Augustus Allen Bird (April 1, 1802February 25, 1870) was an American pioneer and politician. He was the 2nd Mayor of

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, represented the Madison area for two terms in 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 ...

, and was one of the commissioners responsible for establishing the first Capitol building located at Madison, Wisconsin, used by the territorial government and

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republ ...

until 1863.Augustus Bird
/ref>

Biography

Born in

Thetford, Vermont Thetford is a New England town, town in Orange County, Vermont, Orange County, Vermont, United States in the Connecticut River Valley. The population was 2,775 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Villages within the town include East ...

, he moved with his family to

Madison County, New York Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 68,016. Its county seat is Wampsville. The county is named after James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, and was ...

, and, in 1824, married Charity LeClair. In 1826, he moved with his family to

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit ...

, but returned to Madison County in 1830.Wisconsin Biography-Dane County
/ref> In 1836, Bird moved 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 ...

, settled in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, and engaged in a construction business. The Governor of Wisconsin Territory

Henry Dodge Moses Henry Dodge (October 12, 1782 – June 19, 1867) was an American politician and military officer who was Democratic member to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Bla ...

appointed Bird to a three-man commission to plan the new territorial capitol, and, in June 1837, Bird set out with about forty workmen from Milwaukee to the site of the new capitol in Madison, cutting a road from Milwaukee to Madison in the process. In 1851 and 1856, Bird served in the

and, in 1857, was elected the 2nd Mayor of Madison. He died suddenly in

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

, while visiting his daughter Marian and her husband, John Starkweather.Augustus Bird, Wisconsin Historical Society
/ref> His brother, Ira W. Bird, also served in the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, Augustus A. 1802 births 1870 deaths People from Thetford, Vermont Wisconsin Territory officials Mayors of Madison, Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature