# 2nd Wisconsin Territorial Assembly

The Second Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory convened from November 26, 1838, to December 22, 1838, from January 21, 1839, to March 11, 1839, and from December 2, 1839, to January 13, 1840, in regular session. The Assembly also convened in an extra session from August 3, 1840, to August 14, 1840.

## Major events

* September 4, 1839: The Battle of Kowloon marked the start of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Qing dynasty.
* July 1, 1839: Enslaved Africans aboard the Amistad rebelled at took control of the ship.
* December 1839: Horatio N. Wells appointed the 2nd Attorney General for the Wisconsin Territory.
* December 2, 1839: The first edition of the Madison Express was published at Madison.
* December 6, 1839: The first national convention of the Whig Party was held at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and nominated General William Henry Harrison for President of the United States.
* October 3 – December 2, 1840: William Henry Harrison elected President of the United States.

## Major legislation

* December 20, 1839: An Act to amend an act entitled "An Act to provide for and regulate General Elections," 1839 Wisc. Terr. Act 1. Changed the date of general elections to the fourth Monday in September.
* January 8, 1840: An Act to prevent the sale of intoxicating liquors to Indians, 1840 Wis. Terr. Act 17.
* January 11, 1840: An Act to provide for taking the census, or enumeration of the inhabitants of this Territory, and to fix the time of holding an extra session of the Legislative Assembly, 1839 Wis. Terr. Act 27.
* January 13, 1840: An Act limiting the term of office of all officers of this Territory, not now limited by law, 1839 Wisc. Terr. Act 50. Set a 2-year term for all Wisconsin Territory offices not previously described by law.

## Sessions

* 1st session: November 26, 1838 – December 22, 1838
* 2nd session: January 21, 1839 – March 11, 1839
* 3rd session: December 2, 1839 – January 13, 1840
* Extra session: August 3, 1840 – August 14, 1840

## Leadership
### Council President

* William Bullen - during the 1st session
* James Collins - during the 2nd and 3rd sessions
* William A. Prentiss - during the extra session

### Speaker of the House of Representatives

* John Wilford Blackstone Sr. (W) - during the 1st session
* Lucius Israel Barber (W) - during the 2nd session
* Edward V. Whiton (W) - during the 3rd session
* Nelson Dewey (D) - during the extra session

## Members
### Members of the Council

Members of the Council for the Second Legislative Assembly:
| Counties | Councillor | Session(s) | Session(s) | Session(s) | Session(s) | Party |
| Counties | Councillor | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Ex. | Party |
| Brown | Alexander J. Irwin | Y | Y | | | |
| Brown | Morgan Lewis Martin | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Brown | Charles C. P. Arndt | | | Y | Y | Whig |
| Crawford | George Wilson | Y | Y | | | |
| Crawford | Joseph Brisbois | | | Y | | |
| Crawford | Charles J. Learned | | | | Y | |
| Dane, Dodge, Green, & Jefferson | Ebenezer Brigham | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Grant | James R. Vineyard | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Grant | John H. Rountree | Y | Y | Y | Y | Whig |
| Iowa | James Collins | Y | Y | Y | Y | Whig |
| Iowa | Levi Sterling | Y | Y | Y | Y | Whig |
| Milwaukee & Washington | Daniel Wells Jr. | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Milwaukee & Washington | William A. Prentiss | Y | Y | Y | Y | Whig |
| Racine | William Bullen | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Racine | Marshall M. Strong | Y | Y | | | Dem. |
| Racine | Lorenzo Janes | | | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Rock & Walworth | James Maxwell | Y | Y | Y | Y | |

### Members of the House of Representatives

Members of the House of Representatives for the Second Legislative Assembly:
| Counties | Representative | Session(s) | Session(s) | Session(s) | Session(s) | Party |
| Counties | Representative | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Ex. | Party |
| Brown | Ebenezer Childs | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Brown | Charles C. Sholes | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Brown | Barlow Shackleford | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Brown | Jacob W. Conroe | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Crawford | Alexander McGregor | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Crawford | Ira B. Brunson | | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Dane, Dodge, Green, & Jefferson | Daniel S. Sutherland | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Grant | Thomas Cruson | Y | Y | Y | Y | Whig |
| Grant | Nelson Dewey | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Grant | Ralph Carver | Y | Y | | | |
| Grant | Joseph H. D. Street | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Grant | Jonathan Craig | | | Y | Y | |
| Iowa | Russel Baldwin | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Iowa | John W. Blackstone | Y | Y | Y | Y | Whig |
| Iowa | Henry M. Billings | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Iowa | Thomas Jenkins | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Iowa | Charles Bracken | | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Milwaukee & Washington | Lucius I. Barber | Y | Y | | | Whig |
| Milwaukee & Washington | William Shew | Y | Y | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Milwaukee & Washington | Henry C. Skinner | Y | Y | | | |
| Milwaukee & Washington | Ezekiel Churchill | Y | Y | | | |
| Milwaukee & Washington | Augustus Story | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Milwaukee & Washington | Adam E. Ray | | | Y | Y | |
| Milwaukee & Washington | William R. Longstreet | | | Y | Y | |
| Milwaukee & Washington | Horatio N. Wells | | | Y | Y | Dem. |
| Racine | Orrin R. Stevens | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Racine | Zadoc Newman | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Racine | Tristam C. Hoyt | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Rock & Walworth | Othni Beardsley | Y | Y | Y | Y | |
| Rock & Walworth | Edward V. Whiton | Y | Y | Y | Y | Whig |

## Employees
### Council employees

* Secretary:
** George Beatty, all sessions
* Sergeant-at-Arms:
** Stephen N. Ives, 1st & 2nd sessions
** Thomas J. Noyes, 3rd session
** Gilbert Knapp, extra session

### House employees

* Chief Clerk:
** John Catlin, all sessions
* Sergeant-at-Arms:
** Thomas Morgan, 1st session
** Thomas J. Moorman, 2nd session
** James Durley, 3rd session
** D. M. Whitney, extra session