The Fifth Legislative Assembly of the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

convened from , to , and from , to , in regular session. The Assembly also convened in special session from October 18, 1847, to October 27, 1847, to organize a second constitutional convention after the failure to adopt the first

Wisconsin Constitution The Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The ...

. During this Assembly term, Wisconsin was attempting to achieve

statehood A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "sta ...

. A constitution was drafted at a convention in the Fall of 1846 and was put to the voters at the spring election held April 6, 1847. The voters overwhelmingly rejected this document. New delegates were elected at a

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-larges ...

held November 29, 1847, and a new constitution was drafted that Winter. The new constitution was approved by the voters on March 13, 1848.

Major events

* March 29, 1847: United States forces under General

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

took

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

after a siege. * April 6, 1847: Wisconsin Territory voters rejected the 1st Constitution of Wisconsin. * September 14, 1847: United States forces under General

entered

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, marking the end of organized Mexican resistance. * December 15, 1847February 1, 1848: The second Wisconsin constitutional convention was held in Madison, Wisconsin Territory. * January 24, 1848:

James W. Marshall James Wilson Marshall (October 8, 1810 – August 10, 1885) was an American carpenter and sawmill operator, who on January 24, 1848 reported the finding of gold at Coloma, California, a small settlement on the American River about 36 miles no ...

found

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

Sutter's Mill Sutter's Mill was a water-powered sawmill on the bank of the South Fork American River in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California. It was named after its owner John Sutter. A worker constructing the mill, James W. Marshall, found gold t ...

, in

Coloma, California Coloma (Nisenan: ''Cullumah'', meaning "beautiful") is a census-designated place in El Dorado County, California, US. It is approximately northeast of Sacramento, California. Coloma is most noted for being the site where James W. Marshall found g ...

, setting off the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. * January 31, 1848: Construction of the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and the ...

began in Washington, D.C. * February 2, 1848: The

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ( es, Tratado de Guadalupe Hidalgo), officially the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is the peace treaty that was signed on 2 ...

ended the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. * February 22February 24, 1848: Riots in Paris forced the abdication of King

Louis Philippe I Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary War ...

and the resignation of Prime Minister

François Guizot François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (; 4 October 1787 – 12 September 1874) was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848. A conservative liberal who opposed the a ...

in the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (french: Révolution française de 1848), also known as the February Revolution (), was a brief period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation ...

. * March 13, 1848: Wisconsin Territory voters ratified the 2nd

Constitution of Wisconsin The Constitution of the State of Wisconsin is the governing document of the U.S. State of Wisconsin. It establishes the structure and function of state government, describes the state boundaries, and declares the rights of state citizens. The ...

. * March 15, 1848: Mass protests in

Pest Pest or The Pest may refer to: Science and medicine * Pest (organism), an animal or plant deemed to be detrimental to humans or human concerns ** Weed, a plant considered undesirable * Infectious disease, an illness resulting from an infection ** ...

forced the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

to accept Hungarian claims of self-determination in the

Hungarian Revolution of 1848 The Hungarian Revolution of 1848 or fully Hungarian Civic Revolution and War of Independence of 1848–1849 () was one of many European Revolutions of 1848 and was closely linked to other revolutions of 1848 in the Habsburg areas. Although th ...

. * March 18, 1848: Hundreds were killed in a protest in Berlin associated with the

German revolutions of 1848–1849 The German revolutions of 1848–1849 (), the opening phase of which was also called the March Revolution (), were initially part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many European countries. They were a series of loosely coordinated pro ...

. * May 29, 1848: Wisconsin was admitted to 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 ...

as the 30th U.S. state.

Major legislation

* January 14, 1847: An Act to incorporate the Lawrence Institute of Wisconsin. * February 4, 1847: An Act to incorporate the

Nashotah House Nashotah House is an Anglicanism, Anglican seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. The seminary opened in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847. The institution is independent and generally regarded as one of the more theologically Conservatism, ...

. * October 27, 1847: An Act in relation to the formation of a State Government in Wisconsin, and to change the time for holding the annual session of the Legislature.

Sessions

* 1st session: January 4, 1847February 11, 1847 * Special session: October 18, 1847October 27, 1847 * 2nd session: February 7, 1848March 13, 1848

Leadership

Council President

* Horatio Wells ( D) – during all three sessions

Speaker of the House of Representatives

William Shew William Shew (1820–1903) was a prominent American photographer in the 19th century. He made a name for himself as a Daguerrotype portrait artist in the United States. He maintained a mobile studio in a wagon that he called his "Daguerrotype Sa ...

( D) – during 1st session *

Isaac P. Walker Isaac Pigeon Walker (November 2, 1815March 29, 1872) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin. Walker was born in Virginia and moved with his family to Illinois in 1825. He practiced law in Springfield, Illinois, and ...

( D) – during the special session * Timothy Burns ( D) – during 2nd session

Members

Members of the Council

Members of the Council for the Fifth Wisconsin Territorial Assembly:

Members of the House of Representatives

Members of the House of Representatives for the Fifth Wisconsin Territorial Assembly:

Employees

Council employees

* Secretary: ** Thomas McHugh, all sessions * Sergeant-at-Arms: ** John Bevins, 1st session ** Edward P. Lockhart, special & 2nd sessions

House employees

* Chief Clerk: ** La Fayette Kellogg, all sessions * Sergeant-at-Arms: ** E. R. Hugunin, 1st & special sessions ** John Mullanphy, 2nd session

Notes

References

External links

Wisconsin Legislature website
{{Wisconsin legislatures 1846 in Wisconsin Territory 1847 in Wisconsin Territory 1848 in Wisconsin 1840s 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