Moses McCure Strong (May 20, 1810July 20, 1894) was an American lawyer, politician, businessman, 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 was one of the framers of the

Constitution of Wisconsin The Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The ...

, a member of the territorial legislature, and

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

under President

Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth president of the United States, serving from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he served as New York's attorney general and U.S. senator, the ...

. After Wisconsin achieved statehood, he was

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

3rd Wisconsin Legislature The Third Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1850, to February 11, 1850, in regular session. Senators representing even numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Sen ...

(1850).

Biography

Strong was born in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

in 1810, the son of Moses Strong, a Vermont lawyer and judge. The younger Strong graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in 1829, received a legal education, and practiced law in

Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont *Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The ...

. Strong moved to Mineral Point,

, in 1836, where he was appointed deputy land surveyor. When in Wisconsin, he secured an investment of $33,000 for

land speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable in a brief amount of time. It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline ...

from three

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

financiers: Senator

Henry Hubbard Henry Hubbard (May 3, 1784June 5, 1857) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1829 to 1835, a Senator from New Hampshire during 1835 to 1841, and the 18th governor of New Hampshire from 1842 to 1844. Early life Henry Hu ...

Horace Hall The spinning frame is an Industrial Revolution invention for spinning thread or yarn from fibres such as wool or cotton in a mechanized way. It was developed in 18th-century Britain by Richard Arkwright and John Kay. Historical context In 17 ...

, and George Olcott. By the end of 1837, Strong had acquired thousands of acres of land throughout the state: forty lots in the future

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

; land in

Dane County Dane 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 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin after Milwaukee County, Wiscon ...

on the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, at approximately 430 miles (692 km) long. As a tributary of the Mississippi River, it is part of the Mississippi River System. The river's name was first recorded in 1673 b ...

which he called "St. Lawrence"; and land in the village of

Arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

. But when the

Panic of 1837 The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that began a major depression (economics), depression which lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices, and wages dropped, westward expansion was stalled, unemployment rose, and pes ...

hit, it became impossible to resell any of the land at a profit, and the investors for the most part lost their money. In February 1837,

James Duane Doty James Duane Doty (November 5, 1799 – June 13, 1865) was an American land speculator, politician, and pioneer. He served as the 2nd Governor of Wisconsin, governor (1841–1844) of the Wisconsin Territory and 5th Governor of Utah, governor ...

hired Strong to survey Madison and stake out the land for the

Wisconsin State Capitol The Wisconsin State Capitol, located in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin Legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Governor of Wisconsin, Office of the Governor. Completed in 1917, the building is the ...

. In June 1838, Strong was selected

of the Territory of Wisconsin, and in December was appointed "fiscal agent" for the territory. In 1841, Strong was elected to the Council of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Wisconsin, representing Iowa County. He was reelected every year until 1846. His fellow councilmen elected him President of the Council in 1842 and 1845. In 1846, Strong was selected to represent Iowa County in the first convention to draft a constitution for the future state of Wisconsin. (This draft was rejected by the people in 1847.) The Constitutional Convention's journal recorded Strong's opposition to black suffrage, with Strong noting that he "was a friend to females, and it was for that reason he did not wish to see them tacked on to negroes." Later in the debate, records show "Strong came out in a violent speech in opposition to negro suffrage," saying "that he was teetotally opposed to negro suffrage in any manner or form that could be devised." Strong was selected as the Democratic nominee for the election of a Wisconsin

delegate Delegate or delegates may refer to: * Delegate, New South Wales, a town in Australia * Delegate (CLI), a computer programming technique * Delegate (American politics), a representative in any of various political organizations * Delegate (United S ...

to Congress. He was defeated by

John Hubbard Tweedy John Hubbard Tweedy (November 9, 1814 – November 12, 1891) was a delegate to the United States Congress from Wisconsin Territory from March 1847 to May 1848 being elected from the Whig Party. He was also the Whig Party nominee in first Wi ...

in the general election, 9,648 to 10,670. Once Wisconsin became a state in 1848, Strong was elected to 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 ...

for the 1850 session, where he served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

. In the 1850s, Strong assisted

Byron Kilbourn Byron Kilbourn (September 8, 1801December 16, 1870) was an American surveyor, railroad executive, and politician who was an important figure in the founding of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the 3rd and 8th mayor of Milwaukee. Biography Kilbour ...

in his efforts to promote the proposed La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad. Although Strong lived in Mineral Point, Kilbourn arranged to have him elected to the

in 1857 as a representative for

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, containing about 1 ...

so that Strong could help convince the state legislature to help out the effort. In the end, Strong became very involved in efforts to bribe legislators. When elected officials attempted to investigate in 1858, Strong refused to testify before legislative committees, and spent six days in jail. The

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

, in ''In re Falvey'', 7 Wis. 630 (1858). rejected his argument that legislative committees do not have the power to issue subpoenas. In the 1870s, Strong wrote a history of the

entitled ''History of the Territory of Wisconsin from 1836 to 1848''. He convinced the state legislature to publish the work in 1885. In 1878, Strong helped to organize the

State Bar of Wisconsin The State Bar of Wisconsin (SBW) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Created by the Wisconsin Supreme Court for all attorneys who hold a Wisconsin law license, the State Bar of Wisconsin aids the courts i ...

, and was elected its first president. He served in that role until 1893. Strong died in Mineral Point in 1894. The ''Wisconsin Magazine of History'' in 1955 judged that "An independent attitude coupled with a love of gambling, excessive drinking, and a limited business ability combined to keep Strong from reaching his goals."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Moses McCure 1810 births 1894 deaths People from Rutland (town), Vermont People from Mineral Point, Wisconsin Politicians from Iowa County, Wisconsin United States attorneys for the District of Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin pioneers 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature

Biography

See also

References

Further reading

External links