Charles Dunn (Wisconsin politician)
The Honorable Charles Dunn | |
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Chief Justice of the 13th district | |
In office January 13, 1853 – January 14, 1857 | |
Preceded by | E. B. West |
Succeeded by | Philemon Simpson |
Personal details | |
Born | Bullitt's Lick, Bullitt County, Kentucky, U.S. | December 28, 1799
Died | April 7, 1872 Mineral Point, Wisconsin, U.S. | (aged 72)
Resting place | Greenwood Cemetery Platteville, Wisconsin |
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Children |
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Parents |
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Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | Illinois Militia |
Battles/wars | Black Hawk War |
Charles Dunn (December 28, 1799 – April 7, 1872) was an American lawyer, judge, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the only chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Wisconsin Territory. After Wisconsin became a state he served four years in the Wisconsin Senate. He is the namesake of Dunn County, Wisconsin. His daughter, Catherine, was married to Wisconsin's first state governor, Nelson Dewey.
Biography
Born in Bullitt's Lick, Bullitt County, Kentucky, Dunn was educated in Kentucky and Illinois. Dunn read law under Nathaniel Pope in Illinois and was admitted to the Illinois bar. During the Black Hawk War of 1832, Dunn served in the Illinois Militia. Dunn served as the clerk of the Illinois House of Representatives and was elected to serve in the Illinois House.
In 1836, President Andrew Jackson appointed Dunn to the Wisconsin Territorial Supreme Court and he served as chief justice of the court until Wisconsin was admitted to the union on May 29, 1848. Among other cases, Dunn presided at Mineral Point in the murder trial of William Caffey in 1842. Caffey was defended by Moses R. Strong, and despite a colorable self-defence plea, Caffey was convicted and hanged near the spot where the railroad station later would stand. It is said to be the last hanging in Wisconsin, and Caffey's ghost is said to frequent the nearby Walker House hotel.
Dunn served in the second Wisconsin Constitutional Convention of 1847–1848 and helped draft the judiciary article in the
Family and legacy
Charles Dunn married Mary E. Shrader in 1821. They had at least six children, but only two survived to adulthood. Their daughter Catherine married Nelson Dewey, the first Governor of Wisconsin, during his first term as governor.[3][4]
Dunn County, Wisconsin, was named in his honor.[5]
Electoral history
Wisconsin Supreme Court (1868)
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
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General Election, April 7, 1868 | |||||
Republican | Luther S. Dixon (incumbent) | 72,470 | 52.40% | ||
Democratic | Charles Dunn | 65,683 | 47.49% | ||
Scattering | 145 | 0.10% | |||
Plurality | 6,787 | 4.91% | |||
Total votes | 138,298 | 100.0% | |||
Republican hold |
Notes
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Dunn, Charles 1799 - 1872". Wisconsin Historical Society. 8 August 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "The Cassville Story". Archived from the original on 2009-06-16. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Dunn
- Newspapers.com.