31st Wisconsin Legislature
30th 32nd
Wisconsin State Capitol, 1863
Overview
Legislative bodyWisconsin Legislature
Meeting placeWisconsin State Capitol
TermJanuary 7, 1878 January 6, 1879
ElectionNovember 6, 1877
Senate
Members33
Senate PresidentJames M. Bingham (R)
President pro temporeLevi W. Barden (R)
Party controlRepublican
Assembly
Members100
Assembly SpeakerAugustus Barrows (GB)
Party controlDemocratic
Sessions
1stJanuary 9, 1878 March 21, 1878
Special sessions
June SpecialJune 4, 1878 June 7, 1878

The Thirty-First Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1878, to March 21, 1878, in regular session, and later re-convened from June 4 to June 7, 1878, in special session, to complete the revision of the statutes. This was the first extra session of the Wisconsin Legislature since 1862.

This was the first and only session of the Legislature to have an Assembly speaker from the Greenback PartyAugustus Barrows. Despite the Greenbackers holding only 13% of the Assembly seats, neither major party had enough seats to form a majority without Greenback support. The Democrats thus formed a coalition with the Greenbacks for the 31st Legislature with Barrows acting as speaker.[1]

Senators representing even-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 6, 1877. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 7, 1876.[2]

Major events

Major legislation

  • February 12, 1878: Joint Resolution relating to the remonetization of silver, 1878 Joint Resolution 3. Endorsed congressional action to restore the monetary value of silver currency, and resume minting silver coins.
  • March 12, 1878: An Act to amend sections thirty-one and thirty-two of chapter fifty-six, of the general laws of 1870, entitled "An act to provide for the incorporation and government of fire and inland navigation insurance companies." 1878 Act 214. Created the appointed position of state insurance commissioner.
  • March 21, 1878: An Act to authorize the granting of state certificates to graduates of the state university, 1878 Act 333. Created a certification process to enable any graduate of the University of Wisconsin to become authorized to work as a teacher at any public school in Wisconsin.

Party summary

Senate summary

Senate partisan composition
  Democratic: 10 seats
  Liberal Republican: 2 seats
  Republican: 21 seats
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Dem. Lib.R. Rep. Vacant
End of previous Legislature 8 3 22 33 0
1st Session 10 2 21 33 0
Final voting share 36.36% 63.64%
Beginning of the next Legislature 9 0 23 32 1

Assembly summary

Assembly partisan composition
  Democratic: 41 seats
  Socialist: 1 seat
  Greenback: 13 seats
  Republican: 45 seats
Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Dem. Ref. Soc. Gbk. Lib.R. Rep. Vacant
End of previous Legislature 32 5 0 0 1 61 100 0
Start of 1st Session 41 0 1 13 0 45 100 0
Final voting share 55% 45%
Beginning of the next Legislature 25 0 0 9 0 66 100 0

Sessions

  • 1st Regular session: January 9, 1878  March 21, 1878
  • June Special session: June 4, 1878  June 7, 1878

Leaders

Senate leadership

Assembly leadership

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Thirty-First Wisconsin Legislature:[3]

Senate partisan representation
  Democratic: 10 seats
  Liberal Republican: 2 seats
  Republican: 21 seats
Dist. Counties Senator Residence Party
01 Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, & Shawano George Grimmer Kewaunee Rep.
02 Brown Thomas R. Hudd Green Bay Dem.
03 Racine Thomas A. Bones Racine Rep.
04 Crawford & Vernon George W. Swain Chaseburg Rep.
05 Milwaukee (Northern Part) Isaac W. Van Schaick Milwaukee Rep.
06 Milwaukee (Southern Part) George H. Paul Milwaukee Dem.
07 Milwaukee (Central Part) George A. Abert Milwaukee Dem.
08 Kenosha & Walworth Benoni Reynolds Geneva Rep.
09 Green Lake, Marquette, & Waushara Hobart S. Sacket Berlin Rep.
10 Waukesha John A. Rice Merton Dem.
11 Chippewa, Clark, Lincoln, Taylor, & Wood Thomas B. Scott Grand Rapids Rep.
12 Green & Lafayette Joseph B. Treat Monroe Rep.
13 Dodge Charles H. Williams Fox Lake Dem.
14 Juneau & Sauk David E. Welch Baraboo Rep.
15 Manitowoc Joseph Rankin Manitowoc Dem.
16 Grant Oscar C. Hathaway Beetown Rep.
17 Rock Hamilton Richardson Janesville Rep.
18 Fond du Lac (Western Part) Alonzo A. Loper Ripon Rep.
19 Winnebago Return Torrey Oshkosh Rep.
20 Sheboygan & Eastern Fond du Lac Louis Wolf Sheboygan Falls Dem.
21 Marathon, Portage, & Waupaca Henry Mumbrue Waupaca Lib.R.
22 Calumet & Outagamie George N. Richmond Appleton Dem.
23 Jefferson William W. Reed Jefferson Lib.R.
24 Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk, & St. Croix Dana Reed Bailey Baldwin Rep.
25 Dane (Eastern Part) George B. Burrows Madison Rep.
26 Dane (Western Part) Matthew Anderson Cross Plains Dem.
27 Adams & Columbia Levi W. Barden Portage Rep.
28 Iowa & Richland Archibald Campbell Middlebury Rep.
29 Buffalo, Pepin, & Trempealeau Alexander A. Arnold Galesville Rep.
30 Dunn, Eau Claire, & Pierce Abraham D. Andrews River Falls Rep.
31 La Crosse Merrick Wing La Crosse Rep.
32 Jackson & Monroe William T. Price Black River Falls Rep.
33 Ozaukee & Washington Philip Schneider Farmington Dem.

