# 28th Wisconsin Legislature

The Twenty-Eighth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 13, 1875, to March 6, 1875, 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, 1874. 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, 1873.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Democrat William Robert Taylor, of Dane County, serving the second year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1873 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

* February 8, 1875: Angus Cameron was elected United States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in joint session.
* March 1, 1875: President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Civil Rights Act of 1875 into law.
* May 20, 1875: The Metre Convention was signed in Paris, establishing the International Bureau of Weights and Measures.
* November 2, 1875: Harrison Ludington elected Governor of Wisconsin.

## Major legislation

* February 17, 1875: An Act to require the several railroad companies in this state to provide for the safety of passengers, 1875 Act 24.
* February 20, 1875: An Act to amend chapter 273, of the laws of 1874, entitled "An act relating to railroad, express and telegraph companies in the state of Wisconsin," 1875 Act 39. Replaced the three-person railroad commission with a single railroad commissioner.
* February 24, 1875: An Act to more fully define and punish the crime of bribery, committed at or before elections, 1875 Act 56. Criminalized the buying or selling of votes.
* February 27, 1875: An Act to prevent the ensnaring or trapping of deer, 1875 Act 85.
* March 2, 1875: An Act to render women eligible to local school offices, 1875 Act 120.
* March 2, 1875: An Act to encourage the invention and successful use of steam or other mechanical agents on highways, 1875 Act 134. Created a $10,000 bounty for invention of a steam-powered substitute for horses for transportation or farm labor.
* March 3, 1875: An Act to prevent and punish cruelty to animals, 1875 Act 150.

## Party summary
### Senate summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Dem. | Ref. | Lib.R. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 12 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 33 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 9 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 33 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 48.48% | 48.48% | 48.48% | 51.52% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 33 | 0 |

### Assembly summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Dem. | Ref. | Ind. | Lib.R. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 29 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 41 | 100 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 19 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 64 | 100 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 36% | 36% | 36% | 36% | 64% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 35 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 100 | 0 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 13, 1875 – March 6, 1875

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Charles D. Parker (D)
* President pro tempore: Henry D. Barron (R)

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: Frederick W. Horn (IR)

