Chauncey H. Purple (c. 1820 – December 13, 1882) was an American businessman and clerical worker from

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 ...

who served one term as a Whig member of 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 ...

from

Waukesha County, Wisconsin Waukesha County () is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its median income of $88,985 placed ...

. He was also a prominent member of the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

in that state.

Background

Purple was born in Weedsport, in

Cayuga County, New York Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Native American tribes in the I ...

, in about 1820. He spent some time "in mercantile pursuits" before moving to Wisconsin in 1844. He lived first in Waukesha, then called Prairieville, where he operated a

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and Common ...

store for some years.

Legislature and other state service

He was living in Brookfield Center when he was elected to the Assembly for a one-year term in 1854 as a Whig, succeeding Free Soiler Elisha Pearl. He was not a candidate for re-election, and was succeeded by fellow Whig Benjamin F. Goss. In 1858 he was invited to

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

to take a position as

bank clerk A bank teller (often abbreviated to simply teller) is an employee of a bank whose responsibilities include the handling of customer cash and negotiable instruments. In some places, this employee is known as a cashier or customer representative. T ...

in the office of Samuel D. Hastings, then Wisconsin State Treasurer and a fellow temperance advocate. He was soon promoted to Assistant State Treasurer, a job he would hold for about ten years under Hastings and his successor William E. Smith (both

Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

After state service

After retiring from the Treasurer's office, Purple moved to Watertown and went into the lumber trade, in which he was doing well until the

Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "L ...

Personal life

He was first married in Weedsport; that wife's name is unknown, but when she died he was left with a step-daughter. In 1850 he remarried, to Mary C. Patterson, with whom he would have seven more children. He was very active locally and at a wider level in the temperance movement, taking a leadership position in several organizations, including the

Sons of Temperance The Sons of Temperance was and is a brotherhood of men who promoted the temperance movement and Benefit society, mutual support. The organization was started in New York City in 1842. In the 1840s, it spread quickly across the United States and ...

Good Templars The International Organisation of Good Templars (IOGT; founded as the Independent Order of Good Templars), whose international body is known as Movendi International, is a fraternal organization which is part of the temperance movement, promoting ...

and

Band of Hope Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

. He was also an active member of the

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

. He died unexpectedly from "

neuralgia Neuralgia (Greek ''neuron'', "nerve" + ''algos'', "pain") is pain in the distribution of a nerve or nerves, as in intercostal nerve, intercostal neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and glossopharyngeal nerve, glossopharyngeal neuralgia. Classifica ...

of the heart" on December 13, 1879. Hastings, Samuel D. "Sketch of the Life and Services of Hon. Chauncey H. Purple" in Draper, Lyman Copeland, ed. ''Report and Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, for the Years 1880, 1881, and 1882'' Vol. IX. Madison: David Atwood, State Printer, 1882; pp. 410-412

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purple, Chauncey 1820s births 1882 deaths Businesspeople from Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin Whigs People from Brookfield, Wisconsin Politicians from Waukesha County, Wisconsin People from Weedsport, New York 19th-century American businesspeople Sons of Temperance Temperance activists from Wisconsin 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature