16th Wisconsin Legislature explained

16th Wisconsin Legislature
Body:	Wisconsin Legislature
Before:	15th
After:	17th
Chamber1:	Senate
Membership1:	33
Control1:	Republican
Chamber1 Leader2:	Wyman Spooner (R)
Chamber2:	Assembly
Membership2:	100
Control2:	Republican
Chamber2 Leader1:	J. Allen Barber (R)

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.^[1]

Major events

• January 1, 1863: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect.
• 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)			Total
	Democratic	Union	Republican		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	11		2		20	33	0
1st Session	15		1		17	33	0
Final voting share		colspan="2"
Beginning of the next Legislature	11		22		0	33	0

Assembly summary

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total
	Democratic	Union	Republican		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	46		10		42	98	1
Start of 1st Session	44	2		54	100	0
after February 8	43			55
Final voting share		colspan="2"
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:^[2]

District	Counties	Senator	Residence	Party
	Sheboygan		Sheboygan Falls		Dem.
02	Brown, Kewaunee		Green Bay		Dem.
03	Ozaukee		Ozaukee		Dem.
04	Washington		West Bend		Dem.
05	Milwaukee (Northern Part)		Milwaukee		Dem.
06	Milwaukee (Southern Part)		Milwaukee		Dem.
07	Racine		Whitesville		Rep.
08	Kenosha		Bristol		Rep.
09	Adams, Juneau, Waushara		Pine River		Rep.
10	Waukesha		Waukesha		Dem.
11	Dane (Eastern Part)		Windsor		Rep.
12	Walworth		Elkhorn		Rep.
13	Lafayette		Shullsburg		Dem.
14	Sauk		Prairie du Sac		Rep.
15	Iowa		Mineral Point		Dem.
16	Grant		Glen Haven		Rep.
17	Rock		Janesville		Rep.
18	Dodge (Western Part)		Juneau		Dem.
19	Manitowoc, Calumet		Manitowoc		Dem.
20	Fond du Lac		Ripon		Dem.
21	Winnebago		Neenah		Rep.
22	Door, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawanaw		Appleton		Dem.
23	Jefferson		Fort Atkinson		Dem.
24	Green		Monroe		Rep.
25	Columbia		Kilbourn City		Rep.
26	Dane (Western Part)		Madison		Rep.
27	Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Wood		Plover		Rep.
28	Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix		Hudson		Union
29	Marquette, Green Lake		Montello		Rep.
30	Bad Ax, Crawford, Richland		Viroqua		Rep.
31	La Crosse, Monroe		La Crosse		Rep.
32	Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Trempealeau		Durand		Rep.
33	Dodge (Eastern Part)		Horicon		Dem.

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Sixteenth Wisconsin Legislature:^[2]

Senate District	County	District	Representative	Party	Residence
09	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Adams			Rep.	Friendship
28	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Polk			Union	St. Croix Falls
02	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Brown			Dem.	Green Bay
32	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Buffalo, Pepin, Trempealeau			Rep.	Trempealeau
19	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Calumet			Dem.	Chilton
32	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire			Dem.	Eau Galle
	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Clark & Jackson			Rep.	Black River Falls
25	text-align="left" rowspan="3"	Columbia	1			Rep.	Portage
	2			Rep.	Fall River
	3			Rep.	Pardeeville
30	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Crawford			Dem.	Eastman
11	text-align="left" rowspan="5"	Dane	1			Rep.	Albion
	2			Rep.	Door Creek
26	3			Dem.	Mazomanie
	4			Rep.	Mount Horeb
	5			Rep.	Madison
18	text-align="left" rowspan="5"		1			Rep.	Fox Lake
	2			Dem.	Trenton
	3			Dem.	Juneau
33	4			Dem.	Mayville
	5			Dem.	Watertown
22	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Door, Oconto, Shawano			Rep.	Oconto
20	text-align="left" rowspan="5"		1			Rep.	Ripon
	2			Rep.	Nanaupa
	3			Rep.	Fond du Lac
	4			Dem.	Fond du Lac
	5			Dem.	Foster
16	text-align="left" rowspan="6"		1			Dem.	Platteville
				Rep.	Platteville
	2			Dem.	Potosi
	3			Rep.	Lancaster
	4			Rep.	Fennimore
	5			Rep.	Wyalusing
24	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Green	1			Rep.	Farmers Grove
	2			Rep.	Skinner
29	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Green Lake			Union	Markesan
15	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Iowa	1			Dem.	Highland
	2			Rep.	Mineral Point
23	text-align="left" rowspan="4"	Jefferson	1			Dem.	Watertown
	2			Rep.	Milford
	3			Rep.	Fort Atkinson
	4			Rep.	Palmyra
09	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Juneau			Dem.	Wonewoc
08	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Kenosha
02	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Dem.	Ahnapee
31	text-align="left" colspan="2"	La Crosse			Rep.	Big Valley
13	text-align="left" rowspan="2"		1			Dem.	Cottage Inn
	2			Rep.	Argyle
19	text-align="left" rowspan="3"	Manitowoc	1			Dem.	Newtonburo
	2			Dem.	Paquette
	3			Dem.	Manitowoc
27	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Marathon & Wood			Dem.	Grand Rapids
29	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Marquette			Dem.	Briggsville
05	text-align="left" rowspan="9"	Milwaukee	1			Dem.	Milwaukee
	2			Dem.	Milwaukee
06	3			Dem.	Milwaukee
	4			Dem.	Milwaukee
	5			Dem.	Milwaukee
05	6			Dem.	Milwaukee
	7			Dem.	Good Hope
06	8			Dem.	Root Creek
	9			Dem.	Milwaukee
31	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Monroe			Rep.	Tomah
22	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Outagamie			Dem.	Appleton
03	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Dem.	Ozaukee
28	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Pierce & St. Croix			Rep.	River Falls
27	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Portage			Rep.	Amherst
07	text-align="left" rowspan="3"		1			Rep.	Racine
	2			Rep.	Racine
	3			Rep.	North Cape
30	text-align="left" colspan="2"	Richland			Rep.	Richland Center
17	text-align="left" rowspan="6"		1			Rep.	Footville
	2			Rep.	Janesville
	3			Rep.	Emerald Grove
	4			Rep.	Ogden
	5			Rep.	Janesville
	6			Rep.	Spring Valley
14	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Sauk	1			Rep.	Spring Green
	2			Rep.	Baraboo
01	text-align="left" rowspan="4"		1			Dem.	Sheboygan
	2			Dem.	Herman
	3			Dem.	Cascade
	4			Rep.	Plymouth
30	text-align="left" rowspan="2"	Vernon	1			Rep.	Viroqua
	2			Rep.	Viroqua
12	text-align="left" rowspan="4"		1			Rep.	Spring Prairie
	2			Rep.	Springfield
	3			Rep.	Delavan
	4			Rep.	Whitewater
04	text-align="left" rowspan="3"		1			Dem.	Addison
	2			Dem.	Station
	3			Dem.	Staatsville
10	text-align="left" rowspan="4"		1			Dem.	Waukesha
	2			Rep.	Waterville
	3			Dem.	Eagle
	4			Dem.	Waukesha
27	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Iola
09	text-align="left" colspan="2"				Rep.	Wautoma
21	text-align="left" rowspan="3"		1			Rep.	Oshkosh
	2			Dem.	Menasha
	3			Rep.	Oshkosh

Employees

Senate employees

• Chief Clerk: Frank M. Stewart^[2]
  • 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^[2]
  • 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

Notes and References

1. The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin 1882. 205–207 . Annals of the legislature. State of Wisconsin. October 20, 2019.
2. The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin . Legislative department . 76–77, 88–91 . Dean . John S. . State of Wisconsin . 1863 . October 20, 2019.