Charles Billinghurst (July 27, 1818 – August 18, 1865) was an American politician and lawyer who served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from 1855 to 1859, representing the 3rd congressional district of

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 ...

as a member of both the

Opposition Party In politics, the opposition comprises one or more political parties or other organized groups that are opposed to the government (or, in American English, the administration), party or group in political control of a city, region, state, coun ...

and the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Billinghurst was born in

Brighton, New York Brighton, New York may refer to: *Brighton, Franklin County, New York, a town *Brighton, Monroe County, New York, a town * Brighton, Erie County, New York * Brighton, Syracuse, New York, a neighborhood in Syracuse, New York See also *Brighton Beac ...

on July 27, 1818 to William Billinghurst. He attended common schools and studied law.

Career

Billinghurst was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1847; he commenced practiced in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

. That same year, Billinghurst moved to

Juneau, Wisconsin Juneau is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,658 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dodge County, Wisconsin, Dodge County. History Juneau was founded in 1845 by settlers M ...

, where he continued practicing law. Billinghurst was elected to the 1st

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 ...

in 1848. Billinghurst edited and published the ''Juneau Burr Oak'' from 1853 to 1854. Billinghurst was elected a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1852. Billinghurst was elected to the

to represent the 3rd congressional district of

, defeating incumbent Democrat John B. Macy in the general collection. Billinghurst's time in office began on March 4, 1855 and concluded on March 3, 1859. He served in the

34th United States Congress The 34th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1855 ...

as a member of the

and the

35th United States Congress The 35th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1857, ...

as a member of the Republican Party. Billinghurst was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in

1858 Events January–March * January 9 ** Revolt of Rajab Ali: British forces finally defeat Rajab Ali Khan of Chittagong. ** Anson Jones, the last president of the Republic of Texas, commits suicide. * January 14 – Orsini affair: Pi ...

to the

36th United States Congress The 36th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859, ...

, being defeated by Democrat Charles H. Larrabee in the general election. Following his tenure in Congress, Billinghurst resumed practicing law in Juneau, Wisconsin until his death there in 1865.

Personal life and death

In 1853, Billinghurst married Hannah Barber, with whom he had two children. Billinghurst died at the age of 47 in Juneau, Wisconsin on August 18, 1865. He was interred in Juneau Cemetery.

References

External links

Official page
at the ''

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates fr ...

''
Profile
from

GovTrack GovTrack.us is a website developed by then-student Joshua Tauberer. It is based in Washington, D.C., and was launched as a hobby. It enables its users to track the bills and members of the United States Congress. Users can add trackers to certain ...

Charles Billinghurst
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 Politics of the United States, American political figures and List of United States political families, political families, along with other informa ...

Charles Billinghurst
at Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Billinghurst, Charles 1818 births 1865 deaths 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin lawyers New York (state) lawyers Wisconsin Oppositionists Wisconsin Democrats Politicians from Eau Claire, Wisconsin People from Brighton, Franklin County, New York 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives