Charles Henry Larkin Sr., (May 12, 1810August 16, 1894) was an American merchant,

real estate developer Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re- lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to othe ...

, 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 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 ...

(1866–1870) and State Assembly (1872, 1874, 1875), representing southern Milwaukee County, and was sheriff of Milwaukee County in 1861 and 1862.

Background

Larkin was born in Stonington, Connecticut, on May 2, 1810. He attended private schools (no public schools being available) until the age of sixteen, at which time he took a job as a

retail clerk A retail clerk, also known as a salesclerk, shop clerk, retail associate or (in the United Kingdom) shop assistant or customer service assistant, is a service role in a retail business. A retail clerk obtains or receives merchandise, totals bil ...

in the town of

Alden, New York Alden is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 10,865 at the 2010 census. The town is derived from a family name known to early settlers. Alden is in the northeast part of Erie County, east of Buffalo. It contains ...

(to which his family had moved in 1825), and worked there for three years, before moving on to similar positions in Buffalo and elsewhere. In 1836 he arrived in the

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

area, after having visited

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

and other western territories, and settled there. He laid claim to a quarter-

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

of land in Greenfield township, and lived there for two years to perfect his

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

to the land. While doing so, he bought and sold horses and engaged in various businesses. In 1848 he opened a store at the foot of East Water Street in the City of Milwaukee and dealt extensively in produce, livestock, and so forth. He also invested in real estate, and after a few years retired from other business and gave his attention chiefly to his real-estate interests.

Politics

He started his political life as an ardent admirer of Henry Clay and a Whig. During his residence in Greenfield he served as a member of the Milwaukee County board of supervisors. He served as a Sergeant-at-Arms for the Wisconsin Territorial Council's 1845 session; he was a delegate from Milwaukee County to the second Wisconsin constitutional convention. He was appointed Milwaukee County treasurer; was appointed a pension agent by President James Buchanan, and served four years; served on the Milwaukee Board of School Directors (

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

) for four years, and was elected sheriff of Milwaukee County in 1860 and served two years. In 1862, Larkin was commissioned a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

by the governor to raise a

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

of troops. Feeling too old to engage in warfare, instead he assisted his son, Courtland P. Larkin, to enlist a company of the 38th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Beginning in 1866, he was a Democratic member of the

from the Sixth District (the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 8th Wards of the City of

, and the

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

, Greenfield,

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

, and Oak Creek), succeeding fellow Democrat Hugh Reynolds; he was assigned to the

standing committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...

on banks and banking, but switched to that on railroads for the 1868 and 1869 sessions. In the 1870 election he ran as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

and was defeated by Democratic candidate Peter V. Deuster, by 2178 to 1704. In 1871, identified as a

War Democrat War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were members of the Democratic Party who supported the Union and rejected the policies of the Copperheads (or Peace Democrats). The War Democrats demanded a more aggressive policy toward the Con ...

, he was elected as 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, ...

from the Fifth Milwaukee County Assembly district (the 5th and 12th Wards of Milwaukee), with 508 votes to 325 for

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

John Lund. He lost his seat in the 1872 election to Republican John A. Becher by 703 votes to Becher's 773, but reclaimed it from him the next year, by 822 to 714, and defeated Republican David Vance in 1874. He was not a candidate in 1875, and Vance won the election to succeed him.

Personal life and later years

He built a block of stores on Reed Street, and as late as 1893 was engaged in the construction of a block of buildings downtown. His religious affiliation was with the Episcopal church. He was deeply interested in the Milwaukee County Pioneer Society. He died at his home in Milwaukee on August 16, 1894.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1865, 1867, 1869)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1869

Wisconsin Assembly (1871, 1872, 1873, 1874)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larkin, Charles H. 1810 births 1894 deaths 19th-century American Episcopalians Businesspeople from Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War People from Stonington, Connecticut Politicians from Milwaukee School board members in Wisconsin Wisconsin Democrats Wisconsin Independents Wisconsin sheriffs Wisconsin state senators Wisconsin Territory officials Wisconsin Whigs 19th-century American businesspeople