2nd Wisconsin Territorial Assembly

The Second Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory convened from November 26, 1838, to December 22, 1838, from January 21, 1839, to March 11, 1839, and from December 2, 1839, to January 13, 1840, in regular session. The Assembly also convened in an extra session from August 3, 1840, to August 14, 1840.^[1][2][3][4]

2nd Wisconsin Territorial Assembly
← 1st 3rd →
Overview
Legislative body	Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory
Meeting place	Madison, Wisconsin Territory
Term	November 5, 1838 – November 2, 1840
Election	October 8, 1838
Council
Members	13
President	William Bullen (1st session) James Collins (2nd & 3rd session) William A. Prentiss (extra session)
House of Representatives
Members	24 (1st & 2nd sessions) 26 (3rd & extra sessions)
Speaker	John Wilford Blackstone Sr. (W) (1st session) Lucius Israel Barber (W) (2nd session) Edward V. Whiton (W) (3rd session) Nelson Dewey (D) (extra session)
Sessions
1st November 26, 1838 – December 22, 1838 2nd January 21, 1839 – March 11, 1839 3rd December 2, 1839 – January 13, 1840
Special sessions
Extra August 3, 1840 – August 14, 1840

Major events

• September 4, 1839: The Battle of Kowloon marked the start of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Qing dynasty.
• July 1, 1839: Enslaved Africans aboard the Amistad rebelled at took control of the ship.
• December 1839: Horatio N. Wells appointed the 2nd Attorney General for the Wisconsin Territory.^[5]
• December 2, 1839: The first edition of the Madison Express was published at Madison.^[6]
• December 6, 1839: The first national convention of the Whig Party was held at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and nominated General William Henry Harrison for President of the United States.
• October 3 – December 2, 1840: William Henry Harrison elected President of the United States.

Major legislation

• December 20, 1839: An Act to amend an act entitled "An Act to provide for and regulate General Elections," 1839 Wisc. Terr. Act 1. Changed the date of general elections to the fourth Monday in September.^[2]
• January 8, 1840: An Act to prevent the sale of intoxicating liquors to Indians, 1840 Wis. Terr. Act 17.^[2]
• January 11, 1840: An Act to provide for taking the census, or enumeration of the inhabitants of this Territory, and to fix the time of holding an extra session of the Legislative Assembly, 1839 Wis. Terr. Act 27.^[2]
• January 13, 1840: An Act limiting the term of office of all officers of this Territory, not now limited by law, 1839 Wisc. Terr. Act 50. Set a 2-year term for all Wisconsin Territory offices not previously described by law.^[2]

Sessions

• 1st session: November 26, 1838 – December 22, 1838
• 2nd session: January 21, 1839 – March 11, 1839
• 3rd session: December 2, 1839 – January 13, 1840
• Extra session: August 3, 1840 – August 14, 1840

Leadership

Council President

• William Bullen - during the 1st session
• James Collins - during the 2nd and 3rd sessions
• William A. Prentiss - during the extra session

Speaker of the House of Representatives

• John Wilford Blackstone Sr. (W) - during the 1st session
• Lucius Israel Barber (W) - during the 2nd session
• Edward V. Whiton (W) - during the 3rd session
• Nelson Dewey (D) - during the extra session

Members

Members of the Council

Members of the Council for the Second Legislative Assembly:^[1]

Counties	Councillor	Session(s)				Party
		1st	2nd	3rd	Ex.
Brown	Alexander J. Irwin	Y	Y
	Morgan Lewis Martin	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	Charles C. P. Arndt			Y	Y	Whig
Crawford	George Wilson	Y	Y
	Joseph Brisbois			Y
	Charles J. Learned				Y
Dane, Dodge, Green, & Jefferson	Ebenezer Brigham	Y	Y	Y	Y
Grant	James R. Vineyard	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	John H. Rountree	Y	Y	Y	Y	Whig
Iowa	James Collins	Y	Y	Y	Y	Whig
	Levi Sterling	Y	Y	Y	Y	Whig
Milwaukee & Washington	Daniel Wells Jr.	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	William A. Prentiss	Y	Y	Y	Y	Whig
Racine	William Bullen	Y	Y	Y	Y
	Marshall M. Strong	Y	Y			Dem.
	Lorenzo Janes			Y	Y	Dem.
Rock & Walworth	James Maxwell	Y	Y	Y	Y

Members of the House of Representatives

Members of the House of Representatives for the Second Legislative Assembly:^[1]

Counties	Representative	Session(s)				Party
		1st	2nd	3rd	Ex.
Brown	Ebenezer Childs	Y	Y	Y	Y
	Charles C. Sholes	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	Barlow Shackleford	Y	Y	Y	Y
	Jacob W. Conroe	Y	Y	Y	Y
Crawford	Alexander McGregor	Y	Y	Y	Y
	Ira B. Brunson		Y	Y	Y	Dem.
Dane, Dodge, Green, & Jefferson	Daniel S. Sutherland	Y	Y	Y	Y
Grant	Thomas Cruson	Y	Y	Y	Y	Whig
	Nelson Dewey	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	Ralph Carver	Y	Y
	Joseph H. D. Street	Y	Y	Y	Y
	Jonathan Craig			Y	Y
Iowa	Russel Baldwin	Y	Y	Y	Y
	John W. Blackstone	Y	Y	Y	Y	Whig
	Henry M. Billings	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	Thomas Jenkins	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	Charles Bracken		Y	Y	Y	Dem.
Milwaukee & Washington	Lucius I. Barber	Y	Y			Whig
	William Shew	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	Henry C. Skinner	Y	Y
	Ezekiel Churchill	Y	Y
	Augustus Story	Y	Y	Y	Y
	Adam E. Ray			Y	Y
	William R. Longstreet			Y	Y
	Horatio N. Wells			Y	Y	Dem.
Racine	Orrin R. Stevens	Y	Y	Y	Y
	Zadoc Newman	Y	Y	Y	Y
	Tristam C. Hoyt	Y	Y	Y	Y
Rock & Walworth	Othni Beardsley	Y	Y	Y	Y
	Edward V. Whiton	Y	Y	Y	Y	Whig

Employees

Council employees

• Secretary:
  • George Beatty, all sessions^[1]
• Sergeant-at-Arms:
  • Stephen N. Ives, 1st & 2nd sessions
  • Thomas J. Noyes, 3rd session
  • Gilbert Knapp, extra session

House employees

• Chief Clerk:
  • John Catlin, all sessions^[1]
• Sergeant-at-Arms:
  • Thomas Morgan, 1st session
  • Thomas J. Moorman, 2nd session
  • James Durley, 3rd session
  • D. M. Whitney, extra session