Marshall Mason Strong (September 3, 1813 – March 9, 1864) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, businessman, and politician from

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

who served on the Wisconsin Territorial Council (the predecessor of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after ...

) of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature in 1838–1839 and 1844–1847 from

Racine County Racine County (, sometimes also ) is a county in southeastern Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 197,727, making it Wisconsin's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Racine. The county was founded in 1836, then a p ...

, including a term as President of the Council. He later spent a single one-year term in 1849 as a

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery i ...

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

from that county.

Background

Strong was born in

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (although the county seat ...

, on September 3, 1813. His first American ancestor, Elder John Strong, had come to Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1630 from England, and the next five generations in the Strong lineage remained in that state. His father was Hezekiah Wright Strong, a lawyer and the son of

Simeon Strong Simeon Strong (1736–1805) was a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Biography Simeon Strong was the son of Nehemiah Strong and Hannah French. He was born in Amherst, Province of Massachusetts on March 6, 1736, and graduated fr ...

(a Justice of the

Supreme Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the distinction of being the oldest continuously functi ...

). Marshall Strong spent two years at Amherst College from 1830–1832. In late 1832, his father had moved to

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany ...

; Marshall entered

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

in nearby

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Yo ...

, and studied there for an unknown period. He later read the law in Troy, and was admitted to the bar there.

Newspaper and territorial government

In 1838 he and Lorenzo Janes were among those who combined to found the newspaper the Racine ''Argus'', the first newspaper in Racine County; and he and Janes served as its first editors. Strong was one of the first pair of Councillors from Racine County in 1838–1839. When the Legislature in its 1838 session passed a law incorporating a " University of the Territory of Wisconsin", Strong was among those who were appointed to its

Board of Visitors In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual c ...

; however, this body (the predecessor of the U.W.

board of regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual ...

) never actually accomplished anything before statehood. He resigned from the Council in 1839, and Janes was elected to succeed him. He served again from 1843–1847, serving as President of the Council from December 5, 1843 to January 6, 1845. He was a delegate to the 1st Wisconsin

Constitutional Convention Constitutional convention may refer to: * Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement *Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...

, but resigned from that body and acted as a leader of the successful movement to reject the

ratification Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent that lacked the authority to bind the principal legally. Ratification defines the international act in which a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties inte ...

of the Constitution it had drafted, one he considered too radical in its provisions.

Railroad work

When the Racine, Janesville and Mississippi Railroad Company, later the

Racine and Mississippi Rail Road Company Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western tradit ...

) was incorporated by the legislature April 17, 1852, Strong was one of the incorporators. From 1854–56 he was the corporation's attorney. This line was later merged into the

Western Union Railroad Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

Company.Turner, A. J. ''et al.'' "Public document no. 5: Fifth Annual Report of the Railroad Commissioner of the State of Wisconsin, pp. 351–53 in, ''Governor's message and accompanying documents'' Volume I. Madison: David Atwood, 1879 (Covers 1877/1878)
/ref>

Electoral history

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1852)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, September 1852

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Marshall 1813 births 1864 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American newspaper founders Amherst College alumni Businesspeople from Wisconsin Editors of Wisconsin newspapers New York (state) lawyers Politicians from Amherst, Massachusetts Politicians from Troy, New York People from Racine, Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Union College (New York) alumni Wisconsin Free Soilers Wisconsin lawyers American male journalists 19th-century American male writers Journalists from New York (state) American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers