Jeremiah M. Rusk
Jeremiah Rusk | |
|---|---|
Norman Coleman | |
| Succeeded by | Julius Morton |
| 15th Governor of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 2, 1882 – January 7, 1889 | |
| Lieutenant | Sam Fifield George Ryland |
| Preceded by | William E. Smith |
| Succeeded by | William D. Hoard |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 7th district | |
| In office March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1877 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Herman L. Humphrey |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 6th district | |
| In office March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | Cadwallader C. Washburn |
| Succeeded by | Philetus Sawyer |
| 6th Bank Comptroller of Wisconsin | |
| In office January 1, 1866 – January 3, 1870 | |
| Governor | Lucius Fairchild |
| Preceded by | William Ramsey |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Bad Ax 2nd district | |
| In office January 6, 1862 – January 5, 1863 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Harris Johnson (Bad Ax–Crawford) |
| Succeeded by | Daniel B. Priest (Vernon 2nd) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jeremiah McLain Rusk June 17, 1830 Malta, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 21, 1893 (aged 63) Viroqua, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Viroqua Cemetery, Viroqua, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
|
| Children |
|
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
Jeremiah McLain Rusk (June 17, 1830 – November 21, 1893) was an
United States secretary of agriculture (1889–1893) and the 15th governor of Wisconsin (1882–1889), and served three terms in the United States House of Representatives (1871–1877), representing northwest Wisconsin. He also served as a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1862), and was the last Bank Comptroller of Wisconsin
(1866–1870) before the office was abolished.
Biography
Rusk was born in
Republican Party. He began as a planter, then turned to innkeeping and finally to banking before the American Civil War
.
Rusk started his service with the
lieutenant colonel on September 16, 1863.[3] He took command of the regiment on July 22, 1864 when Colonel Milton Montgomery was wounded and captured at Decatur, Georgia during the Battle of Atlanta.[3][4] He continued in command after Montgomery was exchanged because Montgomery was given command of the brigade to which the 25th Wisconsin Infantry was assigned.[3][4] Rusk was wounded at Salkehatchie River, Georgia on January 20, 1865.[3] Rusk was mustered out of the volunteers on June 7, 1865.[3] He received an appointment as brevet colonel to rank from March 13, 1865.[3] On February 24, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Rusk for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers to rank from March 13, 1865, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on April 10, 1866.[5]
After the Civil War, he became a congressman in the
Bay View Tragedy
, in which a number of workers were killed; Governor Rusk took most of the blame.
In 1889, after the end of his third term as governor, he accepted the new cabinet position of
secretary of agriculture in the Benjamin Harrison administration.[6] He lived, died and was buried in Viroqua, Wisconsin.[7] Rusk County, Wisconsin
was named after Rusk. It was originally Gates County but changed its name in 1905.
Personal life and legacy
Jeremiah McLain Rusk was the youngest of seven children born to Daniel Rusk and his wife Jane (née Faulkner). Rusk's elder brother Allen Rusk also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and in the Union Army during the Civil War.[8]
Jeremiah McLain Rusk married twice. His first wife was Mary Martin, who he married in 1849. They had two children together before her death in 1856. Later that year, Rusk married Elizabeth Marie "Berthe" Johnson, with whom he had four more children, though one died young. His second wife survived him.
His eldest son was Lycurgus James Rusk, was a lawyer and worked as private secretary to his father; he also went on to serve in the Wisconsin State Assembly and was a prominent member of the Wisconsin bar.[9]
The house he bought and lived in while Governor of Wisconsin, now known as the Old Executive Mansion, was used by the state as the official residence of the Governor for several decades and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[10]
See also
References
- ^ "Rusk, Jeremiah McLain (1830–1893)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ ISBN 0-8047-3641-3. p. 465.
- ^ a b Eicher, 2001, pp. 393–394.
- ^ Eicher, 2001, p. 756.
- ^ a b c Spetter, Allan. "Jeremiah M. Rusk (1889–1893): Secretary of Agriculture". American President: An Online Reference Resource. University of Virginia. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010. Archived December 17, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Rusk, Gov. Jeremiah M. (1830–1893)". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- Newspapers.com.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Old Governor's Mansion 1855–56". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jeremiah McLain Rusk.
- United States Congress. "Jeremiah M. Rusk (id: R000517)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved on 2008-02-12
- "Jeremiah M. Rusk". Find a Grave. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
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