George Cabanis Explained

George Cabanis
State:	Wisconsin
State Assembly:	Wisconsin
District:	Grant 1st
Term Start:	January 1, 1872
Term End:	January 6, 1873
Predecessor:	Joseph Harris
Successor:	Thomas G. Stephens
Party:	Republican
Birth Date:	7 September 1815
Birth Place:	Greensburg, Kentucky, U.S.
Death Place:	Grant County, Wisconsin, U.S.
Allegiance:	United States
Branch:	Illinois militia
Serviceyears:	1832
Battles:	Black Hawk War

George Edwin Cabanis (September 7, 1815February 7, 1892) was an American carpenter and builder from Bigpatch, Wisconsin, who served one term as a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly representing Grant County's First Assembly district (the Towns of Harrison, Hazel Green, Jamestown, Paris, Platteville and Smelser).^[1]

Background

Cabanis was born in Greensburg, in Green County, Kentucky in 1815. When he was seven years old, his family moved to Sangamon County, Illinois, where they were some of the first white settlers.

During the Black Hawk War in 1832, he volunteered with the brigade of Samuel Whiteside in the Illinois militia.

In 1834 he moved to New Diggings, Wisconsin, to prospect for lead. In 1844 he moved to the Town of Smelser in Grant County, where he settled. He served as town clerk, school superintendent, and town chairman at various times.

Legislature

In 1871, he was elected to the Assembly to succeed fellow Republican Joseph Harris, defeating former State Representative and State Senator Democrat John Rountree by a vote of 670 to 615. He was assigned to the standing committee on mining and smelting.^[2] He did not run for re-election in 1872, and was succeeded by Liberal Reform Party candidate Thomas G. Stephens.

Personal life

He married Mary Ann Lauterman, a native of Illinois. They had two sons:^[3]

Jasper N. Cabanis served in the 25th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment during the Civil War and died of disease in 1862.
James Henry Cabanis was elected to his father's former seat in the Wisconsin Assembly, in 1881.

Cabanis died in Bigpatch^[4] or Georgetown,^[5] Wisconsin, on February 7, 1892.

It is unclear whether the "G. E. Cabanis" and "Geo. E. Cabanis" who is reported as principal of various area public high schools (Potosi, Mineral Point and Darlington) from 1887 to 1891 is the same man.

Notes and References

State of Wisconsin Legislative Bureau. "Members of the Wisconsin Legislature 1848–1999 Information Bulletin 99-1, September 1999. p. 34
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1872 Turner, A. J., ed. The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin; Comprising Jefferson's Manual, Rules, Forms and Laws for the Regulation of Business; also, lists and tables for reference Madison, 1872; pp. 383, 448, 463, 470
https://archive.org/details/cu31924028871494 Butterfield, Consul Willshire. History of Grant County, Wisconsin: An account of its settlement, growth, development and resources; an extensive and minute sketch of its cities, towns and villages, their improvements, industries, manufactories, churches, schools and societies; its war record, biographical sketches, portraits of prominent men and early settlers; the whole preceded by a history of Wisconsin, statistics of the state, and an abstract of its laws and constitution and of the constitution of the United States Chicago: Western Historical Co., 1881; p. 1016
Proceedings of the State Historical Society of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at Its Fortieth Annual Meeting Held December 8, 1892 etc. Madison: Democrat Printing Company, State Printers, 1893; p. 22
News: George E. Cabanis, Pioneer. Pittsburgh Dispatch . February 10, 1892. 4. Newspapers.com. July 26, 2017.