# 8th Wisconsin Legislature

The Eighth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 10, 1855, to April 2, 1855, in regular session.
This was the first Wisconsin legislature seated after the establishment of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assemblymembers were elected to a one-year term. Assemblymembers and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 7, 1854. 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, 1853.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Democrat William A. Barstow, of Waukesha County, serving the second year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1853 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

* February 1, 1855: Charles Durkee elected United States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in joint session.
* November 6, 1855: In the 1855 Wisconsin gubernatorial election, incumbent William A. Barstow was initially declared the winner. The election results were contested and eventually Coles Bashford, the Republican candidate, prevailed and became the next Governor of Wisconsin.

## Major legislation

* March 8, 1855: Act to provide for the division of the County of Adams, and to submit the question to a Vote of the people, 1855 Act 28. The referendum passed and resulted in the creation of Juneau County from the western half of Adams County.
* March 23, 1855: Act relative to the rights of married women, 1855 Act 49. Granted married women the rights to own property and conduct business in circumstances where the husband had been negligent or otherwise irresponsible.

## Party summary
### Senate 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. | F.S. | Whig | Ind. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 22 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 25 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 52% | 0% | 0% | 4% | 44% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 25 | 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. | F.S. | Whig | Ind. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 51 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 34 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 44 | 82 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 41.46% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 4.88% | 53.66% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 46 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 82 | 0 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 10, 1855 – April 2, 1855

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: James T. Lewis, Lieutenant Governor
* President pro tempore: Eleazer Wakeley

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: Charles C. Sholes

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Eighth Wisconsin Legislature (25):
| District | Counties | Senator | Party | Residence |
| 01 | Calumet, Manitowoc, Sheboygan | David Taylor | Rep. | Sheboygan |
| 02 | Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Marathon, Oconto, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca | Joseph F. Loy | Dem. | Green Bay |
| 03 | Ozaukee | Bolivar G. Gill | Dem. | Grafton |
| 04 | Washington | James Rolfe | Ind. | Jackson |
| 05 | Milwaukee (Northern Half) | Jackson Hadley | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee (Southern Half) | Edward McGarry | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Racine | Charles Clement | Rep. | Racine |
| 08 | Kenosha | Francis Paddock | Rep. | Salem |
| 09 | Waukesha (Northern Half) | Denison Worthington | Rep. | Summit |
| 10 | Waukesha (Southern Half) | James D. Reymert | Dem. | Denoon |
| 11 | Dane | Hiram H. Giles | Rep. | Stoughton |
| 12 | Walworth | Eleazer Wakeley | Dem. | Whitewater |
| 13 | Lafayette | Charles Dunn | Dem. | Cottage Inn |
| 14 | Jefferson | Daniel Howell | Dem. | Jefferson |
| 15 | Iowa, Richland | Amasa Cobb | Rep. | Mineral Point |
| 16 | Grant | Nelson Dewey | Dem. | Lancaster |
| 17 | Rock (Western Half) | James Sutherland | Rep. | Janesville |
| 18 | Rock (Eastern Half) | Louis P. Harvey | Rep. | Shopiere |
| 19 | Bad Ax, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix | William J. Gibson | Dem. | Black River Falls |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | Charles A. Eldredge | Dem. | Fond du Lac |
| 21 | Winnebago | Coles Bashford | Rep. | Oshkosh |
| 22 | Dodge | Ezra A. Bowen | Dem. | Mayville |
| 23 | Adams, Marquette, Sauk, Waushara | Edwin B. Kelsey | Dem. | Montello |
| 24 | Green | Francis H. West | Rep. | Monroe |
| 25 | Columbia | John Q. Adams | Rep. | Fall River |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Eighth Wisconsin Legislature (82):
| Senate District | County | District | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 23 | Adams & Sauk | Adams & Sauk | Richard H. Davis | Rep. | Baraboo |
| 19 | Bad Ax & Crawford | Bad Ax & Crawford | James Fisher | Dem. | Prairie du Chien |
| 02 | Brown, Door, Kewaunee | Brown, Door, Kewaunee | Morgan L. Martin | Ind. | Green Bay |
| 19 | Buffalo, Chippewa, La Crosse | Buffalo, Chippewa, La Crosse | Chase A. Stevens | Dem. | La Crosse |
| 01 | Calumet | Calumet | Almond Merrill | Rep. | Charlestown |
| 25 | Columbia | 1 | William T. Whirry | Dem. | Randolph |
| 25 | Columbia | 2 | Alfred Topliff | Rep. | Columbus |
| 11 | Dane | 1 | Jonathan Mosher | Rep. | Stoughton |
| 11 | Dane | 2 | William R. Taylor | Dem. | Cottage Grove |
| 11 | Dane | 3 | Samuel G. Abbott | Rep. | Verona |
| 11 | Dane | 4 | George P. Thompson | Dem. | Cross Plains |
| 11 | Dane | 5 | Levi Baker Vilas | Dem. | Madison |
| 22 | Dodge | 1 | Narcisse Juneau | Dem. | Theresa |
| 22 | Dodge | 2 | John B. Ribble | Dem. | Horicon |
| 22 | Dodge | 3 | Fred F. Schwefel | Ind. | Lebanon |
| 22 | Dodge | 4 | John D. Griffin | Dem. | Shields |
| 22 | Dodge | 5 | Solomon L. Rose | Dem. | Beaver Dam |
| 22 | Dodge | 6 | John M. Sherman | Rep. | Burnett |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 1 | George W. Parker | Rep. | Metomen |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 2 | Benjamin R. Harrington | Rep. | Byron |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 3 | William H. Ebbets | Dem. | Fond du Lac |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 4 | John Boyd | Dem. | Calumet |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | Allen Taylor | Rep. | Hazel Green |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | William Hull | Dem. | Potosi |
| 16 | Grant | 3 | William W. Field | Rep. | Platteville |
| 16 | Grant | 4 | William Cole | Rep. | Fennimore |
| 16 | Grant | 5 | Noah H. Virgin | Rep. | Beetown |
| 24 | Green | Green | Amos D. Kirkpatrick | Rep. | Dayton |
| 15 | Iowa | 1 | Stephen P. Hollenbeck | Rep. | Highland |
| 15 | Iowa | 2 | John Love | Rep. | Mineral Point |
| 14 | Jefferson | 1 | Patrick Rogan | Dem. | Watertown |
| 14 | Jefferson | 2 | John G. Merriam | Rep. | Lake Mills |
| 14 | Jefferson | 3 | A. H. Van Norstrand | Dem. | Jefferson |
| 14 | Jefferson | 4 | John Gibb | Dem. | Ixonia |
| 14 | Jefferson | 5 | Willard Grant | Rep. | Hebron |
| 08 | Kenosha | 1 | Charles C. Sholes | Rep. | Kenosha |
| 08 | Kenosha | 2 | Philander Judson | Rep. | Bristol |
| 13 | Lafayette | 1 | James Earnest | Dem. | New Diggings |
| 13 | Lafayette | 2 | A. A. Townsend | Rep. | Shullsburg |
| 13 | Lafayette | 3 | Joseph White | Dem. | Cottage Inn |
| 19 | La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, & St. Croix | La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, & St. Croix | Smith R. Gunn | Rep. | Prescott |
| 01 | Manitowoc | Manitowoc | James Bennett | Rep. | Manitowoc |
| 02 | Marathon & Portage | Marathon & Portage | Walter D. McIndoe | Rep. | Wausau |
| 23 | Marquette & Waushara | 1 | Harvey Grant | Rep. | Tichora |
| 23 | Marquette & Waushara | 2 | Samuel R. Rood | Dem. | Packwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 1 | James B. Cross | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 2 | Jasper Vliet | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 3 | Edward O'Neill | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 4 | I. E. Goodall | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 5 | Edwin De Wolf | Ind. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 6 | John Ruan | Dem. | Oak Creek |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 7 | Peter Lavies | Dem. | Greenfield |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 8 | Reuben Chase | Rep. | Wauwatosa |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 9 | Frederick Moskowitt | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 02 | Oconto, Outagamie, & Waupaca | Oconto, Outagamie, & Waupaca | David Scott | Dem. | Appleton |
| 03 | Ozaukee | 1 | William H. Ramsey | Dem. | Ozaukee |
| 03 | Ozaukee | 2 | Henry Blazer | Dem. | Mequon River |
| 07 | Racine | 1 | Thomas Falvey | Dem. | Racine |
| 07 | Racine | 2 | Alanson Filer | Rep. | Racine |
| 07 | Racine | 3 | Ebenezer Adams | Rep. | Yorkville |
| 07 | Racine | 4 | Caleb P. Barns | Dem. | Burlington |
| 15 | Richland | Richland | Daniel L. Downs | Dem. | Richmond |
| 18 | Rock | 1 | Samuel G. Colley | Rep. | Beloit |
| 18 | Rock | 2 | Joseph Goodrich | Rep. | Milton |
| 17 | Rock | 3 | George H. Williston | Rep. | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 4 | Nathan B. Howard | Rep. | Magnolia |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 1 | Joseph Schrage | Rep. | Sheboygan |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 2 | Luther H. Cary | Rep. | Greenbush |
| 12 | Walworth | 1 | Solmous Wakeley | Rep. | Whitewater |
| 12 | Walworth | 2 | Daniel Hooper | Rep. | Troy |
| 12 | Walworth | 3 | Samuel Pratt | Rep. | Spring Prairie |
| 12 | Walworth | 4 | Levi Lee | Rep. | Elkhorn |
| 12 | Walworth | 5 | Willard W. Isham | Rep. | Delavan |
| 12 | Walworth | 6 | George Allen | Rep. | Linn |
| 04 | Washington | 1 | Byron Smith | Dem. | Erin |
| 04 | Washington | 2 | Mitchell L. Delaney | Rep. | Barton |
| 09 | Waukesha | 1 | Benjamin F. Goss | Dem. | Pewaukee |
| 09 | Waukesha | 2 | Stephen Warren | Rep. | Delafield |
| 10 | Waukesha | 3 | Joseph Bond | Dem. | Mukwonago |
| 10 | Waukesha | 4 | Alexander W. Randall | Ind. | Waukesha |
| 21 | Winnebago | 1 | George Gary | Rep. | Oshkosh |
| 21 | Winnebago | 2 | Ebenezer S. Welch | Rep. | Neenah |

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Samuel G. Bugh
* Sergeant-at-Arms: William H. Gleason

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: David Atwood
* Sergeant-at-Arms: William Blake