Charles Hathaway Larrabee (November 9, 1820January 20, 1883) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from

Dodge County, Wisconsin Dodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 89,396. Its county seat is Juneau. The county was created from the Wisconsin Territory in 1836 and organized in 1844. Dodge County com ...

. He served one term in the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, representing

Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district covers most of the Driftless Area in southwestern and western Wisconsin. The district includes the cities of Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Stevens Point, as well as many Wisconsin-based exurbs of the Minneap ...

during the

36th 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 ...

(1859–1860), and was an ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' member of Wisconsin's first

state Supreme Court In the United States, a state supreme court (known by #Terminology, other names in some states) is the supreme court, highest court in the State court (United States), state judiciary of a U.S. state. On matters of State law (United States), st ...

(1848–1953) due to his role as one of Wisconsin's first elected circuit court judges. He also served as a

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 ...

officer 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 ...

Early life

Larrabee was born in

Rome, New York Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the Central New York, central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Ro ...

on November 9, 1820, the son of Charles Larrabee of Connecticut. His family moved to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, where young Charles attended Springfield Academy and then

Granville College Denison University is a private liberal arts college in Granville, Ohio. One of the earliest colleges established in the former Northwest Territory, Denison University was founded in 1831. The college was first called the Granville Literary ...

from 1834 to 1836. At Granville he specialized in English studies, mathematics and ancient languages. Later, he

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

with

Samson Mason Samson Mason (July 24, 1793 – February 1, 1869) was a U.S. Representative from Ohio. Born in Fort Ann, Washington County, New York, Mason attended the common schools in Onondaga, New York. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar and pra ...

and W.A. Rogers in

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County, Ohio, Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River (Ohio), Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approxim ...

. He studied law with Congressman

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 ...

, but before becoming a lawyer, Larrabee worked as an

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

and helped survey the

Little Miami Railroad The Little Miami Railroad was a railway of southwestern Ohio, running from the eastern side of Cincinnati to Springfield, Ohio. By merging with the Columbus and Xenia Railroad in 1853, it created the first through-rail route from the important man ...

. He was admitted to the bar in September 1841, in

Pontotoc, Mississippi Pontotoc is a city in, and the county seat of, Pontotoc County, Mississippi, located to the west of the much larger city of Tupelo. The population was 5,625 at the 2010 census. Pontotoc is a Chickasaw word that means, “Land of the Hanging Gra ...

, and in the same year ran unsuccessfully for the

Mississippi Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and the upper Mississippi State Senate, with 52 me ...

. He moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1844, where he edited the ''Democratic Advocate'' and was elected

city attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city at ...

. On May 13, 1846, in Chicago, he married his first wife, Minerva Norton.

Wisconsin

In March 1847, Larrabee and his wife moved to a settlement in Dodge County in 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 ...

. Larrabee opened the first business in the settlement, where he sold goods from Chicago, shipped via

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

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 is ...

and carried over land to Dodge County. Larrabee became one of the leading residents of the small town, and gave it the name Horicon. Larrabee is recognized as one of the founders of the city. In October 1847, Larrabee was chosen as one of three representatives for Dodge County to the 2nd Wisconsin Constitutional Convention. His chief preoccupation there was establishing a

homestead exemption The homestead exemption is a legal regime to protect the value of the homes of residents from property taxes, creditors, and circumstances that arise from the death of the homeowner's spouse. Such laws are found in the statutes or the constitution ...

that would protect people from becoming homeless or destitute in the event of debt or liability. After the new constitution was adopted in 1848, Larrabee was elected Circuit Judge for the 3rd district, and was, by virtue of that role, a member of the state's first Supreme Court. He was the youngest person to serve on that court. A new

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

was created in 1852. Larrabee was chosen as the Democratic nominee for Chief Justice, but he was defeated by "the older and more experienced"

Edward V. Whiton Edward Vernon Whiton (June 2, 1805April 12, 1859) was an Americans, American lawyer, jurist, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first elected Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (3rd overall), serving on the Supreme Court from its creating ...

in the general election. Larrabee served for ten years as Circuit Judge until his nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1858. He went on to win that election to represent

in the 36th Congress. At the time, his district was the largest—by population—in the country, with 350,000 people. In Congress, Larrabee spoke fervently in favor of maintaining the Union, and defended the patriotism and loyalty of

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

immigrants living in Wisconsin. Larrabee ran for re-election, and supported the platform of

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

, the Democratic candidate for

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

in the 1860 election. Douglas was defeated by

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, and Larrabee lost his seat along with dozens of other Democrats in the realignment elections of 1860.

Civil War

After the news of the attack on Fort Sumpter reached Wisconsin, Larrabee wrote to the ''Milwaukee News'', a Democratic paper, to rally his party in defense of the Union. He also wrote to Wisconsin Governor Alexander Randall and

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

Rufus King Rufus King (March 24, 1755April 29, 1827) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention and was one of the signers of the Unit ...

to offer his services. On April 18, 1861, Larrabee enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the Horicon Guard

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, where he was elected

2nd Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

. The militia quickly marched to Milwaukee for enrollment in a Volunteer Regiment. A month later, on May 28, 1861, Governor Randall commissioned Larrabee as a

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

for the

5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 5th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 5th Infantry was assembled at Camp Randall, in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 12, 1861. It left Wisconsin for Wash ...

. Larrabee marched with the 5th Regiment to Washington, D.C., where they eventually attached to the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

. In 1862, the Regiment joined the Peninsula Campaign. Larrabee participated in the

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

, assisting in the attack on a fortress along the Warwick River. Days later, the regiment was involved in heavy fighting at Fort Magruder during the

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pitc ...

. Larrabee was commended for his work inspiring and directing the regiment during the battle. After the battle, they marched through the Chickahominy marsh land, and Larrabee fell ill along with others in the regiment. He recuperated at

White House, Virginia White House is an unincorporated community in New Kent County, Virginia, United States, on the south shore of the Pamunkey River. White House Plantation, for which it is named, was the home in the 18th century of Martha Dandridge Custis, who as ...

, but would continue to exhibit symptoms. When new Wisconsin regiments were raised that summer, Governor

Edward Salomon Edward Salomon (August 11, 1828April 21, 1909) was a Jewish American politician and the 8th Governor of Wisconsin, having ascended to office from the Lieutenant Governorship after the accidental drowning of his predecessor, Louis P. Harvey. He ...

appointed Larrabee to organize and command the new 24th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. When the 24th regiment mustered into service in August, Larrabee was promoted to

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 of ...

. The regiment was quickly ordered to Kentucky, before much drilling or preparation. The Regiment was attached to the

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

, and arrived in time to join the

Battle of Perryville The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive (Kentucky Campaign) during the A ...

, which ended the Confederate incursion in Kentucky. During the battle, the 24th was assigned to defend a cannon battery, which came under assault from a Confederate brigade, led by

Daniel Weisiger Adams Daniel Weisiger Adams (May 1, 1821 – June 13, 1872) was a lawyer and a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War (Civil War). Early life and career Adams was born in Frankfort, Kentucky,Eicher, John H. ...

. The attack was repulsed, and Larrabee was commended by his brigade commander, Colonel

Nicholas Greusel Nicholas Greusel (July 4, 1817 – April 25, 1896) commanded the 36th Illinois Infantry Regiment during the early part of the American Civil War. As a teenager, he emigrated from the Kingdom of Bavaria to the United States. Later moving to Detroit, ...

, for his leadership in the defense of the battery. After the battle, Larrabee again fell ill and recuperated in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, while the regiment fought at the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was a battle fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the Ame ...

. In March, 1863, Larrabee returned to the regiment for a short time, but ultimately resigned in August due to his ongoing illness.

Postbellum years

In the spring of 1864, still plagued by his illnesses—

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

and

erysipelas Erysipelas () is a relatively common bacterial infection of the superficial layer of the skin ( upper dermis), extending to the superficial lymphatic vessels within the skin, characterized by a raised, well-defined, tender, bright red rash, t ...

in the head—he sought relief in the climates of California, then Nevada, then Oregon, where he practiced law with his old congressional colleague, Lansing Stout. He later returned to California, where his wife died in August, 1873. After his wife's death, he moved to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

in the

Washington Territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

and resided with

Beriah Brown Beriah Brown (February 23, 1815 – February 8, 1900) was a newspaper publisher and politician who served as Mayor of Seattle, Washington, as well as a Governing board (US higher education), regent for both the University of Wisconsin–Madi ...

. While there he became a member of a state constitutional convention and helped to organize a state university in Seattle. In 1868 he was in Los Angeles, California, where he and William A. Winder, the former commander of the U.S. prison on Alcatraz Island, opened an agency "for the purchase and sale of lands in the southern part of the state." In April 1868 he was elected

. None of the officials elected at that time served, however, and the election "seems to have been wholly ignored." Larrabee eventually settled in

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...

, where he resumed his law practice.

Death

Larrabee was killed in a

train accident Classification of railway accidents, both in terms of cause and effect, is a valuable aid in studying rail (and other) accidents to help to prevent similar ones occurring in the future. Systematic investigation for over 150 years has led to the r ...

at the

Tehachapi Loop The Tehachapi Loop is a long spiral, or helix, on the Union Pacific Railroad Mojave Subdivision through Tehachapi Pass, of the Tehachapi Mountains in Kern County, south-central California. The line connects Bakersfield and the San Joaquin V ...

near

Tehachapi, California Tehachapi (; Kawaiisu: ''Tihachipia'', meaning "hard climb") is a city in Kern County, California, United States, in the Tehachapi Mountains, at an elevation of , between the San Joaquin Valley and the Mojave Desert. Tehachapi is east-southeast ...

, on January 20, 1883. He was survived by a son and daughter.Lyman C. Draper, ''A Biographical Sketch of Hon. Charles H. Larrabee''
/ref>

Interment Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

was in the Masonic Cemetery, San Francisco. An attempt was made in the settlement of his estate to show that the claim by his second wife was not legitimate, but she produced a marriage certificate and letters to show that it was, and the marriage was therefore allowed in San Bernardino Superior Court. In June 1884, John Anderson,

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used. Overview An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...

of Larrabee's estate, filed a court action in San Bernardino against the

Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by Pacific Railroad Acts, U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in N ...

, asking $100,000 in

damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognised at ...

. The town of

Larrabee, Wisconsin Larrabee is a town in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,301 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Buckbee is located in the town. History The town is named for Charles H. Larrabee, who was a U.S. Repr ...

, is named in his honor.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1852)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, September 1852

U.S. House of Representatives (1858, 1860)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1858 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 6, 1860

References

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Larrabee, Charles Hathaway 1820 births 1883 deaths Accidental deaths in California Politicians from Rome, New York People from Horicon, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Justices of the Wisconsin Supreme Court Wisconsin state court judges Union Army officers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin Railway accident deaths in the United States 19th-century American politicians U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American judges Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery (Colma, California) Burials at Masonic Cemetery (San Francisco)