4th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly

The Fourth Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory convened from December 5, 1842, to April 17, 1843, from December 4, 1843, to January 31, 1844, from January 6, 1845, to February 24, 1845, and from January 5, 1846, to February 3, 1846, in regular session.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

4th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly
← 3rd 5th →
Overview
Legislative body	Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory
Meeting place	Madison, Wisconsin Territory
Term	November 7, 1842 – January 4, 1847
Election	September 26, 1842 September 25, 1843 September 23, 1844 September 22, 1845
Council
Members	13
President	Moses M. Strong (D) (1st & 3rd sessions) Marshall Strong (D) (2nd session) Nelson Dewey (D) (4th session)
Party control	Democratic
House of Representatives
Members	26
Speaker	Albert G. Ellis (D) (1st session) George H. Walker (D) (2nd & 3rd sessions) Mason C. Darling (D) (4th session)
Party control	Democratic
Sessions
1st December 5, 1842 – April 17, 1843 2nd December 4, 1843 – January 31, 1844 3rd January 6, 1845 – February 24, 1845 4th January 5, 1846 – February 3, 1846

The first session of this Legislative Assembly was effected by a dispute with the Governor over whether or not the session was legally sanctioned by Congress. The session was adjourned twice, and finally came back into session on the governor's request in March 1843, when they finished their business.^[1] This Legislative Assembly was also unusually long, spanning four general elections (1843, 1844, 1845, & 1846).

Major events

• May 22, 1843: The first major wagon train departed from Missouri with 1,000 settlers on the Oregon Trail to the northwest.
• May 24, 1844: The first electrical telegram was sent by Samuel Morse from the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., to the B&O Railroad "outer depot" in Baltimore, saying "What hath God wrought".
• June 21, 1844: Nathaniel P. Tallmadge appointed 3rd Governor of the Wisconsin Territory.
• September 23, 1844: Morgan Lewis Martin elected delegate to the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Territory's at-large congressional district.
• November 1 – December 4, 1844: James K. Polk elected President of the United States.
• January 23, 1845: The United States Congress established a uniform date for the holding of federal elections—the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, on even-numbered years.
• March 1, 1845: President John Tyler signed a bill approving the annexation of Texas.
• March 4, 1845: Inauguration of James K. Polk as the 11th President of the United States.
• April 8, 1845: Henry Dodge appointed 4th Governor of the Wisconsin Territory.
• December 2, 1845: President James K. Polk announced to Congress that the Monroe Doctrine should be strictly enforced, and that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
• December 29, 1845: Texas was admitted to the United States as the 28th U.S. state.
• April 25, 1846: The Thornton Affair occurred on disputed land between Texas and Mexico, initiating the Mexican–American War.
• May 13, 1846: The United States officially declared war on Mexico.
• June 10, 1846: The California Republic declared independence from Mexico.
• August 3, 1846: Abraham Lincoln was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Illinois's 7th congressional district.
• October 5 – December 16, 1846: The first Wisconsin constitutional convention was held in Madison, Wisconsin Territory.^[1]

Major legislation

• March 23, 1843: An Act fixing the time of holding the annual sessions of the Legislative Assembly, and for other purposes.^[2]
• April 10, 1843: An Act to repeal an act incorporating the State Bank of Wisconsin.^[2]
• April 17, 1843: An Act to abolish certain offices therein named. Abolished the offices of "district attorney" which were previously multi-county officials. County governments were instead empowered by this act to each appoint a prosecuting attorney.^[2]
• April 17, 1843: An Act to provide for completing a new roof upon the capitol, and for other purposes.^[2]
• April 17, 1843: An Act concerning removals from office. Required the Governor to make written notification when removing a person from office. The act was originally vetoed by the Governor, but the veto was overridden by the Assembly.^[2]
• January 24, 1844: An Act prescribing the time of holding the annual session of the Legislative Assembly. Set the start of the legislative session as the first Monday of January.^[3]
• January 26, 1844: An Act to submit to the people of Wisconsin the question of the expediency of forming a state government.^[3]
• January 30, 1845: Resolution to declare the name of the Territory, "Wisconsin."^[4]
• January 31, 1846: An Act in relation to the formation of a State Government in Wisconsin.^{[5]: 5–12}

Sessions

• 1st session: December 5, 1842 – April 17, 1843
• 2nd session: December 4, 1843 – January 31, 1844
• 3rd session: January 6, 1845 – February 24, 1845
• 4th session: January 5, 1846 – February 3, 1846

Leadership

Council President

• Moses M. Strong (D) – during the 1st & 3rd sessions
• Marshall Strong (D) – during the 2nd session
• Nelson Dewey (D) – during the 4th session

Speaker of the House of Representatives

• Albert G. Ellis (D) – during 1st session
• George H. Walker (D) – during 2nd & 3rd sessions
• Mason C. Darling (D) – during 4th session

