Adelbert Delos Thorp (April 15, 1844February 10, 1919) was an American farmer, fisherman, and

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 ...

pioneer. He was a member of 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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, representing Door County in the 1882 session, and later served as sergeant-at-arms of the

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

. In historical documents, his first name is sometimes given as "Albert", and his middle name is sometimes spelled "Deloss".

Biography

Adelbert D. Thorp was born in

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Oswego is situated at the mouth of the Oswego River (New York), Osw ...

on April 15, 1844. He came to the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

with his family as a child in 1846, and settled at

Rubicon The Rubicon (; ; ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just south of Cesena and north of Rimini. It was known as ''Fiumicino'' until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, crossed by Julius Caesar in 49 BC. The ri ...

, in Dodge County, where he was raised and educated. They moved to

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 ...

, in 1860. At the outbreak of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Thorp volunteered for service with the Union Army. He was enrolled as a private in Company A of the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He served nearly two years with the regiment before being discharged in March 1863 due to disability. He re-enlisted in the Fall of 1864 and was assigned to Company K of the 43rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, where he was promoted to

first sergeant First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries. Singapore First sergeant is a Specialist (Singapore), specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First sergeants are the most senior of the junior spe ...

. He mustered out with the 43rd Wisconsin Infantry in June 1865. After the war, Thorp returned to Monroe County, where he was married in 1869. In 1871, he moved to Egg Harbor, in Door County, where he remained for most of the rest of his life. At Egg Harbor, Thorp became involved in the fishing business and was elected town chairman, serving two one-year terms. He was then elected county clerk in 1876 and re-elected in 1878. In 1881, he was elected to the

, running on the Republican Party ticket. He served in the 35th Wisconsin Legislature and was a member of the committee on incorporations. He did not run for re-election in 1882. However, at the start of the 1883 session of the Legislature, the

elected him to serve as their sergeant-at-arms. He continued as an employee of the Senate in the 1885 session, working as proofreader. In 1887, Thorp was appointed

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of Door County by Governor Jeremiah McLain Rusk, following the death of the incumbent, Thomas Scott. Thorp served the remainder of Scott's term, and was later elected to another term in 1892. In 1894, he ran instead for county treasurer and served one term in that office. In 1897, Thorp was appointed special agent for the

United States General Land Office The General Land Office (GLO) was an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government responsible for Public domain (land), public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 ...

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

. He served there for eight years before retiring due to poor health. Thorp died in February 1919 at the home of his daughter in

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Sturgeon Bay is a city in Door County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the bay of Sturgeon Bay for which it is named, it is the most populous city o ...

, after a long illness.

Personal life and family

Thorp married Ellen Augusta Durkee in on March 2, 1869, at Tomah, Wisconsin. They had at least four children together before her death in 1893.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1881)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1881

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorp, Adelbert Delos 1844 births 1919 deaths Politicians from Oswego, New York People from Monroe County, Wisconsin People from Door County, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union army soldiers Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Employees of the Wisconsin Legislature County clerks in Wisconsin Wisconsin sheriffs County treasurers in Wisconsin 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature