Ellsworth Burnett (August 5, 1836April 14, 1895) was an American 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 served one term 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 ...

, representing Pierce County in the 1877 session.

Early life

Burnett was born in

Madrid, New York Madrid ( ) is a town in St. Lawrence County, New York. The population was 1,735 at the time of the 2010 census. The town is named after the capital of Spain. Madrid is in the northern part of the county, north of Canton. Madrid-Waddington C ...

, though reports have differed on the exact date. He later moved to

River Falls, Wisconsin River Falls is a city in Pierce and St. Croix counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is located mostly within the town of River Falls, and adjacent to the town of Kinnickinnic in St. Croix County. River Falls is the most populous city ...

Career

After moving to Wisconsin, Burnett became involved in the lumber and farming industries. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Burnett originally enlisted with the

30th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 30th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a United States Volunteers, volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 30th Wisconsin Infantry was organized at Camp Randall, Madison, Wisconsin, ...

of the Union Army, where he became a sergeant. Later, he joined the 37th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and was attached to the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

. He achieved the rank of captain and was

brevetted In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

a major for his performance during the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

. Burnett was a member of the Assembly during the 1877 session. Previously, he had been sheriff of Pierce County from January 1, 1872, until January 1, 1873. He was a Republican.

Personal life

On November 24, 1873, Burnett married Amelia Frances Cox. Amelia Cox was a daughter of

Charles B. Cox Charles Benjamin Cox (June 25, 1810April 27, 1891) was an American businessman, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the vast northwest quadrant of the state during the 1860 and 186 ...

, another prominent pioneer settler of Pierce County, who also served in the Wisconsin Legislature. He is the biological father of former

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

safety

Morgan Burnett Morgan Mark Burnett (born January 13, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football Safety (gridiron football position), safety. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the t ...

. Ellsworth Burnett died in

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay A ...

, on April 14, 1895.

References

External links

The Civil War and Northwest Wisconsin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnett, Ellsworth People from Madrid, New York People from River Falls, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin sheriffs People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union army officers Union army soldiers Farmers from Wisconsin 1895 deaths 1836 births 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature