Charles Billinghurst (July 27, 1818 – August 18, 1865) was an American politician and lawyer who served in 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 ...

from 1855 to 1859, representing the 3rd congressional district of

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 ...

as a member of both the

Opposition Party Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''th ...

and the Republican Party.

Early life and education

Billinghurst was born in Brighton, New York on July 27, 1818 to William Billinghurst. He attended common schools and studied law.

Career

Billinghurst was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1847; he commenced practiced in

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

. That same year, Billinghurst moved to

Juneau, Wisconsin Juneau is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,658 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dodge County. History Juneau was founded in 1845 by settlers Martin Rich and William Dennis. It became the count ...

, where he continued practicing law. Billinghurst was elected to the 1st

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, ...

in 1848. Billinghurst edited and published the ''Juneau Burr Oak'' from 1853 to 1854. Billinghurst was elected a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1852. Billinghurst was elected to the

to represent the 3rd congressional district of

, defeating incumbent Democrat John B. Macy in the general collection. Billinghurst's time in office began on March 4, 1855 and concluded on March 3, 1859. He served in the

34th United States Congress The 34th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1855, ...

as a member of the

and the

35th United States Congress The 35th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1857, ...

as a member of the Republican Party. Billinghurst was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1858 to the

36th United States Congress The 36th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1859 ...

, being defeated by Democrat Charles H. Larrabee in the general election. Following his tenure in Congress, Billinghurst resumed practicing law in Juneau, Wisconsin until his death there in 1865.

Personal life and death

In 1853, Billinghurst married Hannah Barber, with whom he had two children. Billinghurst died at the age of 47 in Juneau, Wisconsin on August 18, 1865. He was interred in Juneau Cemetery.

References

External links

Official page
at the ''

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates from ...

''
Profile
from GovTrack
Charles Billinghurst
at

The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations of ...

Charles Billinghurst
at

Find a Grave Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fin ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Billinghurst, Charles 1818 births 1865 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Opposition Party members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin lawyers New York (state) lawyers Wisconsin Oppositionists Wisconsin Democrats Politicians from Eau Claire, Wisconsin People from Brighton, Franklin County, New York Burials in Wisconsin