Edward Eastman was known as an Americanmerchant and politician from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where he had moved as a young man from Vermont. He was active in civic and territorial affairs, and known as a Democrat and Free Soiler. In 1847 he was one of a partnership approved by the territorial legislature to build the first bridge across the Fox River in Oshkosh. After the city was incorporated in 1853, Eastman was elected as the first mayor of Oshkosh. He also served several years before and after that by appointment as its US postmaster. In 1850 he was elected and served a single one-year term in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Free Soil Party member. After his political career, he became a bookseller in Oshkosh. In the mid-1850s, he was named to the board of directors of two railroads formed in Oshkosh: the Oshkosh & Portage City, and the Winnebago railroads.
Early life, education and marriages
Edward Eastman was born February 22, 1806 in Randolph, Vermont, son of Tilton and Experience Eastman, both descended from English ancestors of the colonial period. He was college educated. He worked on his father's farm and helped put two younger brothers through college as well. One of these brothers, George B., would later become a minister in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Eastman married Sarah Tracey, and they had a son George. Sarah died soon after their child's birth. The young widower married again on June 3, 1841, to Catharine Granger. The couple would eventually have four children together.
Move to Wisconsin
In the mid-19th century, following the construction of the Erie Canal in New York, migration increased from New England and New York to the Great Lakes area of the Midwest. The Eastman family were among those moving to Wisconsin Territory in 1846. Eastman spent some time in Dodge County before settling in Oshkosh later that year. In the town of Oshkosh, Eastman began dealing in general merchandise, and for many years he was in partnership with L. M. Miller. He was appointed US postmaster of Oshkosh by the administration of Democratic President James K. Polk in that same year, serving until 1849 in the patronage position. The administration and patronage appointments changed after election in 1848 of WhigZachary Taylor as President of the United States. In February 1847, Eastman, Miller and other locals were authorized by the Wisconsin territorial legislature to form a company to build a bridge across the Fox River "at Miller's Ferry" in Oshkosh. On January 12, 1848, Eastman was appointed as the first clerk of court for the Winnebago Countycircuit court.
Elected office
With the breakdown of the Second Party System in American politics, Eastman became active in the "Union Democratic Party" movement. It eventually merged with the Free Soil Party. In 1850, he was elected to the Winnebago County seat in the Wisconsin Assembly, succeeding Democrat Leonard P. Crary, as a Free Soiler. Following the 1850 census, redistricting expanded the district by adding Waupaca County. In the 1851 election Dudley Blodget, a Whig, was elected as representative from the new legislative district. In 1853, the new Democratic President Franklin Pierce appointed Eastman again as US Postmaster of Oshkosh. Also in 1853, Eastman supported the incorporation of the City of Oshkosh, formerly part of the Town of Oshkosh. He was elected as the first mayor of the new city. In later years Eastman was elected as an alderman to the city council. In 1856, he lost the mayoral election by one vote, 318 votes to the winning 319 votes for Thomas A. Follett.
Later life
In the summer of 1851, following the end of the legislative session, Eastman opened a bookstore and stationery store in Oshkosh. Eastman also continued to serve as Postmaster until 1861, when the newly elected Republican administration of Abraham Lincoln took office and made its own appointments. Eastman was among the city's best-known businessmen. He was chosen for the board of directors of both of the railroad companies organized in Oshkosh in 1853: the Oshkosh & Portage City, and the Winnebago. In 1854, he joined such figures as James Duane Doty, Mason Darling, Theodore Conkey and his old partnerLucas Miller as a director of the newly re-organized Wisconsin Farmers' Insurance Company. Eastman died February 23, 1870, at the age of 64 years and one day. He is buried in Oshkosh's Riverside Cemetery. He was survived by his second wife, Catherine Eastman, who lived until June 18, 1897.