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Twenty-Eighth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Dist. | Counties | Senator | Residence | Party |
| 01 | Sheboygan | Enos Eastman | Plymouth | Dem. |
| 02 | Brown, Door, & Kewaunee | John M. Read | Kewaunee | Dem. |
| 03 | Milwaukee (Northern Part) | William H. Jacobs | Milwaukee | Ref. |
| 04 | Monroe & Vernon | Adelbert Bleekman | Tomah | Rep. |
| 05 | Racine | Robert Hall Baker | Racine | Rep. |
| 06 | Milwaukee (Southern Half) | John Black | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 07 | Dane (Eastern Part) | George E. Bryant | Madison | Rep. |
| 08 | Kenosha & Walworth | Thompson Weeks | Whitewater | Rep. |
| 09 | Iowa | David McFarland | Highland | Ref. |
| 10 | Waukesha | John A. Rice | Merton | Dem. |
| 11 | Lafayette | Francis Campbell | Gratiot | Rep. |
| 12 | Green | Harvey T. Moore | Brodhead | Ref. |
| 13 | Dodge | John A. Barney | Mayville | Dem. |
| 14 | Sauk | John B. Quimby | Sauk City | Rep. |
| 15 | Manitowoc | John Schuette | Manitowoc | Rep. |
| 16 | Grant | John C. Holloway | Lancaster | Rep. |
| 17 | Rock | Horatio N. Davis | Beloit | Rep. |
| 18 | Fond du Lac (Western Part) | William Hiner | Fond du Lac | Rep. |
| 19 | Winnebago | William P. Rounds | Menasha | Rep. |
| 20 | Fond du Lac (Eastern Part) | Joseph Wagner | Marshfield | Dem. |
| 21 | Marathon, Oconto, Shawano, Waupaca, & Northern Outagamie | Willis C. Silverthorn | Wausau | Ref. |
| 22 | Calumet & Southern Outagamie | Reinhard Schlichting | Chilton | Ref. |
| 23 | Jefferson | William W. Reed | Jefferson | Lib.R. |
| 24 | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Pierce, Polk, & St. Croix | Henry D. Barron | St. Croix Falls | Rep. |
| 25 | Green Lake, Marquette, & Waushara | Robert L. D. Potter | Wautoma | Rep. |
| 26 | Dane (Western Part) | Romanzo E. Davis | Middleton | Lib.R. |
| 27 | Columbia | Levi W. Barden | Portage | Rep. |
| 28 | Crawford & Richland | George Krouskop | Richland Center | Dem. |
| 29 | Adams, Juneau, Portage, & Wood | Thomas B. Scott | Grand Rapids | Rep. |
| 30 | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, & Pepin | Hiram P. Graham | Eau Claire | Dem. |
| 31 | La Crosse | Sylvester Nevins | La Crosse | Rep. |
| 32 | Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, & Trempealeau | Robert C. Field | Sumner | Rep. |
| 33 | Ozaukee & Washington | Gilead J. Wilmot | West Bend | Dem. |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Twenty-Eighth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Senate District | County | Dist. | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 29 | Adams & Wood | Adams & Wood | G. M. Marshall | Rep. | Big Spring |
| 24 | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk | Sam Fifield | Rep. | Ashland |
| 02 | Brown & Southern Kewaunee | 1 | Thomas R. Hudd | Ref. | Green Bay |
| 02 | Brown & Southern Kewaunee | 2 | William J. Fisk | Rep. | Fort Howard |
| 02 | Brown & Southern Kewaunee | 3 | Patrick Hobbins | Dem. | Morrison |
| 32 | Buffalo | Buffalo | Edward Lees | Dem. | Fountain City |
| 22 | Calumet | Calumet | John Harsh | Rep. | Stockbridge |
| 30 | Chippewa | Chippewa | Thomas L. Halbert | Rep. | Chippewa Falls |
| 32 | Clark & Jackson | Clark & Jackson | Richard Dewhurst | Ref. | Neillsville |
| 27 | Columbia | 1 | Marcus Barden | Rep. | Pardeeville |
| 27 | Columbia | 2 | John R. Rowlands | Rep. | Cambria |
| 27 | Columbia | 3 | John B. Dwinnell | Rep. | Lodi |
| 28 | Crawford | Crawford | Zenas Beach | Rep. | Eastman |
| 07 | Dane | 1 | Isaac Adams | Rep. | Door Creek |
| 07 | Dane | 2 | Silas U. Pinney | Dem. | Madison |
| 26 | Dane | 3 | David Ford | Dem. | Waunakee |
| 26 | Dane | 4 | Michael Johnson | Ref. | Springdale |
| 13 | Dodge | 1 | Owen R. Jones | Rep. | Beaver Dam |
| 13 | Dodge | 2 | David M. Coleman | Rep. | Lowell |
| 13 | Dodge | 3 | John Lloyd | Rep. | Clyman |
| 13 | Dodge | 4 | Max Bachhuber | Ref. | Farmersville |
| 13 | Dodge | 5 | William M. Morse | Dem. | Rubicon |
| 13 | Dodge | 6 | Harman Grube | Ref. | Watertown |
| 02 | Door & Northern Kewaunee | Door & Northern Kewaunee | Charles Scofield | Rep. | Red River |
| 30 | Dunn & Pepin | Dunn & Pepin | Rockwell J. Flint | Rep. | Menomonie |
| 30 | Eau Claire | Eau Claire | Jonathan G. Callahan | Rep. | Eau Claire |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 1 | William Plocker | Rep. | Fairwater |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 2 | George Hunter | Rep. | Fond du Lac |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 3 | Michael Serwe | Dem. | Ashford |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | James Jeffery | Rep. | Georgetown |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | Lafayette Caskey | Rep. | Potosi |
| 16 | Grant | 3 | Benjamin M. Coates | Rep. | Boscobel |
| 16 | Grant | 4 | Delos Abrams | Rep. | Bloomington |
| 12 | Green | Green | Charles R. Deniston | Rep. | Cadiz |
| 25 | Green Lake | Green Lake | William H. Dakin | Rep. | Dartford |
| 09 | Iowa | 1 | Owen King | Ref. | Helena |
| 09 | Iowa | 2 | Kearton Coates | Rep. | Linden |
| 23 | Jefferson | 1 | Christian Mayer | Ref. | Watertown |
| 23 | Jefferson | 2 | Austin Kellogg | Dem. | Concord |
| 23 | Jefferson | 3 | James W. Ostrander | Rep. | Jefferson |
| 29 | Juneau | Juneau | Job Grant | Lib.R. | Union Center |
| 08 | Kenosha | Kenosha | Rouse Simmons | Rep. | Kenosha |
| 31 | La Crosse | La Crosse | John Bradley | Rep. | Bangor |
| 11 | Lafayette | Lafayette | John Anderson | Rep. | Monticello |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 1 | Fred Schmitz | Ref. | Northeim |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 2 | Bryan S. Lorigan | Dem. | Maple Grove |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 3 | Reuben D. Smart | Rep. | Manitowoc |
| 21 | Marathon | Marathon | Bartholomew Ringle | Dem. | Wausau |
| 25 | Marquette | Marquette | Robert Mitchell | Rep. | Douglas |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 1 | Isaac W. Van Schaick | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 2 | Peter Fagg | Ref. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 3 | William J. Kershaw | Ind.R. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 4 | Stephen A. Harrison | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 5 | Charles H. Larkin | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 6 | Daniel H. Richards | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 7 | Lemuel Ellsworth | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 8 | Bernard Schlichting | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 9 | Frederick Zetteler | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 10 | Frederick Moskowitt | Lib.R. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 11 | Thomas O'Neill | Rep. | Greenfield |
| 04 | Monroe | 1 | Eli Waste | Rep. | Sparta |
| 04 | Monroe | 2 | William W. Jackson | Rep. | Tomah |
| 21 | Oconto | Oconto | John Leigh | Rep. | Oconto |
| 22 | Outagamie, Shawano, & Waupaca | 1 | George N. Richmond | Dem. | Appleton |
| 21 | Outagamie, Shawano, & Waupaca | 2 | Herman Naber | Ref. | Shawano |
| 21 | Outagamie, Shawano, & Waupaca | 3 | George H. Calkins | Rep. | Waupaca |
| 33 | Ozaukee | 1 | Gustav Gotze | Rep. | Ozaukee |
| 33 | Ozaukee | 2 | Frederick W. Horn | Ind.R. | Cedarburg |
| 24 | Pierce | Pierce | Thomas L. Nelson | Rep. | Prescott |
| 29 | Portage | Portage | George H. Guernsey | Rep. | Almond |
| 05 | Racine | 1 | Charles F. Bliss | Dem. | Racine |
| 05 | Racine | 2 | Elias White | Ref. | Burlington |
| 28 | Richland | 1 | Norman L. James | Rep. | Richland Center |
| 28 | Richland | 2 | Benjamin F. Washburn | Rep. | Excelsior |
| 17 | Rock | 1 | Marvin Osborne | Rep. | Magnolia |
| 17 | Rock | 2 | Zebulon P. Burdick | Rep. | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 3 | Andrew Barlass | Rep. | Harmony |
| 17 | Rock | 4 | George H. Crosby | Rep. | Beloit |
| 17 | Rock | 5 | Hiram Merrill | Rep. | Janesville |
| 14 | Sauk | 1 | Thomas Baker | Rep. | Prairie du Sac |
| 14 | Sauk | 2 | David E. Welch | Rep. | Baraboo |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 1 | Joseph Wedig | Ref. | Howard's Grove |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 2 | Patrick Geraghty | Ref. | Elkhart Lake |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 3 | Nathaniel Farnsworth | Rep. | Sheboygan Falls |
| 24 | St. Croix | St. Croix | Philo Boyden | Lib. | Hudson |
| 32 | Trempealeau | Trempealeau | Noah D. Comstock | Rep. | Arcadia |
| 04 | Vernon | 1 | Ole Anderson | Rep. | Esofea |
| 04 | Vernon | 2 | James E. Newell | Rep. | Viroqua |
| 08 | Walworth | 1 | Elijah M. Sharp | Rep. | Delavan |
| 08 | Walworth | 2 | Charles Dunlap | Rep. | Elkhorn |
| 08 | Walworth | 3 | Nathaniel M. Bunker | Rep. | Troy Center |
| 33 | Washington | 1 | Andrew Martin | Dem. | Reisville |
| 33 | Washington | 2 | Philip Schneider | Dem. | Barton |
| 10 | Waukesha | 1 | Silas Barber | Dem. | Waukesha |
| 10 | Waukesha | 2 | Manville S. Hodgson | Rep. | Waukesha |
| 25 | Waushara | Waushara | John H. Thomas | Rep. | Berlin |
| 19 | Winnebago | 1 | Asa Rogers | Dem. | Oshkosh |
| 19 | Winnebago | 2 | Nathaniel S. Robinson | Rep. | Neenah |
| 19 | Winnebago | 3 | Leroy S. Chase | Rep. | Omro |
| 19 | Winnebago | 4 | Frank A. Leach | Rep. | Utica |

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Fred A. Dennett
** Assistant Clerk: Thomas B. Reid
*** Bookkeeper: Thomas St. George
** Engrossing Clerk: Wilbur Dodge
** Enrolling Clerk: James F. Spencer
** Transcribing Clerk: Fred Heineman
** Clerk for the Committee on Engrossed Bills: T. K. Dunn
** Clerk for the Committee on Enrolled Bills: E. J. Cole
** Clerk for the Committee on Claims: Thomas A. Dyson
** Clerk for the Committee on Railroads: J. F. Johnston
** Clerk for the Committee on Judiciary: A. P. Carman
* Sergeant-at-Arms: O. U. Akin
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles G. Fay
* Postmaster: Amaziah Strang
** Assistant Postmaster: John L. Quimby
* Doorkeeper: William R. Kent
** Assistant Doorkeeper: William F. Bingman
** Assistant Doorkeeper: H. H. Field
** Gallery Doorkeeper: Charles Early
** Gallery Doorkeeper: T. H. Hansen
** Committee Room Attendant: Charles Scott
** Night Watch: H. H. Grace
** Porter: Michael Lynch
* Messengers:
** Glennie C. Richarson
** Waldo B. Stone
** W. W. Paine
** Harry R. Clise
** Harry Cuttler
** Arthur A. Hills
** G. Herbert Campbell
** William Kleinpell
** Nelson C. Brownell

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: Rollin M. Strong
** Assistant Clerk: C. D. Long
*** Bookkeeper: R. A. Gillett
** Engrossing Clerk: Mrs. Fannie Vilas
** Enrolling Clerk: Julius Lasche
** Transcribing Clerk: W. M. Fogo
** Clerk for the Committee on Engrossed Bills: C. H. Boynton
** Clerk for the Committee on Enrolled Bills: Jonathan C. Sherwin Jr.
** Clerk for the Committee on Judiciary: J. B. Stocking
* Sergeant-at-Arms: John W. Brackett
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Miles Burnham
* Postmaster: P. J. Clawson
** Assistant Postmaster: George H. Osgood
* Doorkeepers:
** J. F. Tinker
** N. F. Pierce
** C. A. Sellers
** Joseph Goss
* Night Watch: A. L. Lund
* Fireman: J. A. Nevill
* Committee Room Attendants:
** W. H. Bell
** J. W. Grange
** L. Woodward
* Gallery Attendants:
** W. L. Morrison
** George L. Cain
* Porter: F. O. Byrne
* Speaker's Messenger: L. E. Knox
* Chief Clerk's Messenger: Rufus Jenkins
* Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: W. Kanouse
* Messengers:
** Willie Horn
** Ben C. Baker
** Charles Keogh
** Willie Devine
** Willie Storm
** Charles Rothe
** Lucius Cannon
** John Bruce
** William Gallagher
** Joseph Parrish
** Theodore Kupper
** Marcus Moody