The Seventh Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 11, 1854, to April 3, 1854, in regular session.

Senators representing even-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assemblymembers were elected to a one-year term. Assemblymembers and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 8, 1853. 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 2, 1852.

The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Democrat William A. Barstow, of Waukesha County, serving the first year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1853 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

Major events January 2, 1854: Inauguration of William A. Barstow as the 3rd Governor of Wisconsin. March 11, 1854: A mob of several hundred people led by abolitionist Sherman Booth broke into the Milwaukee County jail and liberated Joshua Glover, who had been ambushed and imprisoned the previous day by a cohort of slave catchers acting on the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. March 20, 1854: A local meeting was held at Ripon, Wisconsin, to oppose the proposed Kansas–Nebraska Act—later cited as the birth of the Republican Party. May 30, 1854: U.S. President Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas–Nebraska Act. July 13, 1854: The Republican Party of Wisconsin was established at a convention in Madison, Wisconsin. November 7, 1854: Wisconsin voters rejected three amendments to the Constitution of Wisconsin which would have doubled legislative terms and instituted biennial legislative sessions.

Major legislation January 30, 1854: Act to organize the County of Trempe a l'eau, 1854 Act 2 February 9, 1854: Act to organize the County of Dunn, 1854 Act 7 February 11, 1854: Act to divide La Pointe county and create the county of Douglass, 1854 Act 10 March 6, 1854: Act to divide the sixth Judicial Circuit and organize an eighth Judicial Circuit, and to fix the time for holding the Circuit Courts in the Counties of the respective circuits, 1854 Act 13 March 24, 1854: Act to divide the county of La Crosse and organize the county of Monroe, 1854 Act 35 March 30, 1854: Act concerning the terms of office of Judges of the several courts of this State, 1854 Act 41. Standardized state judicial terms as starting the first Monday of the year following the election of that judge. March 31, 1854: Act to provide for the appointment of an Assistant Secretary of State and Assistant State Treasurer, and to prescribe their duties, 1854 Act 65 April 24, 1854: Act to divide the second and third Judicial Circuits and organize the ninth Judicial Circuit, and to fix the time of holding the Circuit Courts in the Counties of said respective Circuits, 1854 Act 75 April 25, 1854: Act to amend Article Four of the Constitution, 1854 Act 89. Created a referendum to modify the lengths of State Senate terms from two years to four years, and for the Assembly from one year to two years, and to change the Legislative sessions from one year to two years. The referendum was rejected by voters in November.

Party summary

Senate summary

Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) Total Dem. F.S. Whig Ind. Rep. Vacant End of previous Legislature 19 0 6 0 0 25 0 Start of 1st Session 22 0 3 0 0 25 0 Final voting share 88.00% 0.0% 12.00% 0.0% 0.0% Beginning of the next Legislature 13 0 0 1 11 25 0

Assembly summary

Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) Total Dem. F.S. Whig Ind. Rep. Vacant End of previous Legislature55 7 20 0 0 82 0 1st Session51 4 27 0 0 82 0 Final voting share62.20% 4.88% 32.92% 0.0% 0.0% Beginning of the next Legislature 34 0 0 4 44 82 0

Sessions 1st Regular session: January 11, 1854 – April 3, 1854

Leaders

Senate leadership President of the Senate: James T. Lewis, Lieutenant Governor President pro tempore: Benjamin Allen

Assembly leadership Speaker of the Assembly: Frederick W. Horn

Members

Members of the Senate Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Seventh Wisconsin Legislature:

