# 29th Wisconsin Legislature

The Twenty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 12, 1876, to March 14, 1876, in regular session.
Senators representing even-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 even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 2, 1875. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 3, 1874.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Harrison Ludington, of Milwaukee County, serving the first year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1875 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

## Major events

* January 3, 1876: Inauguration of Harrison Ludington as the 13th Governor of Wisconsin.
* February 2, 1876: The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs was founded at a meeting in Chicago.
* March 7, 1876: Alexander Graham Bell was granted a United States patent for the telephone.
* March 27, 1876: The United States Supreme Court decided the case United States v. Reese, narrowing the scope of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, and enabling the creation of new laws to limit the voting rights of African Americans. On the same day, the court also decided the case United States v. Cruikshank, significantly limiting the power of the federal government to enforce civil rights protections.
* June 25 – June 26, 1876: 300 men of the 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment were killed by a force of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
* July 4, 1876: United States Centennial.
* November 7, 1876: The 1876 United States presidential election was held. Rutherford B. Hayes was the apparent winner of the electoral college votes, but the results were bitterly disputed due to various fraud schemes in southern states, and the fact that Samuel J. Tilden was the apparent winner of the popular vote.

## Major legislation

* March 13, 1876: An Act to apportion the state into senate and assembly districts, 1876 Act 343.

## 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 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 17 | 33 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 33 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 36.36% | 36.36% | 36.36% | 63.64% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 8 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 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 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 64 | 100 | 0 |
| Start of 1st Session | 35 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 100 | 0 |
| From Feb. 17 | 35 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 100 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 48% | 48% | 48% | 48% | 52% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 33 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 100 | 0 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 12, 1876 – March 14, 1876

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Charles D. Parker (D)
* President pro tempore: Robert L. D. Potter (R)

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: Sam S. Fifield (R)

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Twenty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Dist. | Counties | Senator | Residence | Party |
| 01 | Sheboygan | Enos Eastman | Plymouth | Dem. |
| 02 | Brown, Door, & Kewaunee | Thomas R. Hudd | Green Bay | Ref. |
| 03 | Milwaukee (Northern Part) | William H. Jacobs | Milwaukee | Ref. |
| 04 | Monroe & Vernon | J. Henry Tate | Viroqua | Rep. |
| 05 | Racine | Robert Hall Baker | Racine | Rep. |
| 06 | Milwaukee (Southern Half) | John L. Mitchell | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 07 | Dane (Eastern Part) | George E. Bryant | Madison | Rep. |
| 08 | Kenosha & Walworth | Asahel Farr | Kenosha | Rep. |
| 09 | Iowa | David McFarland | Highland | Ref. |
| 10 | Waukesha | William Blair | Waukesha | Rep. |
| 11 | Lafayette | Francis Campbell | Gratiot | Rep. |
| 12 | Green | Joseph B. Treat | Monroe | Rep. |
| 13 | Dodge | John A. Barney | Mayville | Dem. |
| 14 | Sauk | David E. Welch | Baraboo | Rep. |
| 15 | Manitowoc | John Schuette | Manitowoc | Rep. |
| 16 | Grant | Oscar C. Hathaway | Beetown | 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) | Daniel Cavanagh | Osceola | Dem. |
| 21 | Marathon, Oconto, Shawano, Waupaca, & Northern Outagamie | Willis C. Silverthorn | Wausau | Ref. |
| 22 | Calumet & Southern Outagamie | James Ryan | Appleton | Dem. |
| 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 | Daniel Downs | Richland Center | Rep. |
| 29 | Adams, Juneau, Portage, & Wood | Thomas B. Scott | Grand Rapids | Rep. |
| 30 | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, & Taylor | Rockwell J. Flint | Eau Claire | Rep. |
| 31 | La Crosse | Sylvester Nevins | La Crosse | Rep. |
| 32 | Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, & Trempealeau | Mark Douglas | Melrose | Rep. |
| 33 | Ozaukee & Washington | Gilead J. Wilmot | West Bend | Dem. |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Twenty-Ninth 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 | Mitchell Resch | Dem. | Green Bay |
| 02 | Brown & Southern Kewaunee | 2 | William J. Fisk | Rep. | Fort Howard |
| 02 | Brown & Southern Kewaunee | 3 | Dennis Dewane | Dem. | New Denmark |
| 32 | Buffalo | Buffalo | Edward Lees | Dem. | Fountain City |
| 22 | Calumet | Calumet | Henry Horst | Dem. | Hayton |
| 30 | Chippewa & Taylor | Chippewa & Taylor | Cadwallader J. Wiltse | Dem. | Chippewa Falls |
| 32 | Clark & Jackson | Clark & Jackson | Hugh Mills | Rep. | Millston |
| 27 | Columbia | 1 | Michael Griffin | Rep. | Kilbourn City |
| 27 | Columbia | 2 | John G. Griffin | Rep. | Randolph |
| 27 | Columbia | 3 | Augustus O. Dole | Rep. | Poynette |
| 28 | Crawford | Crawford | Fergus Mills | Dem. | Seneca |
| 07 | Dane | 1 | William Seamonson | Rep. | Stoughton |
| 07 | Dane | 2 | William Charlton | Lib.R. | Madison |
| 26 | Dane | 3 | Peter Zander | Dem. | Cross Plains |
| 26 | Dane | 4 | Michael Johnson | Ref. | Springdale |
| 13 | Dodge | 1 | Patrick Griffin | Dem. | Portland |
| 13 | Dodge | 2 | Columbus Germain | Dem. | Beaver Dam |
| 13 | Dodge | 3 | George H. Lawrence | Rep. | Burnett |
| 13 | Dodge | 4 | Charles E. Kite | Dem. | Mayville |
| 13 | Dodge | 5 | George Schott | Dem. | Herman |
| 13 | Dodge | 6 | James Higgins | Ref. | Shields |
| 02 | Door & Northern Kewaunee | Door & Northern Kewaunee | Leroy M. Washburn | Ref. | Sturgeon Bay |
| 30 | Dunn & Pepin | Dunn & Pepin | Menzus R. Bump | Rep. | Rock Falls |
| 30 | Eau Claire | Eau Claire | Hobart Stocking | Rep. | Eau Claire |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 1 | James K. Scribner | Rep. | Eldorado Mills |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 2 | Edson A. Putnam | Rep. | Oakfield |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 3 | Lambert Brost | Dem. | Calumet |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | William D. Jones | Rep. | Hazel Green |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | Joseph Bock | Rep. | Lancaster |
| 16 | Grant | 3 | George Brown | Rep. | Woodman |
| 16 | Grant | 4 | William J. McCoy | Dem. | Beetown |
| 12 | Green | Green | John Luchsinger | Rep. | New Glarus |
| 25 | Green Lake | Green Lake | Waldo Flint | Rep. | Princeton |
| 09 | Iowa | 1 | Ansley Gray (until Feb. 17) | Ref. | Avoca |
| 09 | Iowa | 1 | Joseph Bennett (from Feb. 17) | Rep. | Dodgeville |
| 09 | Iowa | 2 | Kearton Coates | Rep. | Linden |
| 23 | Jefferson | 1 | Thomas Shinnick | Dem. | Watertown |
| 23 | Jefferson | 2 | Charles H. Phillips | Rep. | Lake Mills |
| 23 | Jefferson | 3 | David W. Curtis | Rep. | Fort Atkinson |
| 29 | Juneau | Juneau | Charles E. Booth | Rep. | Elroy |
| 08 | Kenosha | Kenosha | Frederick Robinson | Dem. | Kenosha |
| 31 | La Crosse | La Crosse | John Bradley | Rep. | Bangor |
| 11 | Lafayette | Lafayette | Danverse Neff | Rep. | Calamine |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 1 | Charles R. Zorn | Dem. | Keil |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 2 | Thomas Mohr | Ref. | Kossuth |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 3 | William F. Tisch | Dem. | Mishicott |
| 21 | Marathon | Marathon | Bartholomew Ringle | Dem. | Wausau |
| 25 | Marquette | Marquette | B. Frank Goodell | Dem. | Montello |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 1 | Patrick Drew | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 2 | Peter Fagg | Ind.D. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 3 | Edward Keogh | Ind.D. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 4 | Bernard F. Cooke | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 5 | David Vance | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 6 | Charles Kraatz | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 7 | Lemuel Ellsworth | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 8 | Henry Fink | Ind. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 9 | George H. Walther | Ref. | Milwaukee |
| 03 | Milwaukee | 10 | F. A. Zautcke | Rep. | Granville |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 11 | Hubert Lavies | Ref. | Greenfield |
| 04 | Monroe | 1 | Albert T. Colburn | Rep. | Little Falls |
| 04 | Monroe | 2 | Charles D. Wells | Dem. | Tomah |
| 21 | Oconto | Oconto | Louis P. Pahl | Ref. | Oconto |
| 22 | Outagamie, Shawano, & Waupaca | 1 | David Hammel | Dem. | Appleton |
| 21 | Outagamie, Shawano, & Waupaca | 2 | John J. Knowlton | Ind.D. | Seymour |
| 21 | Outagamie, Shawano, & Waupaca | 3 | Henry Mumbrue | Ind.R. | Waupaca |
| 33 | Ozaukee | 1 | Gustav Gotze | Ref. | Port Washington |
| 33 | Ozaukee | 2 | William Carbys | Ind.R. | Mequon |
| 24 | Pierce | Pierce | Christopher L. Taylor | Dem. | Maiden Rock |
| 29 | Portage | Portage | Thomas W. Anderson | Rep. | Stevens Point |
| 05 | Racine | 1 | Norton J. Field | Rep. | Racine |
| 05 | Racine | 2 | Elias White | Ref. | Burlington |
| 28 | Richland | 1 | J. L. R. McCollum | Dem. | Sextonville |
| 28 | Richland | 2 | Henry H. Hoyt | Rep. | West Branch |
| 17 | Rock | 1 | Lloyd T. Pullen | Rep. | Evansville |
| 17 | Rock | 2 | George Gleason | Rep. | Lima |
| 17 | Rock | 3 | Andrew Barlass | Rep. | Harmony |
| 17 | Rock | 4 | Sereno Merrill | Rep. | Beloit |
| 17 | Rock | 5 | Jere A. Blount | Dem. | Janesville |
| 14 | Sauk | 1 | David B. Hulburt | Rep. | Loganville |
| 14 | Sauk | 2 | Silas J. Seymour | Rep. | Dellona |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 1 | Joseph Wedig | Ref. | Sheboygan |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 2 | William Noll | Rep. | Cascade |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 3 | Louis Wolf | Dem. | Sheboygan Falls |
| 24 | St. Croix | St. Croix | Philo Boyden | Ref. | Hudson |
| 32 | Trempealeau | Trempealeau | Noah D. Comstock | Rep. | Arcadia |
| 04 | Vernon | 1 | John Stevenson | Rep. | Harmony |
| 04 | Vernon | 2 | Timothy S. Jordan | Rep. | Union |
| 08 | Walworth | 1 | Charles S. Teeple | Rep. | Darien |
| 08 | Walworth | 2 | Benoni Reynolds | Rep. | Geneva |
| 08 | Walworth | 3 | D. Manfield Stearns | Rep. | Sugar Creek |
| 33 | Washington | 1 | Andrew Martin | Dem. | Jackson |
| 33 | Washington | 2 | Philip Schneider | Dem. | Farmington |
| 10 | Waukesha | 1 | William H. Hardy | Dem. | Genesee |
| 10 | Waukesha | 2 | James S. Dent | Rep. | Menomonee Falls |
| 25 | Waushara | Waushara | Jabez K. Walker | Rep. | East Oasis |
| 19 | Winnebago | 1 | Thomas Wall | Dem. | Oshkosh |
| 19 | Winnebago | 2 | Eric McArthur | Rep. | Winneconne |
| 19 | Winnebago | 3 | Leroy S. Chase | Rep. | Omro |
| 19 | Winnebago | 4 | Sidney Shufelt | Rep. | Poygan |

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Andrew Jackson Turner
** Assistant Clerk: J. F. A. Williams
** Bookkeeper: J. T. Huntington
** Engrossing Clerk: Ms. Georgie Clise
** Enrolling Clerk: J. T. Jacobson
** Transcribing Clerk: Ed. Borcherdt
* Sergeant-at-Arms: R. T. Gardner
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: George Hawley
* Postmaster: D. McBride
** Assistant Postmaster: C. A. Carter
* Gallery Attendant: R. B. Winsor
** Assistant Attendant: A. T. Conger
** Committee Room Attendants:
*** H. A. Head
*** Alfred Newgent
*** C. H. Newton
* Doorkeepers:
** M. Lynch
** T. Torkelson
** S. F. Leavitt
** Hohn Hallahan
* Porter: T. H. Hanson
* Janitor: P. Gilluly
* Messengers:
** Arthur A. Hills
** Sherman G. Potter
** Daniel Trainer
** Herbert Rinder
** Eugene Abbott
** Fred Richards
** George Gewicke
** Lucien Pickarts
** Willie Scampton

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: Rollin M. Strong
** Assistant Clerk: Chester Deming Long
** Bookkeeper: William M. Fogo
** Engrossing Clerk: Mrs. Fannie Vilas
** Enrolling Clerk: R. A. Gillett
** Transcribing Clerk: J. P. Cooper
** Clerk for the Committee on Judiciary: Frank O. Wisner
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Elisha Starr
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: George H. Osgood
* Postmaster: John H. Manschot
** Assistant Postmaster: Fred M. Griswold
* Doorkeepers:
** Henry Matthews
** William F. Shallock
** T. E. Abbott
** E. S. Chase
* Committee Room Attendants:
** John Hannon
** W. H. Bell
** W. R. Kent
** Richard Prichard
* Gallery Attendants:
** W. Alten
** Frank Burgess
* Porter: W. F. Bingman
* Night Watch: C. F. Ainsworth
* Fireman: Thomas Nelson
* Speaker's Messenger: Charles Weight
* Chief Clerk's Messenger: Theo. Thorson
* Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: M. L. Parker
* Messengers:
** Willie Betts
** Walter Holt
** Joseph Ready
** Mark Baker
** Harry Meeker
** B. B. Jones
** Lyman Curtis
** James DeBauker
** Willie Plumb
** Julius Voltz
** Lucius Cannon
** Freddie D. Fagg
** Henry Delaney