Richard Walter Hubbell (November 8, 1840April 5, 1910) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He was 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 ...

, representing Oconto County during the

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 ...

and

1873 Events January * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat the Unit ...

sessions, and also served as county judge and district attorney. In 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 artillery officer. He was a son of Levi Hubbell—the first Wisconsin state official to be impeached.

Early life and education

Born in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca () is a city in and the county seat of Tompkins County, New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, Ithaca is the largest community in the Ithaca metrop ...

, Hubbell moved with his parents to

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 ...

in 1844 and settled in

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 ...

. Hubbell's father was a prominent lawyer and judge in these days, and afforded a good education for his sons. Hubbell attended a college preparatory course in 1853, and then attended the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

from 1854 through 1858, graduating with a bachelor's degree. Hubbell flourished at the university and was one of the charter members there of the Hesperia literary society, along with his lifelong friend

William Freeman Vilas William Freeman Vilas (July 9, 1840August 27, 1908) was an American lawyer, politician, and United States Senator. In the U.S. Senate, he represented the state of Wisconsin for one term, from 1891 to 1897. As a prominent Bourbon Democrat, he wa ...

. Hubbell subsequently earned his master's degree in 1861, and was admitted to the bar in 1862.

Civil War service

In the second year of the war, as new calls were being made for volunteers to the Union Army, Hubbell saw several of his university classmates joining the service. William F. Vilas recruited a company for the 23rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, which Hubbell sought to join, but was too late to register a spot. He instead joined a company for the

24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 24th Wisconsin was organized at Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service August 15, ...

, and was enrolled as a sergeant in Company I of that regiment. He served only a few months with the 24th Wisconsin Infantry, but saw serious combat with them at the

Battle of Perryville The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the Ame ...

. In the Winter of 1862–1863, he accepted a commission to become a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in the

1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery Regiment The 1st Regiment Wisconsin Heavy Artillery was an artillery regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery was originally organized by companies over a considerable period of time ...

. With the 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, he served with Battery B, which was stationed for the rest of the war at forts in Kentucky and Tennessee. He was promoted to captain of his battery in July 1864, and was then made a major in the regiment in September 1864. He mustered out with the rest of the regiment in June 1865.

Legal and political career

After the war, Hubbell moved to

Oconto, Wisconsin Oconto is a city and county seat of Oconto County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,609 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The city is located partially within the town of Oconto. History Oconto ...

, and established a legal practice. Hubbell became active with the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a conservative politics, conservative and Right-wing populism, populist political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), United States Republican Party (GOP) ...

and first ran for

in 1867. He failed in that campaign, but was subsequently elected to two consecutive terms, serving in the

and

sessions. In the meantime, he was also elected to two four-year terms as

county judge The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a county court. In most cases, such as in Northern Ireland and the Victorian County Courts, a county judge is a judicial officer with civi ...

for Oconto County, serving in that office from 1870 through 1878. In the 1877 election, rather than running again for judge, he ran for and was elected

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

, for a two year term. In 1890, Hubbell moved to

Wautoma, Wisconsin Wautoma is a city and the county seat of Waushara County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,209 at the 2020 census. The city consists of three noncontiguous areas: one is entirely surrounded by the Town of Wautoma, the second i ...

, without his family and continued to practice law. He died at his home in Wautoma in 1910, he had been in ill health.

Personal life and family

Richard Hubbell was one of at least four children of Levi Hubbell, a Wisconsin pioneer lawyer and judge who served in Wisconsin's first

state supreme court In the United States, a state supreme court (known by other names in some states) is the highest court in the state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of state law, the judgment of a state supreme court is considered final and binding in ...

and was the first state official to be impeached by the

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republ ...

. He was not convicted in his impeachment trial, and later served as

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 Wisconsin. Richard's grandfather, Abijah Hubbell, served in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The Hubbells were descendants of Richard Hubbell, an English immigrant who came to the

Connecticut Colony The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...

about 1650. Richard W. Hubbell married Emily Snover in 1871. They had at least six children, but at least one died in infancy. In addition to his legal career, Hubbell was a lifelong literary enthusiast and wrote his own poetry and prose. For much of his life, including his final years, Hubbell wrote for and edited the ''Wisconsin Alumni Magazine'' in its various incarnations. Near the end of his life, he published several of his poems in the magazine. He was also apparently a fishing enthusiast, and authored a pamphlet on fly fishing, titled ''Hints on Fly Fishing''.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1871, 1872)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1871 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1872

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbell, Richard W. 1840 births 1910 deaths Politicians from Ithaca, New York Politicians from Milwaukee People from Oconto, Wisconsin People from Wautoma, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin state court judges County officials in Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Writers from Ithaca, New York Writers from Wisconsin Union army officers 19th-century Wisconsin state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature