Adelbert Delos Thorp (April 15, 1844February 10, 1919) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

farmer, fisherman, and

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 ...

pioneer. He was a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

, representing Door County in the 1882 session, and later served as sergeant-at-arms of the

Wisconsin Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

. In historical documents, his first name is sometimes given as "Albert", and his middle name is sometimes spelled "Deloss".

Biography

Adelbert D. Thorp was born in

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, about 35 miles (55km) northwest of Syracuse. It promotes itself as "The Port C ...

on April 15, 1844. He came to 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 ...

with his family as a child in 1846, and settled at

Rubicon The Rubicon ( la, Rubico; it, Rubicone ; rgn, Rubicôn ) is a shallow river in northeastern Italy, just north of Rimini. It was known as Fiumicino until 1933, when it was identified with the ancient river Rubicon, famously crossed by Julius Ca ...

, in Dodge County, where he was raised and educated. They moved to

Monroe County, Wisconsin Monroe County is a county (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 46,274. Its county seat is Sparta, Wisconsin, Sparta. Geography According to the United Sta ...

, in 1860. At the outbreak of 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 ...

, Thorp volunteered for service with the

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 ...

. He was enrolled as a private in Company A of the

3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 3rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 3rd Wisconsin assembled at Camp Hamilton, in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service on June ...

. He served nearly two years with the regiment before being discharged in March 1863 due to disability. He re-enlisted in the Fall of 1864 and was assigned to Company K of the 43rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, where he was promoted to first sergeant. He mustered out with the 43rd Wisconsin Infantry in June 1865. After the war, Thorp returned to Monroe County, where he was married in 1869. In 1871, he moved to Egg Harbor, in Door County, where he remained for most of the rest of his life. At Egg Harbor, Thorp became involved in the fishing business and was elected town chairman, serving two one-year terms. He was then elected county clerk in 1876 and re-elected in 1878. In 1881, he was elected to the

, running on the Republican Party ticket. He served in the 35th Wisconsin Legislature and was a member of the committee on incorporations. He did not run for re-election in 1882. However, at the start of the 1883 session of the Legislature, the

elected him to serve as their sergeant-at-arms. He continued as an employee of the Senate in the 1885 session, working as proofreader. In 1887, Thorp was appointed

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of Door County by Governor

Jeremiah McLain Rusk Jeremiah McLain Rusk (June 17, 1830November 21, 1893) was an American Republican politician. He was the 2nd United States Secretary of Agriculture (1889–1893) and the 15th Governor of Wisconsin (1882–1889), and served three terms in ...

, following the death of the incumbent, Thomas Scott. Thorp served the remainder of Scott's term, and was later elected to another term in 1892. In 1894, he ran instead for county treasurer and served one term in that office. In 1897, Thorp was appointed special agent for the U.S. Land Office in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

. He served there for eight years before retiring due to poor health. Thorp died in February 1919 at the home of his daughter in

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 Census. The city is well-known regionally for being the largest city of the Door Peninsula, after which the county is na ...

, after a long illness.

Personal life and family

Thorp married Ellen Augusta Durkee in on March 2, 1869, at

Tomah, Wisconsin Tomah is a city in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,570 as of the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Tomah and the Town of La Grange. History Tomah was founded by Robert E. Gillett in 1855 and incor ...

. They had at least four children together before her death in 1893.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1881)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1881

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorp, Adelbert Delos 1844 births 1919 deaths Politicians from Oswego, New York People from Monroe County, Wisconsin People from Door County, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Employees of the Wisconsin Legislature County clerks in Wisconsin Wisconsin sheriffs County treasurers in Wisconsin