Gabriel Bouck (December 16, 1828 – February 21, 1904) was an American lawyer, Democratic 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 represented Wisconsin 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 ...

for two terms. He also served as Wisconsin's 6th

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

and was the 24th

speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the Wisconsin Wisconsin State Assembly, State Assembly, the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin, ratifi ...

. 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 ...

he served as a Union Army officer.

Early life and family

He was born in

Fultonham Fultonham is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 115 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Zanesville micropolitan area. Fultonham was named for Robert Fulton, inventor of the first commercially successful stea ...

Schoharie County, New York Schoharie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,714, making it the state's fifth-least populous county. The county seat is Schoharie. "Schoharie" comes from a Mohawk word meaning ...

, the fourth of eight children of William C. Bouck and Catherine Lawyer. Bouck lived at Bouck's Island. His siblings were James Madison; Joseph William, born on October 27, 1809; Christian, born on May 14, 1818; Charles, born on September 9, 1829; Catherine, born on July 11, 1820, married Erskine Danforth; Caroline, married Dr. Volney Danforth; and Anna, born on December 29, 1814, married Lyman Sanford. His father, William C. Bouck, was elected

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

in 1842 and his uncle,

Joseph Bouck Joseph Bouck (July 22, 1788 – March 30, 1858) was an American politician and a U.S. Representative from New York serving one term from 1831 to 1833. Biography Born on Bouck's Island, near Fultonham, New York, Bouck attended the rural schools ...

, was elected to the House of Representatives from the state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

serving in the

22nd United States Congress The 22nd 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, 1831 ...

from 1831 to 1833. Gabriel Bouck prepared for college at Schoharie Academy and

The Albany Academy Albany Academy is an independent college preparatory day school in Albany, New York. It enrolls students from Prekindergaten (age 4) to Grade 12. It was established in 1813 by a charter signed by Mayor Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer and the cit ...

. In 1847, he graduated from

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

with

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

honors and membership in the

Kappa Alpha Society The Kappa Alpha Society () is a North American social college fraternity. Founded in 1825, it was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It is considered to be the oldest national, secret, Greek-letter social fraterni ...

. He studied law in the

Binghamton, New York Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the c ...

, offices of

Daniel S. Dickinson Daniel Stevens Dickinson (September 11, 1800 – April 12, 1866) was an American politician and lawyer, most notable as a United States senator from 1844 to 1851. Biography Born in Goshen, Connecticut, he moved with his parents to Guilford, C ...

. Bouck moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, in 1848, where he attained

admission 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 1849, he moved to Oshkosh, in

Winnebago County, Wisconsin Winnebago County is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 171,730. Its county seat is Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Oshkosh. It was named for the historic Ho- ...

, to practice law. The 1860 Census listed him as a resident of Oshkosh's third ward.

Military service

Gabriel served in the Union Army during the

. In the first month of the war, he helped to raise Company E of the

2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of the war as a member of the famous Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac. It suffered the largest numbe ...

with volunteers from Oshkosh, and was chosen to serve as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of that company. This unit was a part of the famous

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought ent ...

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 ...

. After a year with the 2nd Wisconsin, he accepted a promotion to

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of the 18th Wisconsin Infantry on April 29, 1862, succeeding Colonel James S. Alban—who had been killed at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

. It was with some reluctance that Bouck accepted this assignment when it was offered by Governor Alexander Randall; he was strongly encouraged to do so by fellow Wisconsin officer Edward S. Bragg. Bouck led the 18th Wisconsin through two years of campaigning in the western theater of the war, serving in the

Army of the Tennessee The Army of the Tennessee was a Union Army, Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. A 2005 study of the army states that it "was present at most of the great battles that became turning points ...

under

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

and

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

. He resigned from service on January 4, 1864, and returned to Oshkosh. Following the war, he stayed active in military endeavors, founding two

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

(G.A.R.) posts. He also formed the 2nd Company of the

Wisconsin National Guard The Wisconsin National Guard consists of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is a part of the Government of Wisconsin under the control of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs. The Wisconsin Nation ...

on March 25, 1876, serving as its captain.

Political career

Bouck was an active and loyal member of the Democratic Party, and was elected on the Democratic ticket as

Attorney General of Wisconsin The attorney general of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of Wisconsin, government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of attorney general since statehood. The ...

serving from 1858 to 1860. He also served two terms 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 ...

, in 1860 and 1874, serving the last year as speaker. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of

1868 Events January * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsu ...

and

1872 Events January * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. *January 20 – The Cavite mutiny was an uprising of Filipino military personnel of Fort S ...

. Bouck was defeated in his first run for the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

, in 1874, but in 1876 was elected to the

, receiving 20,623 votes to his Republican opponent, Alanson M. Kimball's 17,847. He served in the

45th United States Congress The 45th 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, 1877, ...

, representing

Wisconsin's 6th congressional district Wisconsin's 6th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in eastern Wisconsin. It is based in the rural, suburban and exurban communities between Madison, Milwaukee, and Green Bay. It also ...

and was reelected to the

46th Congress The 46th 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, 1879, ...

as well. His greatest political ambition was to be elected

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's Wisconsin Army National Guard, army and Wisconsin Air National Guard, air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the ...

, the same office held by his father in the state of New York. He was defeated for reelection to the 47th Congress in 1880 by Republican

Richard Guenther Richard William Guenther (November 30, 1845April 5, 1913) was a German Americans, German American immigrant, pharmacist, and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He served eight years in the U.S. House ...

Death

He resumed his law practice in Oshkosh and for many years was head of Bouck & Hilton Attorneys at Law. After four months of being confined to his room at the Athearn Hotel in Oshkosh, he died there on Sunday morning at 2:45 a.m., February 21, 1904. According to his obituary, death was the result of general debility due to old age. He was 76 years old. His funeral was held at the Masonic Temple of Oshkosh Lodge No. 27. and he is buried in Oshkosh.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Attorney General (1857)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1857

U.S. House of Representatives (1874, 1876, 1878, 1880)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1874 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1876 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1878 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1880

Sources

Gabriel Bouck Photo & Bio – Oshkosh Public MuseumGabriel Bouck Obituary – New York Times
* ttp://www.darcisplace.com/darci/bouck-gabriel.htm Excerpt from "History of the Fox River Valley Lake Winnebago and the Green Bay Region"; Hon. William A. Titus, Editorbr>Oshkosh Daily Northwestern via the Wisconsin Historical Society
*

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bouck, Gabriel 1828 births 1904 deaths Wisconsin attorneys general Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Oshkosh, Wisconsin Wisconsin lawyers Iron Brigade Union College (New York) alumni People from Fulton, Schoharie County, New York Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly Burials at Riverside Cemetery (Oshkosh, Wisconsin) 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives