17th Wisconsin Legislature
The Seventeenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 13, 1864, to April 4, 1864, in regular session.
Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assembly members were elected to a one-year term. Assembly members and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 3, 1863. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 4, 1862.
Major events
- January 4, 1864: Inauguration of James T. Lewis as the 7th Governor of Wisconsin.
- May 5-7, 1864: Battle of the Wilderness took place in Spotsylvania County and Orange County, Virginia. Four regiments of Wisconsin Volunteers participated in the battle.
- September 2, 1864: Union Army occupied Atlanta, Georgia.
- November 8, 1864: Abraham Lincoln re-elected as President of the United States.
Major legislation
- February 19, 1864: Act to organize the county of Burnett, and locate the county seat thereof,
- February 26, 1864: Joint Resolution relative to the extension of time for the payment of government bounties to volunteers,
- March 5, 1864: Joint Resolution relative to the vigorous prosecution of the war, the duty of congress and the people, tendering thanks to the army and navy, and suggesting the renomination of Abraham Lincoln,
- March 22, 1864: Act to incorporate "Marquette College" in the second ward of the city of Milwaukee,
- April 4, 1864: Act to guard against the abuse of the elective franchise, and to preserve the purity of elections, by a registration of electors,
Party summary
Senate
Assembly
Sessions
- 1st Regular session: January 13, 1864 - April 4, 1864
Leaders
Senate
- President of the Senate: Wyman Spooner
- President pro tempore: Smith S. Wilkinson
Assembly
- Speaker of the Assembly: William W. Field
Members
Senate
Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Seventeenth Wisconsin Legislature:| District | Counties | Senator | Party |
| 1 | Sheboygan | John E. Thomas | Democrat |
| 2 | Brown, Kewaunee | Frederick S. Ellis | Democrat |
| 3 | Ozaukee | John R. Bohan | Democrat |
| 4 | Washington | Frederick O. Thorpe | Democrat |
| 5 | Northern Milwaukee | William K. Wilson | Democrat |
| 6 | Southern Milwaukee | Hugh P. Reynolds | Democrat |
| 7 | Racine | Timothy D. Morris | Union |
| 8 | Kenosha | Anthony Van Wyck | Union |
| 9 | Adams, Juneau, Waushara | Alanson M. Kimball | Union |
| 10 | Waukesha | William Blair | Union |
| 11 | Eastern Dane | Willard H. Chandler | Union |
| 12 | Walworth | Newton Littlejohn | Union |
| 13 | Lafayette | James Earnest | Democrat |
| 14 | Sauk | Smith S. Wilkinson | Union |
| 15 | Iowa | George L. Frost | Democrat |
| 16 | Grant | Milas K. Young | Union |
| 17 | Rock | William A. Lawrence | Union |
| 18 | Western Dodge | William E. Smith | Union |
| 19 | Manitowoc, Calumet | Joseph Vilas, Jr. | Democrat |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | George F. Wheeler | Union |
| 21 | Winnebago | Joseph B. Hamilton | Union |
| 22 | Door, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawanaw | Joseph Harris | Union |
| 23 | Jefferson | J. D. Clapp | Democrat |
| 24 | Green | Walter S. Wescott | Union |
| 25 | Columbia | Jonathan Bowman | Union |
| 26 | Western Dane | Thomas Hood | Union |
| 27 | Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Wood | Alexander S. McDill | Union |
| 28 | Ashland, Burnett, Dallas, Douglas, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix | Austin H. Young | Union |
| 29 | Marquette, Green Lake | Charles S. Kelsey | Union |
| 30 | Bad Ax, Crawford, Richland | William Ketchum | Union |
| 31 | La Crosse, Monroe | Angus Cameron | Union |
| 32 | Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Trempealeau | Carl C. Pope | Union |
| 33 | Eastern Dodge | Satterlee Clark, Jr. | Democrat |
Assembly
Members of the Assembly for the Seventeenth Wisconsin Legislature:Employees
Senate
- Chief Clerk: Frank M. Stewart
- * Assistant Clerk: P. H. Brady
- ** Bookkeeper: J. Spooner
- * Engrossing Clerk: Sineus B. Dibble
- * Enrolling Clerk: Thomas Marshall
- * Transcribing Clerk: F. O. Wisner
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Nelson Williams
- * 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: H. Esperson
- * 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: John B. Eugene
- Postmaster: Henry H. Taylor
- * Assistant Postmaster: S. Raymond
- Doorkeeper: G. M. Cary
- * Assistant Doorkeeper: J. P. Miller
- * Assistant Doorkeeper: J. H. Jones
- * Assistant Doorkeeper: Otis A. Albee
- * Assistant Doorkeeper: William P. Close
- * Gallery Doorkeeper: B. S. Miller
- Firemen:
- * Barnet Wilson
- * William W. Baker
- * William Holden
- Messengers:
- * John C. Hutchins
- * Albert F. Dexter
- * Rufus H. Roys
- * William C. Jones
- * C. C. Frey
- * Frank C. Freeman
- Porter: John Crowley
Assembly
- Chief Clerk: John S. Dean
- * Assistant Clerk: Ephraim W. Young
- ** Bookkeeper: E. L. Fitzhugh
- * Engrossing Clerk: A. L. Rockwell
- * Enrolling Clerk: J. H. Balch
- * Transcribing Clerk: A. C. Byers
- Sergeant-at-Arms: A. M. Thomson
- * 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: William P. Forsyth
- * 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Lewis M. Hammond
- Postmaster: N. A. Spooner
- * 1st Assistant Postmaster: Hiram Beckwith
- * 2nd Assistant Postmaster: Oscar Babcock
- Doorkeepers:
- * Franklin Kelly
- * W. L. Abbott
- * W. E. Angell
- * C. Saran
- * C. E. Tanburg
- * William Spencer
- Firemen:
- * Oliver Johnson
- * A. C. Stannard
- * Robert Axon
- * C. McCarthy
- Speaker's Messenger: Adam C. Waltz
- Chief Clerk's Messenger: James E. Dean
- Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: Arthur Tilden
- Messengers:
- * Moses Flesh
- * Patrick McKanna
- * Robert Airis
- * Louis Sholes
- * Marion M. Young
- * William P. Beach
- * Linus S. Webb
- * Fred Chynoweth