Philo Quincy Boyden (January 4, 1829 – 1922) was an American

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

from Hudson,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

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

Background

Boyden was born in

Washington County, Indiana Washington County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 28,262. 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 who became a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

. 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,Harden (1874), p. 23 one of three incorporated cities within the county. Madi ...

, 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 The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced ...

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 St. Croix County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 93,536. Its county seat is Hudson. The county was created in 1840 (then in the Wisconsin Territory) and organized in 1849. St. Croix Co ...

district in 1874 as a member of the Reform Party (a short-lived coalition of Democrats,

reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

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 The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...

formed in 1873, which secured the election of a

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

and a number of state legislators), defeating Republican incumbent

Harvey Clapp Harvey Spaulding Clapp (March 13, 1817 – 1889) was an American farmer and legislator. Born in Moretown, Vermont, Clapp moved to Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and settled in Hudson and was a farmer. He served as County Clerk of St. Croix Coun ...

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. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

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 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, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

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 American pharmacists 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) 19th-century American politicians 1829 births 1922 deaths