Nelson Dewey
Nelson Dewey | |
---|---|
Samuel W. Beall | |
Preceded by | Henry Dodge (as Territorial Governor) |
Succeeded by | Leonard J. Farwell |
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 16th district | |
In office January 2, 1854 – January 7, 1856 | |
Preceded by | James Wilson Seaton |
Succeeded by | J. Allen Barber |
12th President of the Council of the Wisconsin Territory | |
In office January 5, 1846 – January 4, 1847 | |
Preceded by | Moses M. Strong |
Succeeded by | Horatio Wells |
7th Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Wisconsin Territory | |
In office August 3, 1840 – December 7, 1840 | |
Preceded by | Edward V. Whiton |
Succeeded by | David Newland |
Member of the Council of the Wisconsin Territory from Grant County | |
In office December 5, 1842 – January 4, 1847 Serving with John H. Rountree | |
Preceded by | James Russell Vineyard |
Succeeded by | Orris McCartney |
Member of the House of Representatives of the Wisconsin Territory for Grant County | |
In office November 26, 1838 – December 5, 1842 Serving with Daniel Raymond Burt (1840-42) & Neely Gray (1840-42) | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Franklin Z. Hicks, Alonzo Platt, & Glendower M. Price |
Personal details | |
Born | Nelson Webster Dewey December 19, 1813 Lebanon, Connecticut, U.S. |
Died | July 21, 1889 Cassville, Wisconsin, U.S. | (aged 75)
Resting place | Dewey Cemetery Lancaster, Wisconsin |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | |
Children |
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Parents |
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Relatives |
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Profession | lawyer |
Nelson Webster Dewey (December 19, 1813 – July 21, 1889) was an American lawyer, land speculator, politician, and
Early life
Dewey was born in
Dewey's family moved to Butternuts, New York (now called Morris) the year following his birth[note 1][1] and he attended school there and in Louisville, New York. At the age of 16, he began attending the Hamilton Academy in Hamilton, New York.[1][4] He attended the academy for three years, and then returned to Butternut to teach.[1][2]
Ebenezer Dewey, Dewey's father, was a lawyer, and wished his son to join the same profession.
Territorial politics
On March 4, 1837, Dewey was elected
In November 1838, Dewey was elected to the territorial assembly as representative from Grant County; he was reelected in 1840 and became that body's speaker for one session.[2][4] He served as an assemblyman until 1842, when the voters of Grant County elected him to the territorial council; during the 1846 session, during which an upcoming convention which would produce a draft constitution for the State of Wisconsin was discussed, he served as the council's president.[2][4][7] He failed to be re-elected in 1846, due to a new Whig majority in Grant County.[2][4]
Governor of Wisconsin
1848 election
With the pending ratification of the new
The election was held on May 8, 1848;
Also in May, Dewey's law and business partnership with Barber came to an end; by the time of its dissolution, Dewey was known to be one of the leading men in Wisconsin.[1][2]
First term
Dewey's first term as governor began on June 7, 1848, and lasted until January 7, 1850.[3][4] During his time as governor, Dewey oversaw the transition from the territorial to the new state government.[2] He encouraged the development of the state's infrastructure, particularly the construction of new roads, railroads, canals, and harbors, as well as the improvement of the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers.[2] During his administration, the State Board of Public Works was organized.[2]
Dewey was known for opposing the spread of slavery into new states and territories and for advocating the popular election of U.S. Senators.[2]
Near the end of his term, he married Catherine Dunn,[4][5] (or Katherine[2][8]) the daughter of Charles Dunn, the former chief justice of Wisconsin Territory.[8]
1849 election
During Dewey's first term as governor, the
Dewey was elected the first president of the Wisconsin Historical Society the same year.[2]
Second term
Dewey's second term began on January 7, 1850[3] and lasted until January 5, 1852.[4]
Dewey lost much popular support during his terms as governor, due both to his inability to overcome the factionalism within his own party and to his association with Wisconsin's lead-mining regions, which were losing power in Wisconsin politics.[2] He chose not to run for a third term.[4]
Later life
After his time as governor, Dewey returned to Lancaster, where he
In 1854, Dewey and his wife Catherine began to plan to begin anew the development of Cassville, once the goal of Daniels, Dennison & Co.
Dewey lived in Cassville for the rest of his life, except the time from 1858 until 1863, when he lived at
Dewey's Cassville project was attracting few people, so he began investing in a railroad line to the village.[2] On January 2, 1873, Dewey's mansion was destroyed in a fire, and he was forced to give up the property to pay his creditors. His property passed into the ownership of Walter C. Newberry of Chicago.[1][2] Also this year, Dewey lost his entire investment in the railroad line during the Panic of 1873.[2] At some time during this period, Dewey was involved in another financial setback involving the estate of the deceased Ben Eastman, a former Congressman, of which he was the executor.[7] Dewey returned to his law practice.[2]
In 1874, Governor William R. Taylor appointed Dewey to the board of directors of the State Prison at Waupun; he served on the board until 1881.[2][4]
On February 22, 1889, Dewey suffered a stroke while at court in Lancaster. He was paralyzed and was brought home to Cassville the next day.[1] He was not well prior to this, and was apparently aware of the possibility of becoming paralyzed.[note 3] From the time of his paralysis, he was almost entirely confined to bed.[1] He died in poverty[8] at the Denniston House, which he had helped rebuild,[2] a few minutes past midnight on the morning of July 21, 1889,[note 4][1][12] after being unconscious for the previous forty-eight hours.[1] He was seventy-five years old.[5]
Dewey was at one time considered a wealthy man, but by the time of his death, he had little money.
Personal life
Dewey married Catherine Dunn in 1849 during his first term as governor. The couple had three children:[4] a daughter Katie, whose married name was later Cole,[12] a son, Nelson Jr., who at the time of Dewey's death lived in the West,[5] and another son, Charlie, who died in 1869, while still a child.[4][12][13]
In 1886, Dewey filed for a divorce from his wife, but the matter never came to trial. Catherine eventually moved to
Dewey had a brother named William Dewey, who survived him, and another brother, Orin, who died in 1840.[1][13] He also a third brother, John J. Dewey, who was a physician who lived in Saint Paul, Minnesota and was a member of the Minnesota Territorial Legislature.[14]
Dewey was called a "friend of the poor" and known for his generosity.[1]
Political views
Dewey was a member of the
Legacy
Nelson Dewey State Park was created in 1935 using land from Dewey's former Stonefield estate.
An 11 mile portion of Wisconsin state highway 81 from Cassville to the intersection of state highway 35 in Grant County was designated Nelson Dewey Memorial Highway by the Wisconsin Legislature.[15]
The former Nelson Dewey Generating Station was named after the governor.
Footnotes
- ^ Because of this, some sources name him a native of New York.[3]
- ^ Other sources give this company's name as the "Dennison & Brunson company".[5]
- ^ The Teller of Lancaster reports a conversation to this effect[12] which apparently took place the day of the stroke.[1]
- ^ Because of the time of his death, some sources give Dewey's death date as July 20, 1889.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y "Dead! Ex.-Governor Nelson Dewey Passes Quietly Away". The Cassville Index. Cassville, Wisconsin. July 25, 1889. p. 1–3. Retrieved 2008-09-11 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an Toepel, M. G.; Kuehn, Hazel L., eds. (1960). "Wisconsin's Former Governors, 1848–1959". The Wisconsin Blue Book 1960 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library. pp. 71–74. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Wisconsin Governors". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. January 3, 1887. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2008-09-11 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Wisconsin Governor Nelson Dewey". Governors Database. National Governors Association. 2004. Archived from the original on 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2008-09-11.
- ^ a b c d e f "Gov. Dewey Dead". The Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July 21, 1889. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 2008-09-21 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ "A Proclamation: Death of Nelson Dewey". Office of the Governor of Wisconsin. Madison, Wisconsin. July 22, 1889. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-11 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ a b c d e "Death of Ex-Gov. Dewey". The Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July 22, 1889. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-11 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Death of Ex-Gov. Nelson Dewey". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. July 22, 1889. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-11 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ "Wisconsin as a State: First Administration". The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Racine County: Western Historical Society. 1879. p. 53. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ISBN 978-0-9752820-2-1. Archived from the originalon 2011-08-11. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
- ^ a b c d e "Death and Funeral of Ex-Governor Nelson Dewey". The Teller. Lancaster, Wisconsin. July 25, 1889. p. 1–2. Retrieved 2008-09-11 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ a b c "Laid in His Grave". Milwaukee Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. July 23, 1889. p. 1. Retrieved 2008-09-21 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
- ^ Minnesota Legislators Past and Present-John J. Dewey
- ^ 2011 Wisconsin Code 84.102 Governor Nelson Dewey Memorial Highway