District Counties Senator Party Residence 01 Calumet, Manitowoc, Sheboygan Dem. Plymouth 02 Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Marathon, Oconto, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca Dem. De Pere 03 Ozaukee Dem. Ozaukee 04 Washington Dem. Meeker 05 Milwaukee (Northern Half) Dem. Milwaukee 06 Milwaukee (Southern Half) Dem. Milwaukee 07 Racine Dem. Racine 08 Kenosha Dem. Kenosha 09 Waukesha (Northern Half) Dem. Hartland 10 Waukesha (Southern Half) Dem. Denoon 11 Dane Dem. Pheasant Branch 12 Walworth Dem. Whitewater 13 Lafayette Dem. Cottage Inn 14 Jefferson Dem. Jefferson 15 Iowa, Richland Whig Mineral Point 16 Grant Dem. Lancaster 17 Rock (Western Half) Dem. Spring Valley 18 Rock (Eastern Half) Whig Shopiere 19 Bad Ax, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix Dem. Hudson 20 Fond du Lac Dem. 21 Winnebago Whig Oshkosh 22 Dodge Dem. Mayville 23 Adams, Marquette, Sauk, Waushara Dem. Baraboo 24 Green Dem. Monroe 25 Columbia Whig Fall River

Members of the Assembly Members of the Assembly for the Seventh Wisconsin Legislature (82):

SenateDistrict County District Representative Party Residence 23 Adams & Sauk Dem. Baraboo 19 Bad Ax & Crawford Dem. Viroqua 02 Brown, Door, & Kewaunee Whig Green Bay 19 Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Jackson, & Dem. Black River Falls 01 Calumet Dem. Lima 25Columbia 1 Dem. Portage 2 Whig East Hampden 11Dane 1 Whig Albion 2 Dem. Bristol 3 Whig Montrose 4 Dem. Middleton 5 Whig Madison 22Dodge 1 Dem. Mayville 2 Dem. Herman 3 Dem. Ashippun 4 Dem. Portland 5 Dem. Fox Lake 6 Whig Oak Grove 20 Fond du Lac 1 Whig 2 Dem. Waupun 3 Dem. 4 Dem. Ashford 16 Grant 1 Whig Hazel Green 2 Dem. Potosi 3 Whig Platteville 4 Dem. Ellenboro 5 Whig Cassville 24 Green Whig Spring Grove 15 Iowa 1 Whig Wyoming 2 Whig Mineral Point 14Jefferson 1 Dem. Watertown 2 Whig Oakland 3 Dem. Fort Atkinson 4 Whig Johnson Creek 5 Whig Sullivan 08 Kenosha 1 Free Soil Kenosha 2 Whig Salem 13 Lafayette 1 Dem. New Diggings 2 Dem. Shullsburg 3 Dem. Fayette 19 La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix Dem. Hudson 01 Manitowoc Whig Manitowoc 02 Marathon & Portage Whig Wausau 23 Marquette & Waushara 1 Whig Markesan 2 Dem. Marquette 05 Milwaukee 1 Dem. Milwaukee 2 Dem. Milwaukee 06 3 Dem. Milwaukee 4 Dem. Milwaukee 5 Dem. Milwaukee 6 Dem. Franklin 7 Dem. Greenfield 05 8 Dem. Milwaukee 9 Dem. Granville 02 Oconto, Outagamie, Waupaca Dem. Menomonee Dem. Waupaca 03 Ozaukee 1 Whig Ozaukee 2 Dem. Ozaukee 07Racine 1 Dem. Racine 2 Dem. Caledonia 3 Dem. Raymond 4 Dem. Burlington 15 Richland Dem. Richland Center 18 Rock 1 Free Soil Beloit 2 Free Soil Harmony 17 3 Dem. Janesville 4 Dem. Beloit 01Sheboygan 1 Dem. Sheboygan 2 Dem. Rhein 12 Walworth 1 Whig Richmond 2 Dem. Sugar Creek 3 Free Soil East Troy 4 Dem. Geneva 5 Whig Sharon 6 Whig Walworth 04 Washington 1 Dem. Germantown 2 Dem. Addison 09 Waukesha 1 Whig Summit 2 Whig Brookfield 10 3 Dem. Ottawa 4 Whig Vernon 21 Winnebago 1 Whig Oshkosh 2 Dem. Vinland

Employees

Senate employees Chief Clerk: Samuel G. Bugh Sergeant-at-Arms: J. M. Sherwood

Assembly employees Chief Clerk: Thomas McHugh Sergeant-at-Arms: William H. Gleason

References

External links