The Sixteenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 14, 1863, to April 2, 1863, in regular session. Senators representing odd-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 4, 1862. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 5, 1861. The

governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

during this entire term was Republican

Edward Salomon Edward Salomon (August 11, 1828April 21, 1909) was a Jewish American politician and the eighth governor of Wisconsin, having ascended to office from the lieutenant governorship after the accidental drowning of his predecessor, Louis P. Harvey. ...

, of

Manitowoc County Manitowoc County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359. Its county seat is Manitowoc. The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848. Manitowoc Co ...

, serving the second year of a two-year term, having won the 1861 lieutenant gubernatorial election, then having ascended to the gubernatorial office following the death of governor Louis P. Harvey in April 1862.

Major events

* January 1, 1863:

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Proclamation had the eff ...

went into effect. * January 22, 1863:

James R. Doolittle James Rood Doolittle Sr. (January 3, 1815July 27, 1897) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Wisconsin for 12 years as a United States senator, from March 4, 1857, to March 4, 1869. During h ...

re-elected

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

by the Wisconsin Legislature in Joint Session. * April 30–May 8, 1863:

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

took place in

Spotsylvania County, Virginia Spotsylvania County is a county (United States), county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a suburb approximately 60 miles (90km) south of D.C. It is a part of the Northern Virginia region and the D.C. area. As of 2024, Spotsylvania County ...

. Six regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the battle. * May 18–July 4, 1863:

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed th ...

took place in

Warren County, Mississippi Warren County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. Its western border is formed by the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 44,722. Its county seat is V ...

. Seventeen regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the siege. * July 1–3, 1863:

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

took place near

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; ) is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the borough had a population of 7,106 people. Gettysburg was the site of ...

. Six regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the battle. Future-Governor of Wisconsin

Lucius Fairchild Lucius Fairchild (December 27, 1831May 23, 1896) was an American politician, soldier, and diplomat. He served as the tenth governor of Wisconsin and represented the United States as Minister to Spain under presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and Jam ...

and future State Treasurer

Henry Baetz Henry Baetz (July 27, 1830January 2, 1910) was a German American immigrant real estate and insurance agent. He was the 6th State Treasurer of Wisconsin, served in the American Civil War as a Union Army officer, and was wounded at Gettysburg. ...

were wounded. * November 3, 1863: James T. Lewis

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population ch ...

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

Major legislation

* March 13, 1863: Joint Resolution recommending Colonels J. C. Starkweather and Geo. E. Bryant to promotion
1863 Joint Resolution 2
* March 25, 1863: Joint Resolution relative to adopting state flag
1863 Joint Resolution 4
* March 26, 1863: Act to provide for continuing the work on the state capitol
1863 Act 107
* March 28, 1863: Act to authorize the borrowing of money to repel invasion, suppress insurrection and defend the state in time of war
1863 Act 157
* April 1, 1863: Act authorizing the governor to take care of the sick and wounded soldiers of the Wisconsin volunteers, and appropriating money out of the treasury for that purpose
1863 Act 196
* April 1, 1863: Act to provide for compensating parties whose property may be injured or destroyed in consequence of mobs or riots
1863 Act 211
* April 1, 1863: Act to provide for the enrollment of persons liable to perform military duty, and the organization of the state militia for active service
1863 Act 242
* April 2, 1863: Act to provide for the relief of families of persons who may die in the military service of the United States or of the state of Wisconsin
1863 Act 264

Party summary

Senate summary

Assembly summary

Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 14, 1863 – April 2, 1863

Leaders

Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: ''Vacant'' * President pro tempore:

Wyman Spooner Wyman Spooner (July 2, 1795 – November 18, 1877) was an American printer, lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 9th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, the 10th Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and President pro tempo ...

Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly:

J. Allen Barber Joel Allen Barber (January 17, 1809 – June 28, 1881) was an American lawyer and politician. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district, he was the 15th Speaker of the Wisco ...

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Sixteenth Wisconsin Legislature: WI Senate Partisan Map 1863

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Sixteenth Wisconsin Legislature: WI Assembly Partisan Map 1863

Employees

Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Frank M. Stewart ** Assistant Clerk: J. M. Randall ** Engrossing Clerk: G. W. Campbell ** Enrolling Clerk: George W. Stoner ** Transcribing Clerk: J. J. Tschudy * Sergeant-at-Arms: Luther Basford ** Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: James L. Wilder * Postmaster: James L. Hosford ** Assistant Postmaster: John Van t'Woud * Doorkeeper: B. S. Miller ** Assistant Doorkeeper: Francis Mika ** Assistant Doorkeeper: Samuel Bachman ** Assistant Doorkeeper: Paul Halverson * Firemen: ** Alex Stilwell ** John Crowley * Messengers: ** J. E. Brown ** John Hutchins ** Albert F. Dexter ** Frank Kellogg * Porter: George E. Albee

Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: John S. Dean ** Assistant Clerk: Ephraim W. Young *** Bookkeeper: Merrick P. Wing ** Engrossing Clerk: Herbert A. Lewis ** Enrolling Clerk: S. Canning Fisher ** Transcribing Clerk: Henry C. Hadley * Sergeant-at-Arms: A. M. Thomson ** 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: C. D. Lon ** 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: D. S. Hawley * Postmaster: M. B. Patchin ** 1st Assistant Postmaster: John B. Eugene ** 2nd Assistant Postmaster: Oscar Babcock * Doorkeeper: Franklin Kelly ** Assistant Doorkeeper: A. J. Fuller ** Assistant Doorkeeper: P. P. Davis ** Assistant Doorkeeper: William C. Lesure * Firemen: ** H. H. Hayward ** Philip Carey ** Iver Knudsen * Messengers: ** Adam Waltz ** James E. Dean ** Richard L. Hayward ** Edgar C. McLaughlin ** Patrick W. Lannen ** William H. Miller ** Louis Sholes ** George D. Potter ** Mark W. Bailey

References

Notes

External links

{{Wisconsin legislatures 1863 in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Wisconsin legislative sessions