Beckwith
** 2nd Assistant Postmaster: Oscar Babcock
* Doorkeepers:
** Franklin Kelly
** W. L. Abbott
** W. E. Angell
** C. Saran
** C. E. Tanburg
** William Spencer
* Firemen:
** Oliver Johnson
** A. C. Stannard
** Robert Axon
** C. McCarthy
* Speaker's Messenger: Adam C. Waltz
* Chief Clerk's Messenger: James E. Dean
* Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: Arthur Tilden
* Messengers:
** Moses Flesh
** Patrick McKanna
** Robert Airis
** Louis Sholes
** Marion M. Young
** William P. Beach
** Linus S. Webb
** Fred Chynoweth