David R. Bean (January 26, 1827 – March 26, 1891) was an American miller from Waukau,

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 ...

who spent one term as a Republican 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, ...

, and another as a Greenback Party member of the same body.

Background

Bean was born January 26, 1827, in

Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...

in Chittenden County, Vermont, and had a

public school Public school may refer to: * State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government * Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...

education. In 1850 he went to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and spent three and a half years mining there. He returned to Vermont for about a year, then moved to Wisconsin in 1856, spending some time in Omro before settling at Waukau and beginning the construction of a flour mill there in which he had a half-interest. On September 14, 1863, he married Julia M. Boardman of Milton, Vermont, back home in Vermont. As of 1881, they would have two children. He was an active member of the Masonic Lodge in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. In 1867, Bean and his wife sold land for the building of Waukau

Methodist Episcopal The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

Church next door to their home. He is reported to have given generously toward the purchase of a church bell, "so my name will always be remembered in connection with the church"; and was a member of the congregation, with his own pew (the only one with a cushion).

Public office

Bean's 1880 official biography reports that he "held various local offices" (he was chairman of the

town board 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 ...

in Waukau for at least two years). He was elected to the Assembly in 1862 as a Republican to represent the third Winnebago 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 ...

Black Wolf A black wolf is a melanistic colour variant of the gray wolf (''Canis lupus''). Black specimens were recorded among red wolves (''Canis rufus''), though the colour morph in this species is probably now extinct. Genetic research from the Sta ...

, Nekemi, Utica, Nepeuskun, Rushford, and Omro), succeeding fellow Republican

Armine Pickett Armine Pickett (July 10, 1800April 25, 1875) was an American farmer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first white settler in the town of Utica, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and the namesake of Pickett, Wisconsin. He also served one ...

. He was assigned to the standing committees on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and manufactures, and on

bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...

s and banking. He was not re-elected in 1863, and was succeeded by Republican Emery Davis. He was elected to the Assembly again in 1880, this time as a Greenback, receiving 510 votes against 451 for Republican former State Representative

Alson Wood Alson S. Wood (February 3, 1828 – March 31, 1904) was an American politician and businessman. Born in Milton, Vermont, Wood moved to Wisconsin in 1858 and was in the milling business. He settled in Waukau, Wisconsin, and served on the Rus ...

and 249 for

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

John De Foe (Greenback incumbent

Milan Ford Milan Ford (February 14, 1822 – August 22, 1900) was an American farmer from Oshkosh, Wisconsin who served two years as a Greenback member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Winnebago County. Background Ford was born in Kinsman, Ohio ...

was not a candidate for re-election). He was the only Greenback to be elected to the Assembly that year, although there was one "Greenback Democrat" (

John C. Petersen John C. Petersen (November 2, 1842 – July 10, 1887) was an American butcher and farmer from Appleton, Wisconsin who served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Outagamie County. He was elected in 1878 as a Greenbacker, and was re-e ...

). Bean was assigned to the committee on

public improvements Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, sc ...

. He was defeated when he ran for re-election in 1881 by Republican Thomas J. Bowles, with 699 votes for Bowles, 424 for Bean, and 395 for Democrat Joseph Deyce. He would later run as a Greenback for the state Senate in 1882, and as a Democratic and Populist fusion candidate in 1886.

Death and burial

He died March 26, 1891, and is buried in Omro Cemetery.Wisconsin > Winnebago County > Omro Cemetery > David R. Bean ''peoplelegacy.com''
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bean, David R. 1827 births 1891 deaths People from Milton, Vermont Wisconsin Republicans Wisconsin Greenbacks 19th-century American legislators Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Waukau, Wisconsin Millers Wisconsin Democrats Wisconsin Populists Wisconsin city council members 19th-century Wisconsin politicians