Adelbert E. Bleekman, Sr., (March 26, 1846January 27, 1908) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He was a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after ...

(

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &n ...

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of th ...

) and

State Assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

(

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat ...

), and served as district attorney of

Monroe County, Wisconsin Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,274. Its county seat is Sparta. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0. ...

Early life and war service

Adelbert Bleekman was born on March 26, 1846, in

Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York Salisbury is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,958 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern edge of the county, north of the city of Little Falls. The northern part of the town is in the Adirondack Pa ...

. As a child, in 1850, he moved with his parents to

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, where he was raised and educated. At age 18, he enlisted for service in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

in the fourth year of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. He was enrolled as a private in Company A of the

2nd Ohio Cavalry Regiment The 2nd Ohio Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 2nd Ohio Cavalry Regiment was organized in Cleveland, Ohio and at Camp Dennison near Cincinnati, Ohio, from August ...

and went to the front in the eastern theater of the war. With his regiment, he participated in the bloody battles of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Uni ...

, which culminated in the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

in the Summer of 1864. In June 1864, his regiment participated in the

Wilson–Kautz Raid The Wilson–Kautz Raid was a cavalry operation in south central Virginia in late June 1864, during the American Civil War. Occurring early in the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, the raid was conducted by Union cavalry under Brigadier Generals ...

against Confederate railroad lines supplying Petersburg and Richmond. During that fight, he was shot in the leg and severely wounded. He was sent home to Wisconsin to recuperate and never returned to the fighting. He officially mustered out in June 1865.

Legal and political career

Returning from the war, Bleekman resumed his education. He studied at the academy at

Little Falls, New York Little Falls is a city in Herkimer County, New York. The population was 4,946 at the time of the 2010 census, which is the second-smallest city population in the state, ahead of only the city of Sherrill. The city is built on both sides of the ...

, then attended Albert College in

Belleville, Ontario Belleville is a city in Ontario, Canada situated on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, located at the mouth of the Moira River and on the Bay of Quinte. Belleville is between Ottawa and Toronto, along the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. Its popula ...

. In 1869, he moved to

Tomah, Wisconsin Tomah is a city in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,570 as of the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Tomah and the Town of La Grange. History Tomah was founded by Robert E. Gillett in 1855 and inco ...

, where he taught school for two years while studying the law. He was admitted to the bar in September 1870 and opened a law office in Tomah the following year. He was active with the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a right-wing political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The state party chair is Paul Farrow. The state party is divided into 72 county parties f ...

and was elected to the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms ...

in 1872, running on the Republican ticket. In the

26th Wisconsin Legislature The Twenty-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature convened from to 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 ...

, he represented Monroe County's 2nd Assembly district, comprising roughly the eastern half of Monroe County. In 1873, he was the Republican nominee for

in the 4th Senate district—comprising Monroe and Vernon counties. He was unopposed in the general election, and served a two year term. He did not run for re-election in 1875, and moved to

Sparta, Wisconsin Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 10,025 at the 2020 census. History Sparta is located on former Ho-Chunk territory acquired by the United States ...

, that year. He continued his legal practice in Sparta, making a partnership with F. H. Bloomingdale known as Bleekman & Bloomingdale. In 1876, he returned to politics and was elected district attorney of Monroe County, serving a two-year term. Bleekman moved to

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census ...

, in 1886, where he remained for the rest of his life.

Personal life and family

Bleekman was the eldest of three sons born to Warren Bleekman and his first wife, Amanda (' Jacobs). Bleekman's paternal grandfather, Ebenezer Bleekman, served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

and fought at the

Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor The Second Battle of Sacket's Harbor or simply the Battle of Sacket's Harbor, took place on 29 May 1813, during the War of 1812. A British force was transported across Lake Ontario and attempted to capture the town, which was the principal dockya ...

. His great-grandfather, Daniel Bleekman, was a

Dutch American Dutch Americans ( nl, Nederlandse Amerikanen) are Americans of Dutch descent whose ancestors came from the Netherlands in the recent or distant past. Dutch settlement in the Americas started in 1613 with New Amsterdam, which was exchanged with ...

immigrant and served in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

. Adelbert Bleekman married twice. His first wife was Eliza Farnham of

. They had one son together before her death in April 1875. The next year, Bleekman married Alice Bush of Tomah, Wisconsin. With his second wife, Bleekman had three more children, though their first daughter died in infancy. He was active throughout his life with the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy ( U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, I ...

veterans organization, and was commander of the Sparta, Wisconsin, post in 1883 and 1884. He was also a member of the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

and the masons. Adelbert Bleekman, Sr., died at his home in La Crosse on January 27, 1908, after six years of illness which had ended his legal career.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1872)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1872

Wisconsin Senate (1873)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1873

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bleekman, Adelbert 1846 births 1908 deaths People from Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York People from Tomah, Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly District attorneys in Wisconsin People of Ohio in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers 19th-century American politicians