Charles G. Hammarquist (November 22, 1822 – December 3, 1889) was an American farmer, merchant and postmaster from Busseyville, Wisconsin, who served in 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, ...

Background

He was born in Norrköping, Sweden on November 22, 1822, as Karl G. Hammarquist. His father was a wine merchant in Norrköping. Young Karl attended a select school, and received an extensive education before leaving school at age 16 to join his father's business. He stayed in the wine business until his father's death, but in 1840 took up farming near Stockholm. He came to Wisconsin in August 1843 as part of a larger group of Swedes who stopped briefly in Pine Lake, Wisconsin before moving on to the

Lake Koshkonong Lake Koshkonong is a naturally occurring lake that acts as a reservoir in southern Wisconsin. Its size was augmented by the creation of the Indianford Dam in 1932, making it one of the larger lakes in the state. The lake lies along the Rock Rive ...

area to become a pioneer farmer. This group, (which included

Thure Kumlien Thure Ludwig Theodor Kumlien (November 9, 1819 – August 5, 1888) was a Swedish-American ornithologist, naturalist, and taxidermist. A contemporary of Thoreau, Audubon, and Agassiz, he contributed much to the knowledge of the natural history ...

, later to become a notable naturalist) was described by one historian as "not farmers, but highly educated men who learned in time to clear forests and till the soil for homes in this new land." In September 1846 he married Josephina Maximiliana Eugenia Reuterskjold (born January 4, 1830, in

Västergötland Västergötland (), also known as West Gothland or the Latinized version Westrogothia in older literature, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish), situated in the southwest of Sweden. Väs ...

), another of that group.

Public office

In 1849, he was elected a justice of the peace, a position he would hold until 1865. In 1857, he served one term as a member of the board of supervisors. When the

Town 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 ...

of Sumner was organized, he was elected and served two terms as chairman of the

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

(equivalent to a mayor), which again made him ''ex officio'' a member of the county board. When elected in 1859 to the Assembly as a

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 ...

from the 2nd Jefferson County district (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 ...

of Koshkonong, Oakland, Lake Mills, Aztalan and

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

), he was the first immigrant Swede to be elected to the legislature of a Western state. He served on 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 ...

roads A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...

and

ferries A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...

. He succeeded fellow Republican George C. Smith. He only served a single one-year term and was succeeded by Horace B. Willard, another Republican. In 1865, he was appointed postmaster of Busseyville, and was still holding that office as of 1879.

After the legislature

As of 1879, he owned a general store and was farming 140 acres. He and Josephine had nine children."C. G. Hammarquist" in, ''The History of Jefferson County, Wisconsin, Containing A History of Jefferson County, Its Early Settlement, Growth... etc.'' Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879; pp. 712-13
/ref> He died December 3, 1889, and is buried in the Hammarquist family plot in the Busseyville Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammarquist, Charles 1822 births 1889 deaths Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Jefferson County, Wisconsin Swedish emigrants to the United States 19th-century American legislators Farmers from Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin County supervisors in Wisconsin People from Norrköping Wisconsin postmasters 19th-century American merchants