Philo Quincy Boyden(1829–1922) was an American

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

from

Hudson, Wisconsin Hudson is a city in and the county seat of St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 14,755. It is part of the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. History Several Li ...

, who served two one-year terms as a 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 ...

Background

Boyden was born in

Washington County, Indiana Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 28,182. The county seat (and the county's only incorporated city) is Salem. Washington County is part of the Louisville metrop ...

, on January 4, 1829, the seventh of nine children of David and Rebecca Boyden. His father was a former

mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

who became a

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

. He received a common school education, and became a druggist by trade. He moved from Washington County to

Madison County, Indiana Madison County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. The 2020 census states the population is standing at 130,129. The county seat since 1836 has been Anderson, one of three incorporated cities within the county. Madison County is includ ...

, in 1851. He moved to Hudson, Wisconsin, in 1859, becoming a pioneering druggist of the area. He was one of the thirteen original incorporators and shareholders of the Wisconsin Railway Company organized on June 14, 1863, which would later become part of the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad.

Public office

Boyden was elected mayor of the city of Hudson in 1872, without opposition. He was elected to the Assembly's St. Croix County district in 1874 as a member of the Reform Party (a short-lived

coalition A coalition is formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political, military, or economic spaces. Formation According to ''A G ...

of Democrats,

reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

and Liberal

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 ...

, and Grangers formed in 1873, which secured the election of a

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

and a number of state legislators), defeating Republican incumbent Harvey Clapp with 1407 votes to Clapp's 1230. He was assigned to the

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

s on incorporations and on medical societies. He was re-elected in 1875, receiving 1,499 votes against 1,265 for Republican Merton Herrick. He was assigned to the committee on

ways and means A ways and means committee is a government body that is charged with reviewing and making recommendations for government budgets. Because the raising of revenue is vital to carrying out governmental operations, such a committee is tasked with fi ...

and remained on the medical societies committee. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1876, and was succeeded by fellow Reformer Guy Dailey.

Heritage

His

Victorian Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

home, built in 1879, is still standing in Hudson."Historic Walking Tour" Hudson, Wisconsin: Hudson Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Bureau, n.d.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyden, Philo 19th-century American pharmacists 19th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Hudson, Wisconsin People from Washington County, Indiana Wisconsin Reformers (19th century) 1829 births 1922 deaths 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature