Samuel S. Fifield (June 24, 1839February 17, 1915) * * was a

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 ...

politician and influential

businessperson A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...

. The Town of Fifield in

Price County, Wisconsin Price County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,054. Its county seat is Phillips. History Price County was created on March 3, 1879, when Wisconsin Governor William E. Smith signed legi ...

is named after him.

Biography

He was born in

Corinna, Maine Corinna is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,221 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bangor metropolitan statistical area. The village of Corinna is in the southern part of the town. History It was fi ...

, in 1839 and received an education as a printer. He moved to Wisconsin in 1854, where he worked as a clerk on a

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. The term ''steamboat'' is used to refer to small steam-powered vessels worki ...

on the St. Croix River. He founded the ''Polk County Press'' in 1861. After 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 entered politics and served as a

Sergeant-at-Arms A serjeant-at-arms or sergeant-at-arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word "serjeant" is derived from the Latin , which means "servant". Historically, serjeants-at-a ...

for 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 ...

in 1871 and 1872. He later served as a Republican member of the Assembly from 1874 through 1876, serving as

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the last year. He was elected to 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 ...

in 1876, to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Henry D. Barron. He served in the state senate until 1881, at which time he was elected as Wisconsin's 14th

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. He lived in Ashland from 1872, and helped found the '' Ashland Press'' newspaper. He was the chairman of the first board of supervisors in June 1872. After retiring from politics in 1887, he served as postmaster in Ashland,Peterson, Sheree L. "Camp Stella: Meeting Place of Kindred Souls," report for the

Eastern National Park and Monument Association Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 192 ...

, 1997 and opened a summer resort on

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Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

.Busch, Jane C. ''People and Places: a Human History of the Apostle Islands'', prepared for National Park Service, 2008. Named Camp Stella, after Fifield's wife, the camp was one of the first successful resorts in northern Wisconsin. The site is now within the boundaries of the

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is a U.S. national lakeshore consisting of 21 islands ( Apostle Islands) and shoreline encompassing on the northern tip of Wisconsin on the shore of Lake Superior. It is known for its collection of histori ...

; many of the buildings are still standing, and one, the Sevona Memorial Cottage, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Fifield died in 1915 at his home in Ashland. In Ashland, there is a street of historic homes named Fifield Row in his honor. Sam Fifield Grave

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fifield, Sam 1839 births 1915 deaths People from Corinna, Maine People from Ashland, Wisconsin People from Polk County, Wisconsin Businesspeople from Wisconsin Employees of the Wisconsin Legislature Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Lieutenant governors of Wisconsin Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature