Chauncey Abbott (September 16, 1815 – January 30, 1872) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as the 5th

Village President In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County, Wisconsin, Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin b ...

, and represented central

Dane County Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital. Dane County is the ...

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. Representatives are elected for two-year terms ...

during the

3rd Wisconsin Legislature The Third Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1850, to February 11, 1850, in regular session. Senators representing even numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Senator ...

Early life

Abbott was born in

Cornwall, Vermont Cornwall is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. It was founded November 3, 1761. The population was 1,207 at the 2020 census. Geography Cornwall is located in south-central Addison County, in the Champlain Valley. It is bordered b ...

. He graduated from

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

in Vermont. He came to the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized 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. Belmont was ...

in 1841, he read law and began practicing in

Fort Winnebago Fort Winnebago was a 19th-century fortification of the United States Army located on a hill overlooking the eastern end of the portage between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers east of present-day Portage, Wisconsin. It was the middle one of three fo ...

, before moving to Mineral Point. There he became a law partner with

Moses M. Strong Moses McCure Strong (May 20, 1810July 20, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician, businessman, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was one of the framers of the Constitution of Wisconsin, a member of the territorial legislature, and United States Attor ...

. He then settled in Madison, where he formed a law practice with John Catlin, future secretary and acting-governor of the Wisconsin Territory.

Political career

In 1848, Abbott ran as the

Whig Whig or Whigs may refer to: Parties and factions In the British Isles * Whigs (British political party), one of two political parties in England, Great Britain, Ireland, and later the United Kingdom, from the 17th to 19th centuries ** Whiggism ...

candidate for

Secretary of State of Wisconsin The Secretary of State of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin, and is second (behind the Lieutenant Governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Wisc ...

, but lost the election. In 1850, he was the District Attorney of Dane County and served in the Wisconsin State Assembly. In the fall of 1852, he was the Whig Party's candidate for

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washi ...

Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in southern Wisconsin, covering Dane County, Iowa County, Lafayette County, Sauk County and Green County, as well as portions of ...

, but was defeated. He was the president of the Dane County Bar Association in 1858. He was the Postmaster of Madison from 1850-1853, and President of Madison (now Mayor) from 1852-1853. From 1853-1856, he served as a regent for the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

. In 1867, he moved back to Vermont. He later moved to

Schuyler, Nebraska Schuyler is a city in Colfax County, Nebraska, Colfax County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 6,211 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colfax County. The city (as well as the county) is named afte ...

, and died in Nebraska on January 30, 1872. He is interred in Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison.

Personal life

Abbott married Jane Strong, Moses M. Strong's sister. They had a son and daughter together, but Jane died in 1852 after only seven years of marriage. Chauncey married for a second time, to Anne Damon Maxwell, the widow of Nathan Perkins Wells. Together they had four children, though only one, Chauncy II, survived to adulthood. After Abbott's death, his wife, Anne married again, to Morris E. Fuller

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abbott, Chauncey Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Mayors of Madison, Wisconsin Lawyers from Madison, Wisconsin Middlebury College alumni People from Mineral Point, Wisconsin Wisconsin postmasters Wisconsin lawyers 1815 births 1872 deaths 19th-century American politicians People from Schuyler, Nebraska 19th-century American lawyers