# 26th Wisconsin Legislature

The Twenty-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 8, 1873, to March 20, 1873, 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 5, 1872. 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 7, 1871.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Cadwallader C. Washburn, of La Crosse County, serving the second year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1871 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

* January 22, 1873: Timothy O. Howe re-elected as United States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in Joint Session.
* February 11, 1873: King Amadeo I of Spain was deposed and the First Spanish Republic was proclaimed.
* March 4, 1873: Second inauguration of President Ulysses S. Grant.
* March 23, 1873: Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Milton Pettit died in office.
* May 7, 1873: Salmon P. Chase, Chief Justice of the United States, died of a stroke at New York City.
* September 18, 1873: The New York stock market crashed, leading to the Panic of 1873 and the Long Depression.
* September 24, 1873: Wisconsin Democrats convened in Milwaukee with Grangers and Liberal Republicans to form the short-lived Reform Party, and nominated William Robert Taylor as their candidate for Governor.
* November 5, 1873: William Robert Taylor elected Governor of Wisconsin.
* December 23, 1873: The Woman's Christian Temperance Union was founded at Hillsboro, Ohio.

## Major legislation

* March 14, 1873: An Act to provide for finishing the state capitol, protecting the same against fire, for the improvement of the capitol park, and appropriating money to pay for the same, 1873 Act 168.
* March 17, 1873: An Act to provide for the collection of certain statistics with a view of more fully equalizing the state taxes, 1873 Act 210.
* March 17, 1873: An Act to prevent the careless use of firearms, 1873 Act 212.
* March 18, 1873: An Act to provide for annexing and excluding territory to and from cities, towns and villages, and to unite cities, towns and villages, 1873 Act 234.
* March 18, 1873: Joint Resolution ratifying proposed constitutional amendment prohibiting counties, towns, villages, etc., from becoming indebted for any purpose to an amount exceeding five percent of the value of taxable property, 1873 Joint Resolution 4.

## 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 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 33 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 10 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 33 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 30.3% | 30.3% | 69.7% | 69.7% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 12 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 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 | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 100 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 32 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 61 | 100 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 32% | 0% | 0% | 7% | 61% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 29 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 41 | 100 | 0 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 8, 1873 – March 20, 1873

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Milton Pettit (R)
* President pro tempore: Henry L. Eaton (R)

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: Henry D. Barron (R)

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Twenty-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Dist. | Counties | Senator | Residence | Party |
| 01 | Sheboygan | Patrick H. O'Rourk | Cascade | Dem. |
| 02 | Brown, Door, Kewaunee | Myron P. Lindsley | Green Bay | Dem. |
| 03 | Milwaukee (Northern Part) | Frederick W. Cotzhausen | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 04 | Monroe & Vernon | William Nelson | Viroqua | Rep. |
| 05 | Racine | Robert H. Baker | Racine | Rep. |
| 06 | Milwaukee (Southern Half) | John L. Mitchell | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 07 | Dane (Eastern Part) | John A. Johnson | Madison | Rep. |
| 08 | Kenosha & Walworth | Samuel Pratt | Spring Prairie | Rep. |
| 09 | Iowa | Francis Little | Mineral Point | Rep. |
| 10 | Waukesha | William Blair | Waukesha | Rep. |
| 11 | Lafayette | Francis Campbell | Gratiot | Rep. |
| 12 | Green | Orrin Bacon | Monticello | Rep. |
| 13 | Dodge | Samuel D. Burchard | Beaver Dam | Dem. |
| 14 | Sauk | John B. Quimby | Sauk City | Rep. |
| 15 | Manitowoc | Carl H. Schmidt | Manitowoc | Dem. |
| 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 | Robert McCurdy | Oshkosh | Rep. |
| 20 | Fond du Lac (Eastern Part) | Joseph Wagner | Marshfield | Dem. |
| 21 | Marathon, Oconto, Shawano, Waupaca, & Northern Outagamie | Myron H. McCord | Shawano | Rep. |
| 22 | Calumet & Southern Outagamie | George Kreiss | Appleton | Dem. |
| 23 | Jefferson | Walter S. Greene | Milford | Dem. |
| 24 | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Pierce, Polk, & St. Croix | Joseph E. Irish | Hudson | Rep. |
| 25 | Green Lake, Marquette, & Waushara | Robert L. D. Potter | Wautoma | Rep. |
| 26 | Dane (Western Part) | Romanzo E. Davis | Middleton | Lib. R. |
| 27 | Columbia | Evan O. Jones | Courtland | Rep. |
| 28 | Crawford & Richland | Henry L. Eaton | Lone Rock | Rep. |
| 29 | Adams, Juneau, Portage, & Wood | Thomas B. Scott | Grand Rapids | Rep. |
| 30 | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, & Pepin | Joseph G. Thorp | Eau Claire | Rep. |
| 31 | La Crosse | Gideon Hixon | La Crosse | Rep. |
| 32 | Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, & Trempealeau | Orlando Brown | Modena | Lib. R. |
| 33 | Ozaukee & Washington | Adam Schantz | Addison | Dem. |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Twenty-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Senate District | County | Dist. | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 29 | Adams & Wood | Adams & Wood | Charles A. Cady | Rep. | Dell Prairie |
| 24 | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk | Henry D. Barron | Rep. | St. Croix Falls |
| 02 | Brown & Southern Kewaunee | 1 | Joseph S. Curtis | Rep. | Green Bay |
| 02 | Brown & Southern Kewaunee | 2 | William H. Bartran | Rep. | Suamico |
| 02 | Brown & Southern Kewaunee | 3 | Dennis Dewane | Dem. | New Denmark |
| 32 | Buffalo | Buffalo | Robert Lees | Dem. | Gilmantown |
| 22 | Calumet | Calumet | Thomas Lynch | Dem. | Chilton |
| 30 | Chippewa | Chippewa | Albert Pound | Rep. | Chippewa Falls |
| 32 | Clark & Jackson | Clark & Jackson | Edward E. Merritt | Rep. | Neillsville |
| 27 | Columbia | 1 | Samuel S. Brannan | Rep. | Portage |
| 27 | Columbia | 2 | Henry C. Brace | Rep. | Fountain Prairie |
| 27 | Columbia | 3 | John L. Porter | Rep. | Pacific |
| 28 | Crawford | Crawford | Peter Doyle | Dem. | Prairie du Chien |
| 07 | Dane | 1 | Oliver W. Thornton | Rep. | Medina |
| 07 | Dane | 2 | Levi B. Vilas | Dem. | Madison |
| 26 | Dane | 3 | Otto Kerl | Dem. | Berry |
| 26 | Dane | 4 | Hiram Cornwell | Rep. | Verona |
| 13 | Dodge | 1 | John W. Davis | Dem. | Fox Lake |
| 13 | Dodge | 2 | John Runkel | Dem. | Lowell |
| 13 | Dodge | 3 | Wilfred C. Fuller | Dem. | Chester |
| 13 | Dodge | 4 | Dennis Short | Dem. | Lomira |
| 13 | Dodge | 5 | Satterlee Clark | Dem. | Horicon |
| 13 | Dodge | 6 | Ferdinand Gnewuch | Dem. | Lebanon |
| 02 | Door & Northern Kewaunee | Door & Northern Kewaunee | De Wayne Stebbins | Rep. | Ahnapee |
| 30 | Dunn & Pepin | Dunn & Pepin | Horace E. Houghton | Rep. | Durand |
| 30 | Eau Claire | Eau Claire | William P. Bartlett | Rep. | Eau Claire |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 1 | Alonzo A. Loper | Rep. | Ripon |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 2 | Rensselaer M. Lewis | Lib. R. | Fond du Lac |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 3 | Truman M. Fay | Dem. | Byron |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | Thomas G. Stephens | Lib. R. | Hazel Green |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | William H. Clise | Rep. | Lancaster |
| 16 | Grant | 3 | John Monteith | Rep. | Fennimore |
| 16 | Grant | 4 | Christopher Hutchinson | Rep. | Beetown |
| 12 | Green | Green | John Luchsinger | Rep. | New Glarus |
| 25 | Green Lake | Green Lake | Appollos D. Foote | Rep. | Berlin |
| 09 | Iowa | 1 | William E. Rowe | Lib. R. | Arena |
| 09 | Iowa | 2 | William Robinson | Rep. | Moscow |
| 23 | Jefferson | 1 | Patrick Devy | Dem. | Watertown |
| 23 | Jefferson | 2 | Casper Steinfort | Lib. R. | Lake Mills |
| 23 | Jefferson | 3 | James W. Ostrander | Rep. | Jefferson |
| 29 | Juneau | Juneau | Henry F. C. Nichols | Rep. | New Lisbon |
| 08 | Kenosha | Kenosha | Asahel Farr | Rep. | Kenosha |
| 31 | La Crosse | La Crosse | Alex McMillan | Rep. | La Crosse |
| 11 | Lafayette | Lafayette | William H. Armstrong | Rep. | Darlington |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 1 | Charles R. Zorn | Dem. | Schleswig |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 2 | Orsamus S. Davis | Rep. | Cato |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 3 | Joseph Rankin | Dem. | Manitowoc |
| 21 | Marathon | Marathon | Daniel L. Plumer | Ref. | Wausau |
| 25 | Marquette | Marquette | Charles S. Kelsey | Rep. | Montello |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 1 | Isaac W. Van Schaick | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 2 | Jacob Sander | Lib. R. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 3 | James McGrath | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 4 | Gottlob E. Weiss | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 5 | John A. Becher | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 6 | Casper Sanger | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 7 | Henry L. Palmer | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 8 | Galen Seaman | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 9 | Moritz Becker | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 10 | Thomas Tobin | Dem. | Wauwatosa |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 11 | John B. Stemper | Dem. | Oak Creek |
| 04 | Monroe | 1 | James H. Allen | Rep. | Sparta |
| 04 | Monroe | 2 | Adelbert Bleekman | Rep. | Tomah |
| 21 | Oconto | Oconto | Richard W. Hubbell | Rep. | Oconto |
| 22 | Outagamie, Shawano, & Waupaca | 1 | John A. Roemer | Dem. | Appleton |
| 21 | Outagamie, Shawano, & Waupaca | 2 | Corydon L. Rich | Dem. | Bovina |
| 21 | Outagamie, Shawano, & Waupaca | 3 | Columbus Caldwell | Rep. | Lind |
| 33 | Ozaukee | 1 | Charles E. Chamberlin | Dem. | Ozaukee |
| 33 | Ozaukee | 2 | Adolphus Zimmermann | Dem. | Mequon |
| 24 | Pierce | Pierce | James H. Persons | Rep. | Union |
| 29 | Portage | Portage | David R. Clements | Rep. | Stevens Point |
| 05 | Racine | 1 | John Elkins | Rep. | Racine |
| 05 | Racine | 2 | Richard Richards | Rep. | Mount Pleasant |
| 28 | Richland | 1 | Norman L. James | Rep. | Richland Center |
| 28 | Richland | 2 | George W. Putnam | Rep. | Marshall |
| 17 | Rock | 1 | John M. Evans | Rep. | Union |
| 17 | Rock | 2 | David F. Sayre | Rep. | Porter |
| 17 | Rock | 3 | Dustin G. Cheever | Rep. | Clinton |
| 17 | Rock | 4 | Eugene K. Felt | Rep. | Newark |
| 17 | Rock | 5 | Henry A. Patterson | Rep. | Janesville |
| 14 | Sauk | 1 | John Young | Rep. | Honey Creek |
| 14 | Sauk | 2 | John Kellogg | Rep. | Reedsburg |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 1 | Julius Bodenstab | Lib. R. | Herman |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 2 | Otto Puhlman | Dem. | Plymouth |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 3 | Peter Daane | Rep. | Holland |
| 24 | St. Croix | St. Croix | David C. Fulton | Lib. R. | Hudson |
| 32 | Trempealeau | Trempealeau | Seth W. Button | Rep. | Trempealeau |
| 04 | Vernon | 1 | Peter Jerman | Rep. | Sterling |
| 04 | Vernon | 2 | J. Henry Tate | Rep. | Viroqua |
| 08 | Walworth | 1 | Carlos L. Douglass | Rep. | Walworth |
| 08 | Walworth | 2 | Frank Leland | Rep. | Elkhorn |
| 08 | Walworth | 3 | Charles R. Gibbs | Rep. | Whitewater |
| 33 | Washington | 1 | Hiram W. Sawyer | Dem. | Hartford |
| 33 | Washington | 2 | Baruch S. Weil | Dem. | Schleisingerville |
| 10 | Waukesha | 1 | Francis G. Parks | Rep. | Eagle |
| 10 | Waukesha | 2 | David Rhoda | Rep. | Oconomowoc |
| 25 | Waushara | Waushara | Sherman Bardwell | Rep. | Plainfield |
| 19 | Winnebago | 1 | Thomas Wall | Dem. | Oshkosh |
| 19 | Winnebago | 2 | Thomas McConnell | Rep. | Winneconne |
| 19 | Winnebago | 3 | Carlton Foster | Rep. | Oshkosh |
| 19 | Winnebago | 4 | Alson Wood | Rep. | Rushford |

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: J. H. Waggoner
** Assistant Clerk: Sid. A. Foster
*** Bookkeeper: T. S. Ansley
** Engrossing Clerk: Charles A. Booth
** Enrolling Clerk: Frank Abbott
** Transcribing Clerk: S. H. Vedder
* Sergeant-at-Arms: A. Emonson
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Stephen Coburn
* Postmaster: P. H. Parsons
** Assistant Postmaster: W. D. Harshaw
* Doorkeeper: Hugh Longstaff
** Assistant Doorkeeper: Walter Cook
** Assistant Doorkeeper: W. F. Bingham
** Assistant Doorkeeper: W. F. Hals
** Assistant Doorkeeper: John Z. Rittman
** Gallery Doorkeeper: G. Jones
** Gallery Doorkeeper: S. S. Miller
** Night Watch: Frank J. Wood
* Governor's Attendant: Ossian M. Pettit
* Clerk's Messenger: Charles A. Irish
* Messengers:
** Adolph Hastreiter
** Arthur Johnson
** Freddie Richards
** Willie Bintliff
** Eddie McCurdy
** Johnnie Veeder
** Charlie Fellows
** Frank Bolting
** Freddie Davis

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: Ephraim W. Young
** Assistant Clerk: Fred A. Dennett
*** Bookkeeper: Roger C. Spooner
** Engrossing Clerk: Mrs. R. A. Vilas
** Enrolling Clerk: Amos Hitchcock
** Transcribing Clerk: Faunie Russell
* Sergeant-at-Arms: O. C. Bissell
** 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: W. H. Bell
** 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Richard Pritchard
* Postmaster: M. Herrick
** 1st Assistant Postmaster: W. W. Baker
** 2nd Assistant Postmaster: Charles Volner
* Doorkeepers:
** John Gale
** George W. Baker
** S. G. Parkhurst
** W. W. Phelps
* Night Watch: Fred Bright
* Firemen:
** Charles Sellers
** Z. B. Russell
* Gallery Attendants:
** John Bowen
** H. J. Stordock
* Committee Room Attendants:
** George W. Williams
** M. S. Bowler
** Ethan Griffith
** George Slingsby
** Eugene J. Cole
* Washroom Attendant: O. M. Oleson
* Porter: H. O. Hermonson
* Speaker's Messenger: Willie Holmes
* Chief Clerk's Messenger: Frank R. Norton
* Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: Eddie B. Weeks
* Messengers:
** Charles Murphy
** Frank Porter
** Henry Cutler
** Ed. Hubbell
** Edwin Roweliff
** Cassius Paine
** John Lannan
** Willie Rudd
** Charles Wootton
** Julian French
** Charles Rothe
** Mike Comford
** John Oleson
** Fred Hawley