Chauncey Moss Phelps (also spelled Chauncy and Chancey) (June 28, 1818 - March 21, 1868) was an American farmer and politician who held office in two

counties A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

, as well as in the legislatures of the

Territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...

and

State 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 ...

Background

He was born Jun 28, 1818, in

Russell, New York Russell is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The population was 1,856 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Russell Attwater, the pioneer land owner. The Town of Russell is centrally located in the county and is sou ...

, son of Elihu and Emmaline (or Emaline) Clark Phelps. He married Alma Heaton, a native like himself of

St. Lawrence County, New York St. Lawrence County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 108,505. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River. This was as named by early French explorer Ja ...

. They came to Wisconsin about 1844 or 1845.

Public office

He was a county supervisor for his home town of

Addison Addison may refer to: Places Canada * Addison, Ontario, a community United States * Addison, Alabama, a town * Addison, Illinois, a village * Addison, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Addison, Maine, a town * Addison, Michigan, a villag ...

for the 1846-47 term. He was appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of county treasurer, but was removed by the board for alleged

malfeasance Misfeasance, nonfeasance, and malfeasance are types of failure to discharge public obligations existing by common law, custom, or statute. The Carta de Logu caused Eleanor of Arborea to be remembered as one of the first lawmakers to set up t ...

on July 2, 1847. He was not elected supervisor for the 1847-48 term (the office was held by one Luther B. Phelps instead), but was elected to the last Territorial Council (equivalent to a

state senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

) for Wisconsin Territory for 1847-1848, representing

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

and Sheboygan counties. He did return to the County board for the 1848-49 term. He served a single one-year term as a Democratic member of the 1849

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 ...

(

2nd Wisconsin Legislature The Second Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 10, 1849, to April 2, 1849, in regular session. Senators representing odd numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Senato ...

) for the 5th Washington County assembly district (the Towns of Addison,

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, North Bend and West Bend), succeeding William Caldwell, a Whig. He would be succeeded for the 1850 term by fellow Democrat Anson H. Taylor. At the time of his taking office in January 1849, he was stated to be a farmer, 30 years old, a native of New York state, and as having been in Wisconsin for four years. When Green Lake County was first organized in 1858, Phelps was designated its

Treasurer A treasurer is a person responsible for the financial operations of a government, business, or other organization. Government The treasury of a country is the department responsible for the country's economy, finance and revenue. The treasure ...

. It is unclear how long they had been in Green Lake County. In December 1860, he was elected county treasurer.Harvey, Louis P., et al. "Annual report of the secretary of state, for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1861," in, ''Annual message of the governor of Wisconsin, and reports of the state departments, for the fiscal year ending Sept, 30th, 1861'' [Covers 1860/1861]. Madison: Smith and Cullaton, 1861; p. 291
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After public office

Alma died in 1862; they had had at least five children who lived to adulthood. He died March 21, 1868, in Green Lake.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, Chauncey M. Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Green Lake County, Wisconsin People from Addison, Wisconsin County treasurers in Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature Farmers from Wisconsin People from St. Lawrence County, New York 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature Year of death missing