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Thirty-First Wisconsin Legislature:[3]

Assembly partisan composition
  Democratic: 41 seats
  Socialist: 1 seat
  Greenback: 13 seats
  Republican: 45 seats
Senate
District
County Dist. Representative Party Residence
27 Adams Solon Pierce Rep. Friendship
24 Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, & Polk Canute Anderson Rep. Grantsburg
02 Brown 1 David M. Kelly Rep. Green Bay
2 David M. Burns Dem. Fort Howard
3 William Rice Dem. Morrison
29 Buffalo & Pepin 1 John J. Senn Rep. Fountain City
2 Vivus W. Dorwin Rep. Durand
22 Calumet J. Hayward Haight Gbk. Brothertown
11 Chippewa Augustus Barrows Gbk. Chippewa Falls
Clark, Lincoln, Taylor & Wood Solomon Nason Gbk. Nasonville
27 Columbia 1 Josiah D. Arnold Dem. Portage
2 Lester Woodard Rep. Pardeeville
04 Crawford James H. Jewell Dem. Freeman
26 Dane 1 John Lyle Dem. Montrose
25 2 Edwin E. Bryant Rep. Madison
3 John Ollis Rep. Vienna
13 Dodge 1 Carl Dowe Dem. Horicon
2 Peter Langenfeld Dem. Theresa
3 Eli Hawks Rep. Juneau
4 Edward C. McFetridge Rep. Beaver Dam
01 Door Edward S. Minor Rep. Fish Creek
30 Dunn Frederic G. Barlow Rep. Rock Creek
Eau Claire Julius Ingram Rep. Eau Claire
18 Fond du Lac 1 Uriah Wood Rep. Brandon
2 Almon Swan Rep. Oakfield
3 James Fitzgerald Gbk. Fond du Lac
20 4 Michael Wirtz Rep. Taycheedah
16 Grant 1 William E. Carter Rep. Platteville
2 William J. McCoy Dem. Beetown
3 Thomas J. Graham Dem. Muscoda
12 Green 1 John Luchsinger Rep. New Glarus
2 Franklin Mitchell Rep. Spring Grove
09 Green Lake Orrin W. Bow Dem. Kingston
28 Iowa 1 Owen King Gbk. Helena
2 John Gray Rep. Mineral Point
32 Jackson Carl C. Pope Rep. Black River Falls
23 Jefferson 1 Hezekiah Flinn Dem. Watertown
2 John D. Bullock Rep. Johnson Creek
3 Hiram J. Ball Dem. Palmyra
14 Juneau 1 James Mullowney Dem. Kildare
2 E. D. Rogers Dem. Necedah
08 Kenosha Walter L. Dexter Dem. Pleasant Prairie
01 Kewaunee Charles Tisch Dem. Carlton
31 La Crosse Suel Briggs Rep. Holland
11 Lafayette 1 Lars E. Johnson Dem. Wiota
2 Bernard McGinty Dem. Kendall
15 Manitowoc 1 Thomas Thornton Dem. Cato
2 William F. Nash Dem. Two Rivers
3 Henry Vits Dem. Manitowoc
21 Marathon F. W. Kickbusch Gbk. Wausau
09 Marquette William H. Peters Dem. Montello
05 Milwaukee 1 Edward C. Wall Dem. Milwaukee
07 2 John C. Dick Dem. Milwaukee
3 Edward Keogh Dem. Milwaukee
4 Edwin Hyde Rep. Milwaukee
06 5 John Bentley Dem. Milwaukee
05 6 Henry Smith Soc. Milwaukee
07 7 Charles H. Hamilton Rep. Milwaukee
06 8 Charles T. Burnham Gbk. Milwaukee
05 9 Charles Holzhauer Dem. Milwaukee
10 Frederick Moskowitt Dem. Good Hope
06 11 William Lawler Dem. New Coeln
32 Monroe 1 James D. Condit Dem. Sparta
2 William Y. Baker Rep. Oakdale
01 Oconto & Shawano Ernst Funke Rep. Oconto
22 Outagamie 1 William S. Warner Ind.D. Appleton
2 Francis Steffen Dem. Hortonville
33 Ozaukee William H. Fitzgerald Dem. Cedarburg
30 Pierce Charles A. Hawn Rep. Rock Elm
21 Portage James Meehan Gbk. Linwood
03 Racine 1 Charles Jonas Dem. Racine
2 Patrick Cheves Dem. Norway
28 Richland 1 Joseph M. Thomas Rep. Lone Rock
2 Philip M. Smith Rep. Fancy Creek
17 Rock 1 Charles H. Parker Gbk. Beloit
2 Fenner Kimball Rep. Janesville
3 William H. Stark Rep. La Prairie
14 Sauk 1 David B. Hulburt Rep. Loganville
2 Alexander P. Ellinwood Rep. Reedsburg
20 Sheboygan 1 Gustavis A. Willard Dem. Sheboygan
2 J. L. Shepard Rep. Sheboygan Falls
3 James White Dem. Sherman
24 St. Croix James Hill Rep. Warren
29 Trempealeau James M. Barrett Rep. Trempealeau
04 Vernon 1 Christian Ellefson Gbk. Coon Prairie
2 Allen Rusk Rep. Liberty
08 Walworth 1 Alma M. Aldrich Rep. Spring Prairie
2 John Pemberton Rep. Richmond
3 Edwin D. Coe Rep. Whitewater
33 Washington 1 William Scollard Dem. Erin
2 Cornelius Coughlin Gbk. West Bend
10 Waukesha 1 Alvarus E. Gilbert Rep. New Berlin
2 Richard Weaver Dem. Lisbon
21 Waupaca 1 Lorenzo L. Post Dem. Weyauwega
2 Francis M. Guernsey Rep. Clintonville
09 Waushara Samuel R. Clark Ind.R. Bloomfield
19 Winnebago 1 James V. Jones Rep. Oshkosh
2 John Potter Jr. Gbk. Menasha
3 Levi E. Knapp Rep. Oshkosh
4 Milan Ford Gbk. Nekimi

