Alfred Brunson (February 9, 1793 – August 3, 1882) was an American Methodist circuit rider, lawyer, and territorial legislator. Born in

Danbury, Connecticut Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, Brunson served in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Brunson was a Methodist church circuit rider in

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. In 1835, he moved to

Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was esta ...

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

and was a Methodist circuit rider. He studied law and was admitted to the Wisconsin bar in 1839. He served in the Wisconsin Territorial House of Representatives of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature from 1840 to 1841 as a Whig. During 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 ...

, Brunson served as a chaplain of the 31st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He retired from the ministry in 1871. He also wrote including his autobiography. His son was Ira B. Brunson who also served in the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature. His son in law was Thomas P. Burnett. Brunson died in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.''Proceedings of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin 1900'', Wisconsin Bar Association: 1901, Biographical Sketch of Alfred Brunson, p. 212.

Notes

1793 births 1882 deaths Politicians from Danbury, Connecticut People from Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Methodist circuit riders Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin Whigs Writers from Connecticut Writers from Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature 19th-century American legislators United States Army soldiers Union Army chaplains 19th-century American clergy 19th-century Wisconsin politicians {{Wisconsin-politician-stub