Members

Members of the Council

Counties	Councillor	Session(s)				Party
		1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Marquette, Portage, Sheboygan & Winnebago	Morgan L. Martin	Y	Y			Dem.
	Randall Wilcox			Y	Y	Dem.
Crawford, Chippewa, La Pointe, & St. Croix	Theophilus La Chappelle	Y	Y			Dem.
	Wiram Knowlton			Y	Y	Ind.
Dane, Dodge, Green, Jefferson, & Sauk	Lucius I. Barber	Y	Y			Whig
	John Catlin			Y	Y	Dem.
Grant	John H. Rountree	Y	Y	Y	Y	Whig
	Nelson Dewey	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
Iowa	Moses M. Strong	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
Milwaukee & Washington	Hans Crocker	Y	Y			Dem.
	Lemuel White	Y	Y			Dem.
	David Newland	Y	Y			Dem.
	Adam E. Ray			Y
	James Kneeland			Y	Y	Dem.
	Jacob H. Kimball			Y	Y
	Curtis Reed				Y	Dem.
Racine	Consider Heath	Y[note 1]
	Peter D. Hugunin	Y[note 1]
	Michael Frank		Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	Marshall Strong		Y	Y	Y	Dem.
Rock & Walworth	Charles M. Baker	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	Edward V. Whiton	Y	Y	Y	Y	Whig

Members of the House of Representatives

Members of the House of Representatives for the Fourth Wisconsin Territorial Assembly:^[6]

Counties	Representative	Session(s)				Party
		1st	2nd	3rd	4th
Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Marquette, Portage, Sheboygan & Winnebago	Albert G. Ellis	Y	Y			Dem.
	Mason C. Darling	Y	Y	Y	Y	Dem.
	David Agry	Y	Y			Dem.
	Abraham Brawley			Y	Y	Dem.
	William Fowler			Y
	Elisha Morrow				Y
Crawford, Chippewa, La Pointe, & St. Croix	John H. Manahan	Y	Y			Dem.
	James Fisher			Y	Y	Dem.
Dane, Dodge, Green, Jefferson, & Sauk	Isaac H. Palmer	Y	Y			Whig
	Lyman Crossman	Y	Y			Dem.
	Robert Masters	Y	Y			Dem.
	Charles S. Bristol			Y
	Noah Phelps			Y	Y	Dem.
	George H. Slaughter			Y		Dem.
	Mark R. Clapp				Y
	William M. Dennis				Y	Dem.
Grant	Franklin Z. Hicks	Y	Y	Y		Whig
	Alonzo Platt	Y	Y			Whig
	Glendower M. Price	Y	Y			Whig
	Thomas P. Burnett			Y	Y
	Thomas Cruson			Y	Y	Whig
	Armstead C. Brown				Y	Whig
Iowa	Robert M. Long	Y	Y			Dem.
	Moses Meeker	Y	Y			Dem.
	William S. Hamilton	Y				Whig
	George Messersmith		Y			Whig
	James Collins			Y		Whig
	Robert C. Hoard			Y	Y
	Solomon Oliver			Y
	Henry M. Billings				Y	Dem.
	Charles Pole				Y	Dem.
Milwaukee & Washington	Andrew E. Elmore	Y	Y			Whig
	Benjamin Hunkins	Y	Y			Dem.
	Thomas H. Olin	Y	Y			Dem.
	Jonathan Parsons	Y	Y			Dem.
	Jared Thompson	Y	Y			Whig
	George H. Walker	Y	Y	Y		Dem.
	Charles E. Brown			Y
	Pitts Ellis			Y		Dem.
	Byron Kilbourn			Y		Dem.
	Benjamin H. Mooers			Y	Y	Dem.
	William Shew			Y		Dem.
	Samuel H. Barstow				Y
	John Crawford				Y	Dem.
	James Magone				Y
	Luther Parker				Y	Dem.
	William H. Thomas				Y	Dem.
Racine	Philander Judson	Y				Whig
	John T. Trowbridge	Y	Y			Dem.
	Peter Van Vliet	Y				Dem.
	Levi Grant		Y			Dem.
	Ezra Birchard		Y			Dem.
	Robert McClellan			Y
	Orson Sheldon			Y	Y
	Albert G. Northway			Y
	Andrew B. Jackson				Y	Dem.
	Julius Wooster				Y
Rock & Walworth	John Hopkins	Y	Y			Whig
	James Tripp	Y	Y			Whig
	John M. Capron	Y	Y			Whig
	William A. Bartlett	Y	Y			Dem.
	Stephen Field			Y
	Jesse C. Mills			Y		Whig
	Salmon Thomas			Y		Whig
	Jesse Moore			Y		Whig
	Ira Jones				Y[note 2]
	Caleb Crosswell				Y[note 3]
	Warren Earl				Y[note 3]
	Gaylord Graves				Y[note 3]	Dem.

Employees

Council employees

• Secretary:^[1]
  • John V. Ingersol, 1st session, resigned March 31, 1843
  • John P. Sheldon, 1st session, following Ingersol's resignation
  • Ben C. Eastman, 2nd, 3rd & 4th sessions, resigned Jan. 19, 1846
  • William Rudolph Smith, 4th session, following Eastman's resignation
• Sergeant-at-Arms:
  • Charles C. Brown, 1st session
  • G. C. S. Vail, 2nd session
  • Charles H. Larkin, 3rd session
  • Joseph Brisbois, 4th session

House employees

• Chief Clerk:^[1]
  • John Catlin, 1st & 2nd sessions
  • La Fayette Kellogg, 3rd & 4th sessions
• Sergeant-at-Arms:
  • William S. Anderson, 1st session
  • J. W. Trowbridge, 2nd session
  • Chauncey Davis, 3rd session
  • David Bonham, 4th session

Notes

1. Did not take his seat until March 6, 1843
2. Only represented Rock County.
3. Only represented Walworth County.