Employees

Senate employees

  • Chief Clerk: Andrew Jackson Turner[3] until February 7, 1878, then Charles E. Bross[2]
    • Assistant Clerk: F. J. Stockwell
    • Bookkeeper: I. F. Stickle
    • Engrossing Clerk: J. W. Bates
    • Enrolling Clerk: John W. DeGroff
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: L. J. Brayton
    • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: D. D. Polleys
  • Postmaster: Fred Badger
    • Assistant Postmaster: J. A. Neavill
  • Gallery Attendant: George M. Laing
    • Assistant Attendant: John Beck
    • Committee Room Attendants:
      • William Reese
      • W. A. Mills
      • D. H. Pulcifer
  • Doorkeepers:
    • R. B. Winsor
    • W. F. Bingman
    • G. W. McDougal
    • L. L. Gunderson
  • Porter: John Benson
  • Night Watch: C. L. Smith
  • Messengers:
    • Charles Marsden
    • Welcome Smith
    • George Buehner
    • E. Hubbell
    • Harry Meeker
    • Louis Loper
    • Prentiss S. Brannan
    • Eddie Torrey
    • P. L. Jerdee
    • Lucien Pickarts
    • Thomas Lucas

Assembly employees

  • Chief Clerk: Jabez R. Hunter[3]
    • Assistant Clerk: Sam Ryan Jr.
    • Bookkeeper: Roger C. Spooner
    • Engrossing Clerk: Michael Bohan
      • Asst. Engrossing Clerk: George Cox
    • Enrolling Clerk: H. G. Fischbein
      • Asst. Enrolling Clerk: John Meehan
    • Proof Reader: Michael Walsh
  • Sergeant-at-Arms: Anton Klaus
    • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: M. J. Egan
    • Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Hugh Lewis
  • Postmaster: D. W. C. Wilson
    • Assistant Postmaster: George W. Dart
    • Assistant Postmaster: Anthony G. Froner
  • Doorkeepers:
    • J. A. Allen
    • Thomas Hobbins
    • O. H. Hestehurn
    • N. Sullivan
  • Committee Room Attendants:
    • Ed. Flaherty
    • Anton Klaus Jr.
    • Richard Donevan
    • William Mahoney
    • S. S. Hills
    • Ed. Jannush
  • Gallery Attendants:
    • John Kane
    • A. Tideman
  • Porters:
    • B. Coyne
    • Henry Ebert
  • Night Watch: F. B. Brundage
  • Night Watch: Francis Fitzgerald
  • Fireman: George Burns
  • Janitor: Peter Labonde
  • Wash Room Attendant: James Whitty
  • Messengers:
    • Clinton Snow
    • Charles Whitton
    • Harry Cutler
    • Willie Krueger
    • Fred T. Lee
    • Jas. Foran
    • Herman Schum
    • George Gewecke
    • Robert Gilroy
    • Marcus L. Moody
    • William Burnett
    • John Roberts
    • Edward Cavanaugh
    • Charles Klaus

References

  1. "King Caucus". Wisconsin State Journal. January 9, 1878. p. 4. Retrieved February 18, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Annals of the Legislature" (PDF). The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 241–243. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bashford, R. M., ed. (1878). "Official Directory" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 455–496. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
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