Carlton Foster (August 26, 1826August 4, 1901) was an American businessman, Republican politician, 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 the 10th and 25th mayor of

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh () is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the western shore of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 66,816 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List o ...

, and served three 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 ...

Biography

Carlton Foster was born in

Essex County, New York Essex County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,381. Its county seat is the hamlet of Elizabethtown (CDP), New York, Eliza ...

, in August 1826. He was raised on his father's farm and educated in the public schools of Essex and

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has also been used as a given nam ...

counties. At age 20, he went to work as an apprentice

millwright A millwright is a craftsman or skilled tradesman who installs, dismantles, maintains, repairs, reassembles, and moves machinery in factories, power plants, and construction sites. The term ''millwright'' (also known as ''industrial mechanic'') ...

, and would remain in that profession for over a decade. He moved to

, in September 1855, and made the city his primary residence for the rest of his life. In 1859, he entered the lumber business and soon became regarded as one of the leading lumbermen in the city. In 1870, he built a factory under the firm name Carlton Foster & Co., which became a major manufacturer for

sashes A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the human body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else encircling the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, ...

, doors, and

blinds A window blind is a type of window covering. There are many different kinds of window blinds which use a variety of control systems. A typical window blind is made up of several long horizontal or vertical slats of various types of hard mate ...

. Foster remained president of this company until his death. Through his business activity, Foster became involved in local politics as a member of the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a conservative politics, conservative and Right-wing populism, populist political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party (GOP) ...

. He was elected mayor of Oshkosh in 1865, and was re-elected in 1866. He was elected to the

in 1872, 1873, and 1882. His last campaign for office was in 1886, when he was elected to his third and final term as mayor, defeating incumbent Democrat

Andrew Haben Andrew Haben (December 23, 1834January 18, 1908) was a German-American immigrant, businessman, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 19th and 24th mayor of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and represented Winnebago County in the Wisconsin ...

. About May 1, 1901, Foster became severely ill and his health remained fragile after the acute illness passed. In June, he decided to live full-time aboard his beloved steam yacht, the ''Anna M.'', believing that the fresh air on the lake and river would improve his health. His family went to live with him on the boat, but his health continued to deteriorate. They steamed back to Oshkosh and docked at the Oshkosh Yacht Club, where medical assistance could be brought onboard. Foster died aboard his boat on August 4, 1901.

Personal life and family

Carlton Foster married Sibyl S. Storrs of Vermont on June 20, 1854. They had at least three children, though one died in childhood. Their son, Charles H. Foster served on the Oshkosh city council and the city police and fire board.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1872, 1873)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1872 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1873

Wisconsin Assembly (1882)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1882

Oshkosh Mayor (1886)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, April 6, 1886

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Carlton 1826 births 1901 deaths People from Essex County, New York Businesspeople from Wisconsin Wisconsin city council members Mayors of Oshkosh, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature