Robert Lees (July 3, 1842September 21, 1908) was a

Scottish American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (; ) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scotch-Irish Americans, descendants of Ulster Scots, and communities emphasize and ce ...

immigrant, lawyer, judge, and Democratic politician. He served four years in the

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

and one year in the

State Assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

, and served as county judge of

Buffalo County, Wisconsin Buffalo County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 13,317. Its county seat is Alma, Wisconsin, Alma. The county was created in 1853 and ...

, for the last 27 years of his life. During 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 in the famous

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought ent ...

of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

and was badly wounded at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

Biography

Lees was born on July 3, 1842, in Coatbridge, Scotland, near Glasgow, in July 1842. As a child, he emigrated with his parents to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in 1848, settling first at

Waukesha County, Wisconsin Waukesha County () is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 406,978, making it the third-most populous county in Wisconsin. Its median income of $88,985 placed ...

, then moving to Cross township in Buffalo County in 1855. At the time, Buffalo County was a pioneer community with limited educational opportunities, but studied law under his father, Edward Lees.

Civil War service

At the outbreak of the

in 1861, he joined up as a private with a company of

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

for the Union Army. His company was enrolled as Company H, in the

6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Throughout the war, it was part of the brigade that came to be known as the Iron Brigade in the Army of the Pot ...

. The 6th Wisconsin Infantry was sent to the eastern theater of the war and organized into a brigade which soon became known as the

of the

. Lees served with the regiment through its participation in the major battles of the eastern theater, including

Second Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

, South Mountain,

Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgin ...

, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg, and was promoted to

first sergeant First sergeant is typically a senior non-commissioned officer rank, used in many countries. Singapore First sergeant is a Specialist (Singapore), specialist in the Singapore Armed Forces. First sergeants are the most senior of the junior spe ...

in the company. At Gettysburg, he was severely wounded and taken prisoner by the enemy. He was subsequently paroled and sent to a Union Army hospital, where he remained until mustered out of federal service in July 1864.

Political career

After being discharged, Lees returned to Buffalo County and established a home in Gilmantown. His wounds left him incapable of farm work, so he devoted the next several years to teaching at rural schools and was subsequently elected superintendent of schools for Buffalo County. Lees became active with the

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public edu ...

. In 1872, he won election 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 ...

, representing Buffalo County's Assembly district. He continued studying law and was admitted to the bar shortly after his Assembly term. In 1881, he was elected county judge of Buffalo County, and was subsequently re-elected in 1885, 1889, 1893, 1897, 1901, and 1905. While serving as judge, he was elected to the

in 1890 in

Wisconsin's 29th State Senate district The 29th Senate district of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin Senate. Located in north-central Wisconsin, the district comprises most of Marathon County, along with northern Wood County, and parts of northern Portage County, ...

, then-comprising Buffalo, Barron, Dunn, and Pepin counties. He was not a candidate for re-election to the Senate in 1894. He served as county judge for the rest of his life. Lees suffered a

Stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

in September 1908, and died a few days later at his home in

Alma, Wisconsin Alma is a city in and the county seat of Buffalo County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 716 at the 2020 census. History Alma was named in commemoration of the Battle of Alma, in the Crimean War. Geography Alma is located on ...

Personal life and family

Robert Lees was the son of Edward Lees. Edward Lees was also a self-taught lawyer and served four terms in the

. On March 4, 1865, Robert Lees married Mary Baertsch, the daughter of another family of Buffalo County pioneers. They had six children together. Their eldest son, Edward, became a lawyer in

Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...

, and served as court commissioner of the

Minnesota Supreme Court The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The court hears cases in the Supreme Court chamber in the Minnesota State Capitol or in the nearby Minnesota Judicial Center. History The court was first assemb ...

for 10 years. Another son, Andrew, became a prominent attorney in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

. Robert Lees was described as a friend of Edward S. Bragg, who had been colonel of the 6th Wisconsin Infantry and later served as a U.S. congressman and a leader of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. In Bragg's final bid for election to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

1893 Events January * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * January 6 – The Washington National Cathedral is chartered by Congress; th ...

, Lees was the sole vote for Bragg in the official tabulation.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1872)

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

Wisconsin Senate (1890)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1890

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lees, Robert People from Coatbridge Scottish emigrants to the United States People from Alma, Wisconsin Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin state court judges School board members in Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union army soldiers 1842 births 1908 deaths 19th-century Wisconsin state court judges Politicians from North Lanarkshire 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature