7th Wisconsin Legislature

7th Wisconsin Legislature
← 6th 8th →
Wisconsin State Capitol, 1855
Overview
Legislative body	Wisconsin Legislature
Meeting place	Wisconsin State Capitol
Term	January 2, 1854 – January 1, 1855
Election	November 8, 1853
Senate
Members	25
Senate President	James T. Lewis (W)
President pro tempore	Benjamin Allen (D)
Party control	Democratic
Assembly
Members	82
Assembly Speaker	Frederick W. Horn (D)
Party control	Democratic
Sessions
1st January 11, 1854 – April 3, 1854

The Seventh Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 11, 1854, to April 3, 1854, in regular session.

Senators representing even-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assemblymembers were elected to a one-year term. Assemblymembers and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 8, 1853. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 2, 1852.^[1]

Major events

• January 2, 1854: Inauguration of William A. Barstow as the 3rd Governor of Wisconsin.
• March 20, 1854: A local meeting was held at Ripon, Wisconsin, to oppose the proposed Kansas–Nebraska Act—later cited as the birth of the Republican Party.
• May 30, 1854: U.S. President Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas–Nebraska Act.
• July 13, 1854: The Republican Party of Wisconsin was established at a convention in Madison, Wisconsin.
• November 7, 1854: Wisconsin voters rejected three amendments to the Constitution of Wisconsin which would have doubled legislative terms and instituted biennial legislative sessions.

Major legislation

• January 30, 1854: Act to organize the County of Trempe a l'eau, 1854 Act 2
• February 9, 1854: Act to organize the County of Dunn, 1854 Act 7
• February 11, 1854: Act to divide La Pointe county and create the county of Douglass, 1854 Act 10
• March 6, 1854: Act to divide the sixth Judicial Circuit and organize an eighth Judicial Circuit, and to fix the time for holding the Circuit Courts in the Counties of the respective circuits, 1854 Act 13
• March 24, 1854: Act to divide the county of La Crosse and organize the county of Monroe, 1854 Act 35
• March 30, 1854: Act concerning the terms of office of Judges of the several courts of this State, 1854 Act 41. Standardized state judicial terms as starting the first Monday of the year following the election of that judge.
• March 31, 1854: Act to provide for the appointment of an Assistant Secretary of State and Assistant State Treasurer, and to prescribe their duties, 1854 Act 65
• April 24, 1854: Act to divide the second and third Judicial Circuits and organize the ninth Judicial Circuit, and to fix the time of holding the Circuit Courts in the Counties of said respective Circuits, 1854 Act 75
• April 25, 1854: Act to amend Article Four of the Constitution, 1854 Act 89. Created a referendum to modify the lengths of State Senate terms from two years to four years, and for the Assembly from one year to two years, and to change the Legislative sessions from one year to two years. The referendum was rejected by voters in November.

Party summary

Senate summary

Assembly summary

Sessions

• 1st Regular session: January 11, 1854 – April 3, 1854

Leaders

Senate leadership

• President of the Senate: James T. Lewis, Lieutenant Governor
• President pro tempore: Benjamin Allen

Assembly leadership

• Speaker of the Assembly: Frederick W. Horn

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Seventh Wisconsin Legislature:

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Seventh Wisconsin Legislature (82):^[2]

Employees

Senate employees

• Chief Clerk: Samuel G. Bugh
• Sergeant-at-Arms: J. M. Sherwood

Assembly employees

• Chief Clerk: Thomas McHugh
• Sergeant-at-Arms: William H. Gleason

References