Wiley Ward Hatcher (May 3, 1828???) was an

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businessman and politician. He served one term in 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

Fond du Lac County Fond du Lac County () is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 104,154. Its county seat is Fond du Lac. The county was created in the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and later organized in 1844. Fond d ...

Biography

Wiley Ward Hatcher was born in

Henry County, Tennessee Henry County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and is considered part of West Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,199. Its county seat is Paris. The county is named for the Virgin ...

, on May 3, 1828. His parents both died of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

just two years later, leaving him an orphan. He was sent to live with his mother's brother, James Baker. He had little education as a child, but at age seventeen went off on his own, working as a farmhand in the summers and attending school in the winters. In 1849, he went west for the

California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

. He took a ship from

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

around

Cape Horn Cape Horn (, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which is Águila Islet), Cape Horn marks the nor ...

, and stopped briefly in

Valparaíso Valparaíso () is a major city, Communes of Chile, commune, Port, seaport, and naval base facility in the Valparaíso Region of Chile. Valparaíso was originally named after Valparaíso de Arriba, in Castilla–La Mancha, Castile-La Mancha, Spain ...

, before arriving in California. He worked successfully as a miner in California until 1853, when he traveled to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

to continue his mining and prospecting career. Over the next several years, he traveled extensively between California, Australia, and various Pacific islands. He shipped oil from Australia to California and shipped grain, wool, and pelts from California to Australia and New Zealand, some of this was in partnership with B. F. Pond. After several years, he returned to the eastern United States landing at

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on December 23, 1855. He married there three months later, and journeyed from New York to Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and finally Wisconsin. They settled at

Waupun, Wisconsin Waupun is a city in Dodge and Fond du Lac counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 11,344 at the 2020 census. Of this, 7,795 were in Dodge County, and 3,549 were in Fond du Lac County. In Fond du Lac County, the Town of Waup ...

, in

, and made that their permanent residence. Hatcher purchased land in the city and built a stone business block, which he used for a grocery store for seven years. He also dealt in real estate. Politically, Hatcher was always loyal to the Democratic Party. He was elected to the

for the 1862 session. He also served on the village board and the county board of supervisors.

Personal life and family

Wiley Ward Hatcher was a son of Eli Hatcher and his wife Joanna (' Baker). The Hatchers and Bakers were both of English ancestry, and trace their ancestry to 18th century immigrants to Maryland. Wiley Ward Hatcher married Julia Alden Pond on March 20, 1856, in New York City. The Ponds trace their ancestry to Daniel Pond, an early settler of Dedham, in the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around Massachusetts Bay, one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of M ...

. Wiley and Julia had three children, though their son, Wiley Clifford Hatcher, died in childhood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hatcher, Wiley Ward 1828 births Year of death unknown People from Henry County, Tennessee People from Waupun, Wisconsin People of the California Gold Rush Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature