William Boyles Explained

William Boyles was an American politician. He was a Wisconsin Territory miner and legislator from Monroe.

Background

Boyles was originally from Indiana. He was one of the first settlers of what later became Cadiz, Wisconsin, arriving there around 1834 with other ex-miners, from the lead mining regions to the west.^[1]

In the Assembly

In October 1836, he was elected to serve in the 1st Wisconsin Territorial Assembly as one of seven members of the House of Representatives (the lower house) from Iowa County. He would attend the three sessions, held between October 25, 1836 and June 25, 1838.^[2]

When in December 1837, a new county was to be split off from the over-large Iowa County, Boyle as the Representative of the area was allowed to choose a name. He chose Green County, after the verdant color of the vegetation there. Another member suggested that it be modified to "Greene" after General Nathanael Greene, but Boyles insisted on his original choice.^[3]

Notes and References

1. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.HistGreen1884 History of Green County, Wisconsin. together with biographies of representative citizens. history of Wisconsin, embracing accounts of the pre-historic races, and a brief account of its territorial and state governments Springfield, Illinois: Union Pub. Co., 1884; p. 744
2. http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/WI.WIBlueBk1870 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 Ninth Annual Edition. Madison: Atwood and Rublee, State Printers, Journal Block, 1870; pp. 193-194
3. History of Green County, Wisconsin... p. 220