Orson Reed
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 10th district
In office
January 1, 1866  January 6, 1868
Preceded byWilliam Blair
Succeeded byCurtis Mann
Sheriff of Waukesha County, Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1863  January 1, 1865
Preceded byJames Clark
Succeeded byAlbert Alden
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Waukesha 1st district
In office
January 3, 1853  January 2, 1854
Preceded byJohn U. Hilliard
Succeeded byDenison Worthington
Personal details
Born(1809-09-07)September 7, 1809
Littleton, Massachusetts, U.S.
Diedc.1890
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Agnes Fairservice
(m. 1839)
Children3
Relatives
OccupationFarmer

Orson Reed (September 7, 1809  c.1890) was an American farmer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Waukesha County in the Wisconsin Senate (1866, 1867) and State Assembly (1853), and also served as sheriff of Waukesha County. His first name was sometimes spelled "Orison".

Most of Reed's siblings were also notable politicians or married to notable politicians. His brothers were George B. Reed, Harrison Reed, and Curtis Reed. His youngest sister was Martha Reed Mitchell.

Biography

Orson Reed was born September 7, 1809, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts.[1][2] When he was a child, his family moved to a farm in Westford, Massachusetts, and then to a new farm in Vermont in 1823.

The Reed family began looking west in the 1830s, the first to go west was Orson's eldest brother, George B. Reed, who came to Milwaukee in 1834. Orson came with his parents and siblings in 1835.[3] Two years later, Orson and his younger brother, Curtis Reed, went further west to what is now the village of Summit, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, where they established a claim and started a farm. Their parents followed them to Summit later that year.[4] The first post office was established there in 1838, with Curtis Reed as postmaster.[4]

Reed built the first structure in what is now Okauchee Lake, Wisconsinhe constructed a saw mill there in 1839 and 1840, and operated it until 1847, when he sold his ownership. His mill furnished a large portion of the lumber used in the construction of the Milwaukee & Watertown plank road.[4]

In 1844, new towns were established by legislation in their region, and what is now the northwest quadrant of Waukesha County was established as the town of Oconomowoc. At that time, Reed helped his brother, Curtis, to gather up a large number of men from the areas that are now the towns of Summit, Merton, and Ashippun, to go to the first town meeting and elect Curtis Reed as town chairman.[4]

In 1845, prominent citizens of Waukesha began advocating for separating their region from Milwaukee County. Orson Reed and his brothers identified with the faction opposed to division. The division won however, and Waukesha County was created from what had been the western half of Milwaukee County.[4]

Through local politics, Reed became active with the Democratic Party. In 1852, he ran for Wisconsin State Assembly on the Democratic slate. He was elected to represent Waukesha County's 1st Assembly district, which then comprised the towns of Merton, Delafield, Summit, and Oconomowocthe northwest corner of the county. During the 1853 legislative session, he served alongside his brother, Curtis Reed, who was representing Winnebago County.[5] Throughout the 1850s, Reed remained active in the state, county, and district level Democratic Party conventions. He was elected to four consecutive terms as chairman of the town of Summit, and was ex officio a member of the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors from 1857 through 1860. He also sought the Democratic nomination for sheriff in 1858, but fell short at the convention. He was ultimately nominated for sheriff in 1862 and prevailed in the general election, serving a two-year term.[4]

In 1865, he received the Democratic nomination for Wisconsin Senate in the 10th Senate district, which then comprised all of Waukesha County. He prevailed in the general election, defeating Republican Vernon Tichenor.[6] During the 1866 and 1867 legislative sessions, Reed served alongside another of his brothers, George B. Reed, who was then the senator from Manitowoc County.[5]

Shortly after his Senate term, Reed left Wisconsin, residing for a time in Florida, where his brother Harrison Reed had been elected governor.

Orson Reed likely died sometime between 1883 and 1895.[note 1]

Personal life and family

Orson Reed was the third of eight children born to Seth Harrison Reed and his wife Rhoda (née Finney). The Reed family were descendants of the colonist Philip Reade, who came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony from England in the 1660s.[2] Nearly all of Orson Reed's seven siblings were notable in some way:

Orson Reed married Agnes Fairservice on March 19, 1839.[10] Agnes Fairservice was also a pioneer settler of Wisconsin with her father Marshall Fairservice. Their wedding was the second wedding held in the town of Summit.[4] They had at least three children together.

Notes

  1. After an extensive search, have not been able to find record of his death. According to the obituary of his brother George B. Reed, Orson Reed was still alive in 1883. At the time of his brother Curtis Reed's death in 1895, various obituaries stated that Harrison Reed was the only surviving brother.

References

  1. Records of Littleton, Massachusetts. 1900. p. 178. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Reed, Jacob Whittemore (1861). History of the Reed Family in Europe and America. John Wilson and Son. p. 279. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  3. "Reed, George 1807 - 1883". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 The History of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company. 1880. pp. 358–360, 366, 369, 772–773, 784–785, 887. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Annals of the Legislature". The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin 1882 (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 186, 212, 214. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  6. "Legislative Nominations for 1865". The Daily Milwaukee News. November 1, 1865. p. 4. Retrieved June 15, 2023 via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Reed, George 1807 - 1883". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  8. "Reed, Harrison 1813 - 1899". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  9. "Reed, Curtis 1815 - 1895". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  10. "Marriage Index Record - Reed, Orson". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
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