The First Wisconsin Legislature convened from June 5, 1848, to August 21, 1848, in regular session. Members of the Assembly and Senate were elected after an election on February 1, 1848, that ratified the proposed state constitution.
1st Wisconsin Legislature | |||||
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Overview | |||||
Legislative body | Wisconsin Legislature | ||||
Meeting place | Wisconsin State Capitol | ||||
Term | June 5, 1848 – January 1, 1849 | ||||
Election | February 1, 1848 | ||||
Senate | |||||
Members | 19 | ||||
Senate President | John Edwin Holmes | ||||
Party control | Democratic | ||||
Assembly | |||||
Members | 66 | ||||
Assembly Speaker | Ninian E. Whiteside | ||||
Party control | Democratic | ||||
Sessions | |||||
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Major events
edit- May 8, 1848: Nelson Dewey elected Governor of Wisconsin.
- May 29, 1848: Wisconsin was admitted to the Union as the 30th State.
- June 7, 1848: Inauguration of Nelson Dewey as the first Governor of Wisconsin.
- June 8, 1848: The Wisconsin Legislature, in joint session, elected Henry Dodge and Isaac P. Walker as United States Senators.[1]
- November 7, 1848: Zachary Taylor elected President of the United States. Wisconsin's electoral votes went to his opponent, Lewis Cass.
Major legislation
edit- June 21, 1848: Joint resolution relative to free territory, 1848 Joint Resolutions p.285
- June 21, 1848: Act concerning the Attorney General, 1848 Acts pp.10-11
- June 29, 1848: Act to prescribe the duties of the State Treasurer, 1848 Acts pp.13-15
- June 29, 1848: Act to divide the State of Wisconsin into Congressional Districts, 1848 Acts pp.15-16
- June 29, 1848: Act to provide for the election of Judges and for the classification and organization of the Judiciary of the State of Wisconsin, 1848 Acts pp.19-24
- July 26, 1848: Act to establish the University of Wisconsin, 1848 Acts pp.37-40
- July 29, 1848: Act to Exempt a Homestead from forced sale, 1848 Acts pp.40-41
- August 8, 1848: Act to incorporate the City of Racine in the county of Racine, 1848 Acts pp.80-100
- August 12, 1848: Act prescribing the powers and duties of the Secretary of State, 1848 Acts pp.115-120
- August 16, 1848: Act to provide for the Election and define the duties of State Superintendent of Public Instruction, 1848 Acts pp.127-129
- August 21, 1848: Act to provide for holding general and special Elections, the time when, the manner of holding the same, and the qualifications, disabilities, and privileges of electors, 1848 Acts pp.191-207
- August 21, 1848: Act in relation to Public Schools, 1848 Acts pp.226-247
Party summary
editSenate summary
editParty (Shading indicates majority caucus)
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Total | ||||
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Democratic | Free Soil | Whig | Vacant | ||
1st Session | 16 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 0 |
Final voting share | 84% | 0% | 16% | ||
Beginning of the next Legislature | 14 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 0 |
Assembly summary
editParty (Shading indicates majority caucus)
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Total | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Free Soil | Whig | Vacant | ||
1st Session | 49 | 0 | 17 | 66 | 0 |
Final voting share | 74% | 0% | 26% | ||
Beginning of the next Legislature | 35 | 14 | 17 | 66 | 0 |
Sessions
edit- 1st Regular session: June 4, 1848 – August 21, 1848
Leaders
editSenate leadership
edit- President of the Senate: John E. Holmes, Lieutenant Governor
Assembly leadership
edit- Speaker of the Assembly: Ninian E. Whiteside
Members
editMembers of the Senate
editMembers of the Wisconsin Senate for the First Wisconsin Legislature (19):[2][3]
Members of the Assembly
editMembers of the Assembly for the First Wisconsin Legislature (66):[2][3]
Employees
edit- Enrolling Clerk: Aaron V. Fryer[4]
Senate employees
edit- Chief Clerk: Henry G. Abbey
- Writer: R. L. Ream
- Writer: Henry Lines
- Writer: E. P. Lockhart
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Lyman H. Seaver
- Chaplain: H. W. Reed
Assembly employees
edit- Chief Clerk: Daniel Noble Johnson
- Chief Clerk pro tem: L. F. Kellogg
- Assistant Clerk: T. A. B. Boyd
- Writer: Ira W. Bird
- Writer: James Murdock
- Messenger: Henry Starks
- Doorkeeper: Samuel Parkhurst
- Sergeant-at-Arms: John Mullanphy
- Chaplain: John Penman
- Chaplain: Charles Lord
References
edit- ^ Journal of the Assembly of the First Legislature of the State of Wisconsin (Report). 1848. p. 36. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
- ^ a b "Annals of the legislature". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin, 1881 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 177, 178. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- ^ a b Smith, William R. (1854). The History of Wisconsin. Madison, Wisconsin: Beriah Brown. pp. 303–305. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
- ^ Acts of the 1848 Wisconsin Legislature (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin Legislature. pp. 270, 271. Retrieved May 12, 2019.