Thomas Curley (May 8, 1825February 24, 1904) was an

Irish American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

farmer, soldier, and Democratic politician. 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

Crawford County Crawford County is the name of eleven counties in the United States: * Crawford County, Arkansas * Crawford County, Georgia * Crawford County, Illinois * Crawford County, Indiana * Crawford County, Iowa * Crawford County, Kansas * Crawford County, ...

in the

1883 Events January * January 4 – ''Life'' magazine is founded in Los Angeles, California, United States. * January 10 – A fire at the Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, kills 73 people. * January 16 – ...

and 1885 sessions. 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 as an officer in the Union Army, rising to the rank of brigadier general.

Background and military service

Curley was born in Tremane, near Athleague in

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, on May 8, 1825, and received a common school education. He immigrated to the United States in 1851, and settled at first in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, where he became an active member and officer of several militia companies. He entered the military service in 1860, as 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

Missouri Volunteer Militia The Missouri Volunteer Militia (MVM) was the state militia organization of Missouri, before the formation of the Missouri State Guard in the American Civil War. Prior to the Civil War, Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciatio ...

's Southwest Battalion, and served for six months on the

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of the state. In June 1861, after the outbreak of the Civil War and the Camp Jackson Affair, he enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

, and was commissioned a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the 7th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, known as the "Irish Seventh". Curley was promoted in May 1862 to lieutenant colonel, and in July of that year he was sent home to Missouri to recruit, raising in a short time the 27th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, of which he was made

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. He participated in the

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaigns were a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi ...

, the capture of

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

, the campaign of the XV Army Corps from Vicksburg to

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...

, and the battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. He was with

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a General officer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), earning recognit ...

in his march to the sea; fought at Resaca, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountain, Jonesborough, and Lovejoy's Station, and in the capture of

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

and

Fort McAllister Fort McAllister was a Confederate States of America, Confederate earthen-work fort used to defend Savannah, Georgia during the American Civil War. It was the southernmost of the forts defending Savannah and was involved in the most battles. It ...

. He was in the campaign through

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which captured Charleston and Columbia; was in on the battle of Bentonville, capture of Raleigh, and many minor campaigns. He was breveted brigadier general on March 17, 1865, for meritorious services during the war, and returned to St. Louis with his regiment.

Life after Missouri

Curley moved to Wisconsin in 1867, first settling in Mount Sterling. In 1871, he was one of several Irish-American veteran officers who participated in an attack (not officially sanctioned by the

Fenian Brotherhood The Fenian Brotherhood () was an Irish republican organisation founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organisation to the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). Membe ...

and thus not considered by all a true "Fenian raid") by a combined force of Irish-Americans and Pembina-area

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

on the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory in European and colonial contexts, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically a trading post allows people from one geogr ...

at the international border in October 1871. The Americans were captured by a unit of the American army, and released after a hearing in which it was concluded that such an attack, however imprudent, did not violate American law. The

were not so lucky. He moved to the

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of Haney, in 1874. He was a

town supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the American state of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, towns, and villages. (The only boroughs, the f ...

in 1878, and ran for the Assembly that year, losing with 746 votes to 989 for Republican Atley Peterson, and 710 for Greenbacker S. L. Wannemaker. Curley was elected to the Assembly in 1882 by five votes, drawing 1042 votes, to 1037 for Republican T. L. Brown, and 264 for old opponent Wannemaker, now running as a Prohibitionist. He served as

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of 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 ...

on the militia, and on the committee on federal relations. He was re-elected in 1884 for the 1885-86 session, with 1,614 votes to 1,585 for Republican Peterson (to whom he had lost in 1878); in that session, Curley remained on the committees on the militia, and moved to the committee on

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

.Heg, James E., ed. ''The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin. Comprising the Constitutions of the United States and of the State of Wisconsin, Jefferson's Manual, Forms and Laws for the Regulation of Business; also Lists and Tables for Reference, etc.'', Twenty-Third Volume; Madison: Democrat Printing Co., State Printers, 1885; pp. 428, 452.
/ref> He was not a candidate for reelection in 1886, and was succeeded by Republican Hugh Porter.

After the Assembly

His wife Elizabeth, like himself a native of Ireland, died in 1887. He died February 24, 1904, in Madison, and is buried with Elizabeth in Saint Gabriel Cemetery in

Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien may refer to: Places *Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin Prairie du Chien ( ) is a city in Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Often called Wisconsin's second- ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curley, Thomas 1825 births 1904 deaths Farmers from Wisconsin Irish emigrants to the United States People from Crawford County, Wisconsin People of the Fenian raids Members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood People of Missouri in the American Civil War Politicians from County Roscommon Politicians from St. Louis Wisconsin city council members People from Mount Sterling, Wisconsin American activists for Irish independence Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature