# 16th Wisconsin Legislature

The Sixteenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 14, 1863, to April 2, 1863, 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 even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 4, 1862. 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 5, 1861.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Edward Salomon, of Manitowoc County, serving the second year of a two-year term, having won the 1861 lieutenant gubernatorial election, then having ascended to the gubernatorial office following the death of governor Louis P. Harvey in April 1862.

## Major events

* January 1, 1863: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.
* January 22, 1863: James R. Doolittle re-elected United States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in Joint Session.
* April 30–May 8, 1863: Battle of Chancellorsville took place in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Six regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the battle.
* May 18–July 4, 1863: Siege of Vicksburg took place in Warren County, Mississippi. Seventeen regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the siege.
* July 1–3, 1863: Battle of Gettysburg took place near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Six regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the battle. Future-Governor of Wisconsin Lucius Fairchild and future State Treasurer Henry Baetz were wounded.
* November 3, 1863: James T. Lewis elected Governor of Wisconsin.

## Major legislation

* March 13, 1863: Joint Resolution recommending Colonels J. C. Starkweather and Geo. E. Bryant to promotion, 1863 Joint Resolution 2
* March 25, 1863: Joint Resolution relative to adopting state flag, 1863 Joint Resolution 4
* March 26, 1863: Act to provide for continuing the work on the state capitol, 1863 Act 107
* March 28, 1863: Act to authorize the borrowing of money to repel invasion, suppress insurrection and defend the state in time of war, 1863 Act 157
* April 1, 1863: Act authorizing the governor to take care of the sick and wounded soldiers of the Wisconsin volunteers, and appropriating money out of the treasury for that purpose, 1863 Act 196
* April 1, 1863: Act to provide for compensating parties whose property may be injured or destroyed in consequence of mobs or riots, 1863 Act 211
* April 1, 1863: Act to provide for the enrollment of persons liable to perform military duty, and the organization of the state militia for active service, 1863 Act 242
* April 2, 1863: Act to provide for the relief of families of persons who may die in the military service of the United States or of the state of Wisconsin, 1863 Act 264

## Party summary
### Senate summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Democratic | Union | Republican | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 11 | 2 | 20 | 33 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 15 | 1 | 17 | 33 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 45.45% | 54.55% | 54.55% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 11 | 22 | 0 | 33 | 0 |

### Assembly summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| | Democratic | Union | Republican | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 46 | 10 | 42 | 98 | 1 |
| Start of 1st Session | 44 | 2 | 54 | 100 | 0 |
| after February 8 | 43 | 2 | 55 | 100 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 43% | 57% | 57% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 29 | 71 | 0 | 100 | 0 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 14, 1863 – April 2, 1863

## Leaders
### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Vacant
* President pro tempore: Wyman Spooner

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: J. Allen Barber

## Members
### Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Sixteenth Wisconsin Legislature:
| District | Counties | Senator | Residence | Party |
| 01 | Sheboygan | John E. Thomas | Sheboygan Falls | Dem. |
| 02 | Brown, Kewaunee | Edward Hicks | Green Bay | Dem. |
| 03 | Ozaukee | John R. Bohan | Ozaukee | Dem. |
| 04 | Washington | Frederick O. Thorpe | West Bend | Dem. |
| 05 | Milwaukee (Northern Part) | William K. Wilson | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 06 | Milwaukee (Southern Part) | Edward Keogh | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 07 | Racine | Timothy D. Morris | Whitesville | Rep. |
| 08 | Kenosha | Herman S. Thorp | Bristol | Rep. |
| 09 | Adams, Juneau, Waushara | Alanson M. Kimball | Pine River | Rep. |
| 10 | Waukesha | George C. Pratt | Waukesha | Dem. |
| 11 | Dane (Eastern Part) | Willard H. Chandler | Windsor | Rep. |
| 12 | Walworth | Wyman Spooner | Elkhorn | Rep. |
| 13 | Lafayette | James H. Earnest | Shullsburg | Dem. |
| 14 | Sauk | Smith S. Wilkinson | Prairie du Sac | Rep. |
| 15 | Iowa | George L. Frost | Mineral Point | Dem. |
| 16 | Grant | Milas K. Young | Glen Haven | Rep. |
| 17 | Rock | William W. Lawrence | Janesville | Rep. |
| 18 | Dodge (Western Part) | Joel Rich | Juneau | Dem. |
| 19 | Manitowoc, Calumet | Joseph Vilas | Manitowoc | Dem. |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | George W. Mitchell | Ripon | Dem. |
| 21 | Winnebago | Joseph B. Hamilton | Neenah | Rep. |
| 22 | Door, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawanaw | Thomas R. Hudd | Appleton | Dem. |
| 23 | Jefferson | J. D. Clapp | Fort Atkinson | Dem. |
| 24 | Green | Edmund A. West | Monroe | Rep. |
| 25 | Columbia | Jonathan Bowman | Kilbourn City | Rep. |
| 26 | Dane (Western Part) | Benjamin F. Hopkins | Madison | Rep. |
| 27 | Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Wood | Alexander S. McDill | Plover | Rep. |
| 28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix | Herman L. Humphrey | Hudson | Union |
| 29 | Marquette, Green Lake | Charles S. Kelsey | Montello | Rep. |
| 30 | Bad Ax, Crawford, Richland | William S. Purdy | Viroqua | Rep. |
| 31 | La Crosse, Monroe | Angus Cameron | La Crosse | Rep. |
| 32 | Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Trempealeau | M. D. Bartlett | Durand | Rep. |
| 33 | Dodge (Eastern Part) | Satterlee Clark | Horicon | Dem. |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Sixteenth Wisconsin Legislature:
| Senate District | County | District | Representative | Party | Residence |
| 09 | Adams | Adams | Otis B. Lapham | Rep. | Friendship |
| 28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk | Henry D. Barron | Union | St. Croix Falls |
| 02 | Brown | Brown | Frederick S. Ellis | Dem. | Green Bay |
| 32 | Buffalo, Pepin, Trempealeau | Buffalo, Pepin, Trempealeau | Alfred Newman | Rep. | Trempealeau |
| 19 | Calumet | Calumet | James Robinson | Dem. | Chilton |
| 32 | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire | William H. Smith | Dem. | Eau Galle |
| 32 | Clark & Jackson | Clark & Jackson | Carl C. Pope | Rep. | Black River Falls |
| 25 | Columbia | 1 | A. J. Turner | Rep. | Portage |
| 25 | Columbia | 2 | John Q. Adams | Rep. | Fall River |
| 25 | Columbia | 3 | Yates Ashley | Rep. | Pardeeville |
| 30 | Crawford | Crawford | James Fisher | Dem. | Eastman |
| 11 | Dane | 1 | Charles R. Head | Rep. | Albion |
| 11 | Dane | 2 | William H. Miller | Rep. | Door Creek |
| 26 | Dane | 3 | Alden S. Sanborn | Dem. | Mazomanie |
| 26 | Dane | 4 | George Wright | Rep. | Mount Horeb |
| 26 | Dane | 5 | George Hyer | Rep. | Madison |
| 18 | Dodge | 1 | Oliver Ashley | Rep. | Fox Lake |
| 18 | Dodge | 2 | John F. McCollum | Dem. | Trenton |
| 18 | Dodge | 3 | Oscar F. Jones | Dem. | Juneau |
| 33 | Dodge | 4 | Albert Burtch | Dem. | Mayville |
| 33 | Dodge | 5 | Ferdinand Wagner | Dem. | Watertown |
| 22 | Door, Oconto, Shawano | Door, Oconto, Shawano | George C. Ginty | Rep. | Oconto |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 1 | William Starr | Rep. | Ripon |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 2 | Freeman M. Wheeler | Rep. | Nanaupa |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 3 | Edwin H. Galloway | Rep. | Fond du Lac |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 4 | Samuel O'Hara | Dem. | Fond du Lac |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 5 | Egbert Foster | Dem. | Foster |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | John Harms (Until February 8, 1863) | Dem. | Platteville |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | John H. Rountree (From February 8, 1863) | Rep. | Platteville |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | James F. Chapman | Dem. | Potosi |
| 16 | Grant | 3 | J. Allen Barber | Rep. | Lancaster |
| 16 | Grant | 4 | William W. Field | Rep. | Fennimore |
| 16 | Grant | 5 | Robert Glenn | Rep. | Wyalusing |
| 24 | Green | 1 | Walter S. Wescott | Rep. | Farmers Grove |
| 24 | Green | 2 | Ezra Wescott | Rep. | Skinner |
| 29 | Green Lake | Green Lake | Samuel W. Smith | Union | Markesan |
| 15 | Iowa | 1 | David McFarland | Dem. | Highland |
| 15 | Iowa | 2 | John H. Vivian | Rep. | Mineral Point |
| 23 | Jefferson | 1 | Emil Rothe | Dem. | Watertown |
| 23 | Jefferson | 2 | Nathan S. Greene | Rep. | Milford |
| 23 | Jefferson | 3 | Lucien B. Caswell | Rep. | Fort Atkinson |
| 23 | Jefferson | 4 | James M. Bingham | Rep. | Palmyra |
| 09 | Juneau | Juneau | James B. Frazell | Dem. | Wonewoc |
| 08 | Kenosha | Kenosha | Benjamin T. Hatch | Rep. | Kenosha |
| 02 | Kewaunee | Kewaunee | Matthias Simon | Dem. | Ahnapee |
| 31 | La Crosse | La Crosse | Enos M. Philips | Rep. | Big Valley |
| 13 | Lafayette | 1 | Joseph White | Dem. | Cottage Inn |
| 13 | Lafayette | 2 | Lloyd T. Pullen | Rep. | Argyle |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 1 | Daniel Shanahan | Dem. | Newtonburo |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 2 | James Cahill | Dem. | Paquette |
| 19 | Manitowoc | 3 | Elijah K. Rand | Dem. | Manitowoc |
| 27 | Marathon & Wood | Marathon & Wood | Levi P. Powers | Dem. | Grand Rapids |
| 29 | Marquette | Marquette | Horatio S. Thomas | Dem. | Briggsville |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 1 | John Sharpstein | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 2 | George Abert | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 3 | John W. Eviston | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 4 | Martin Larkin Jr. | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 5 | Peter V. Deuster | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 6 | Adam Poertner | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 7 | John Hanrahan | Dem. | Good Hope |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 8 | Edward Collins | Dem. | Root Creek |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 9 | John Bentley | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 31 | Monroe | Monroe | William W. Jackson | Rep. | Tomah |
| 22 | Outagamie | Outagamie | Byron Douglas | Dem. | Appleton |
| 03 | Ozaukee | Ozaukee | Robert Power | Dem. | Ozaukee |
| 28 | Pierce & St. Croix | Pierce & St. Croix | Charles B. Cox | Rep. | River Falls |
| 27 | Portage | Portage | Enoch Webster | Rep. | Amherst |
| 07 | Racine | 1 | Horatio T. Taylor | Rep. | Racine |
| 07 | Racine | 2 | Orlando C. Munroe | Rep. | Racine |
| 07 | Racine | 3 | Hiram L. Gilmore | Rep. | North Cape |
| 30 | Richland | Richland | John Walworth | Rep. | Richland Center |
| 17 | Rock | 1 | Jonathan Cory | Rep. | Footville |
| 17 | Rock | 2 | Joseph Spaulding | Rep. | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 3 | Jacob Fowle | Rep. | Emerald Grove |
| 17 | Rock | 4 | C. Mortimer Treat | Rep. | Ogden |
| 17 | Rock | 5 | Allen C. Bates | Rep. | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 6 | Denison Alcott | Rep. | Spring Valley |
| 14 | Sauk | 1 | Alonzo Wilcox | Rep. | Spring Green |
| 14 | Sauk | 2 | Argalus W. Starks | Rep. | Baraboo |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 1 | Carl Zillier | Dem. | Sheboygan |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 2 | Charles Œtling | Dem. | Herman |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 3 | Henry Hayes | Dem. | Cascade |
| 01 | Sheboygan | 4 | Benjamin Dockstader | Rep. | Plymouth |
| 30 | Vernon | 1 | James H. Layne | Rep. | Viroqua |
| 30 | Vernon | 2 | Daniel B. Priest | Rep. | Viroqua |
| 12 | Walworth | 1 | Samuel Pratt | Rep. | Spring Prairie |
| 12 | Walworth | 2 | Thomas W. Hill | Rep. | Springfield |
| 12 | Walworth | 3 | Charles H. Sturtevant | Rep. | Delavan |
| 12 | Walworth | 4 | George H. Foster | Rep. | Whitewater |
| 04 | Washington | 1 | Adam Schantz | Dem. | Addison |
| 04 | Washington | 2 | Henry Hildebrandt | Dem. | Station |
| 04 | Washington | 3 | Martin Schottler | Dem. | Staatsville |
| 10 | Waukesha | 1 | Silas Richardson | Dem. | Waukesha |
| 10 | Waukesha | 2 | Elisha W. Edgerton | Rep. | Waterville |
| 10 | Waukesha | 3 | David G. Snover | Dem. | Eagle |
| 10 | Waukesha | 4 | Nelson Burroughs | Dem. | Waukesha |
| 27 | Waupaca | Waupaca | Albert K. Osborn | Rep. | Iola |
| 09 | Waushara | Waushara | William C. Webb | Rep. | Wautoma |
| 21 | Winnebago | 1 | William E. Hanson | Rep. | Oshkosh |
| 21 | Winnebago | 2 | Michael Hogan | Dem. | Menasha |
| 21 | Winnebago | 3 | Emery F. Davis | Rep. | Oshkosh |

## Employees
### Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Frank M. Stewart
** Assistant Clerk: J. M. Randall
** Engrossing Clerk: G. W. Campbell
** Enrolling Clerk: George W. Stoner
** Transcribing Clerk: J. J. Tschudy
* Sergeant-at-Arms: Luther Basford
** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: James L. Wilder
* Postmaster: James L. Hosford
** Assistant Postmaster: John Van t'Woud
* Doorkeeper: B. S. Miller
** Assistant Doorkeeper: Francis Mika
** Assistant Doorkeeper: Samuel Bachman
** Assistant Doorkeeper: Paul Halverson
* Firemen:
** Alex Stilwell
** John Crowley
* Messengers:
** J. E. Brown
** John Hutchins
** Albert F. Dexter
** Frank Kellogg
* Porter: George E. Albee

### Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: John S. Dean
** Assistant Clerk: Ephraim W. Young
*** Bookkeeper: Merrick P. Wing
** Engrossing Clerk: Herbert A. Lewis
** Enrolling Clerk: S. Canning Fisher
** Transcribing Clerk: Henry C. Hadley
* Sergeant-at-Arms: A. M. Thomson
** 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: C. D. Lon
** 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: D. S. Hawley
* Postmaster: M. B. Patchin
** 1st Assistant Postmaster: John B. Eugene
** 2nd Assistant Postmaster: Oscar Babcock
* Doorkeeper: Franklin Kelly
** Assistant Doorkeeper: A. J. Fuller
** Assistant Doorkeeper: P. P. Davis
** Assistant Doorkeeper: William C. Lesure
* Firemen:
** H. H. Hayward
** Philip Carey
** Iver Knudsen
* Messengers:
** Adam Waltz
** James E. Dean
** Richard L. Hayward
** Edgar C. McLaughlin
** Patrick W. Lannen
** William H. Miller
** Louis Sholes
** George D. Potter
** Mark W. Bailey