The Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 11, 1865, to April 10, 1865, in regular session. Senators representing even-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 even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 8, 1864. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 3, 1863.

Major events

* January 31, 1865: The

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

passed the

Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House of Representative ...

, banning slavery in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. * March 4, 1865: Second inauguration of President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. * April 3, 1865:

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

forces occupied the Confederate capital city

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, after a months-long siege. * April 9, 1865: Confederate General

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

Appomattox Court House, Virginia Appomattox is a town in Appomattox County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,733 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Appomattox County. Appomattox is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The town ...

. * April 14, 1865: President

was

assassinated Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

* April 15, 1865: Vice President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

was sworn in as the 17th

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

. * May 10, 1865: Confederate States President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...

was captured by the

4th Michigan Cavalry Regiment 4th Michigan Cavalry Regiment was a regiment of cavalry in the Union Army during the American Civil War fighting in the western front as part of the Army of the Cumberland. It was noted as being the regiment that captured the fleeing President of ...

in Irwin County, Georgia, effectively ending the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. * November 7, 1865:

Lucius Fairchild Lucius Fairchild (December 27, 1831May 23, 1896) was an Americans, American politician, soldier, and diplomat. He served as the List of Governors of Wisconsin, tenth Governor of Wisconsin and represented the United States as List of ambassadors o ...

elected

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

. * December 6, 1865:

was ratified by the required three-fourths of U.S. states.

Major legislation

* February 7, 1865: Act to incorporate the Wisconsin soldiers' home
1865 Act 16
* February 24, 1865: Joint Resolution ratifying proposed amendment to the

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

1865 Joint Resolution 5
re

/ref>

Party summary

Senate summary

Assembly summary

Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 11, 1865April 10, 1865

Leaders

Senate leadership

* President of the Senate:

Wyman Spooner Wyman Spooner (July 2, 1795 – November 18, 1877) was an American printer, lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 9th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, the 10th Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, and President pro tempo ...

* President pro tempore:

Willard H. Chandler Willard Harris Chandler (November 18, 1830March 24, 1901) was an American educator, farmer, and Republican politician. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly, and was President pro tempore of the Wisconsin Senate for the 1865 and 18 ...

Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: William W. Field

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature: WI Senate Partisan Map 1865

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature: WI Assembly Partisan Map 1865

Employees

Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Frank M. Stewart ** Assistant Clerk: L. B. Hills *** Bookkeeper: S. Hauxhurst ** Engrossing Clerk: O. F. Clapp ** Enrolling Clerk: Thomas Marshall ** Transcribing Clerk: H. Harvey * Sergeant-at-Arms:

Nelson Williams Nelson Williams may refer to: * Nelson Williams (politician) (1825–1899), American politician * Nelson Williams (trumpeter) (1917–1973), American trumpeter * Nelson G. Williams (1823–1897), American army officer {{hndis, Williams, Nelso ...

** 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: James L. Wilder ** 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: D. W. C. Wilson ** Sergeant-at-Arms' Porter: Thomas Goss * Postmaster: Frank Leland ** Assistant Postmaster: W. S. Williams * Doorkeeper: J. P. Miller ** Assistant Doorkeeper: George D. Potter ** Assistant Doorkeeper: S. J. Abbott ** Assistant Doorkeeper: Eames Wadsworth ** Assistant Doorkeeper: Norman McBeath ** Assistant Doorkeeper: August Wandrey * Firemen: ** James Yates ** Roswell Stow ** Fireman and Porter: William Holden * Messengers: ** Jonathan C. Hutchins ** Rufus H. Roys ** C. C. Frey ** Thomas Goss ** Seymour Stoughton

Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: John S. Dean ** Assistant Clerk: Ephraim W. Young *** Bookkeeper: William M. Newcomb ** Engrossing Clerk: L. R. Davis ** Enrolling Clerk: J. H. Balch ** Transcribing Clerk: R. H. Blodgett * Sergeant-at-Arms:

Alonzo Wilcox Alonzo Wilcox (March 18, 1810 – March 26, 1878) was an American pioneer and politician. Born in Edmeston, New York, Wilcox studied medicine at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center, Cincinnati College of Medicine and Surgery, ...

** 1st Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Lewis M. Hammond ** 2nd Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: E. H. Bartholt * Postmaster: Hiram Morley ** 1st Assistant Postmaster: Hiram Beckwith ** 2nd Assistant Postmaster: R. Law * Doorkeepers: ** S. Raymond ** M. Colby ** H. H. Helms ** George D. Phinney * Firemen: ** E. E. Brown ** John Grant ** F. K. Melvin ** Nelson Bowerman ** William Fitzpatrick ** G. A. Foss * Speaker's Messenger: William P. Beach * Chief Clerk's Messenger: James E. Dean * Sergeant-at-Arms' Messenger: Louis Sholes * Gallery Attendant: S. Nye Jr. * Messengers: ** George F. Williston ** Frederic A. Frank ** Howard W. Tilton ** Linus S. Webb ** Alfred F. Bishop ** Frank Mason ** Harvey Olin ** Nicholas F. Weber ** John S. Young ** Richard C. Notbohm

References

Notes

External links

{{Wisconsin legislatures 1865 in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Wisconsin legislative sessions