David Whitton (August 4, 1836 – May 13, 1917) was an American produce dealer and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

from Brandon, Wisconsin, who spent a single term as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from Fond du Lac County. He was elected as a member of the short-lived Wisconsin Reform Party.

Background

Whitton was born August 4, 1836, in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, Scotland, and emigrated to the United States in 1842 with his father (a

stonecutter Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...

and

mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

), mother and brother Charles. The family moved to Wisconsin in 1846 and settled in Ashippun, where he received a common school education. In 1856 they moved to

Waupun Waupun is a city in Dodge County, Wisconsin, Dodge and Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, Fond du Lac counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 11,344 at the 2020 census. Of this, 7,795 were in Dodge County, and 3,549 were in Fond du ...

, where David apprenticed as a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

and joiner, but found the trade did not suit him, and in 1860 became a produce dealer. He served while in

as a

supervisor A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position that is primarily based on authority over workers or ...

and an

assessor An assessor may be: * ''Assessor'' (fish), a genus of fishes * Assessor (law), the assistant to a judge or magistrate * Assessor (Oxford), a senior officer of the University of Oxford * Assessor (property), an expert who calculates the value of pr ...

. In 1866 or 1867 he moved to Brandon, in which place he would repeatedly be elected

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. He was described as "from boyhood... an active Democrat".

Elective office

He was elected in 1873 as the candidate of Wisconsin's Reform Party, a short-lived

coalition A coalition is a group formed when two or more people or groups temporarily work together to achieve a common goal. The term is most frequently used to denote a formation of power in political or economical spaces. Formation According to ''A Gui ...

of Democrats, reform and Liberal

Republicans 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 ...

, and

Grangers The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...

which in 1873 secured the election for two years of William Robert Taylor as

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

, as well as electing Whitton and a number of other state legislators. He received 997 votes to 933 for Republican

Chester Hazen Chester Hazen (January 31, 1824April 24, 1900) was an American farmer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 29th mayor of Ripon, Wisconsin, and served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Fond du Lac County. ...

(Republican incumbent

Alonzo A. Loper Alonzo A. Loper (March 23, 1829 – January 2, 1917) was a farmer and politician. Born in Blenheim, New York, Loper moved to Cereso, (now Ripon, Wisconsin), Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin Territory in 1846. Loper was a farmer. He served a ...

was not a candidate for re-election). He was appointed to, and

chaired The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...

, the standing committee on state lands. While his official biography in the 1874 ''

Wisconsin Blue Book The ''Wisconsin Blue Book'' is a biennial publication of the Wisconsin's Legislative Reference Bureau. The ''Blue Book'' is an almanac containing information on the government, economics, demographics, geography and history of the state of Wisc ...

'' lists his party as "Reform", in another table in the same book he was listed as a Democrat ("'Opposition' of all kinds", as the ''Blue Book'' put it, held 59 of 100 seats that, to 41 for regular Republicans, and party lines were somewhat fluid). He was not a candidate for re-election in 1874, and was succeeded by Republican

William Plocker William Plocker (May 28, 1811December 20, 1878) was a Dutch American immigrant, farmer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Fond du Lac County. Biography William Plocker was born in London, ...

After the Assembly

In April 1877 he was admitted to the bar, and took up practice in Fond du Lac and neighboring counties, while continuing in the produce trade (he owned a grain warehouse in Brandon). In September 1877, he was one of the nine signatories to a petition for the incorporation of Brandon as a village; all the documentation was "left at the office of David Whitton within said territory, where the same may be examined". In 1881, he was the Democratic nominee for the

Wisconsin Senate, District 18 The 18th Senate District of Wisconsin is one of 33 districts in the Wisconsin State Senate. Located in east-central Wisconsin, the district comprises most of Fond du Lac County and the southern half of Winnebago County, as well as the city of Wa ...

, losing with 1593 votes to Republican Edward Colman with 2,491 votes, but ahead of Greenback I. Fay (431 votes) and Prohibitionist J. M. Bonnell (117 votes). In 1890, he was elected to a two-year term as

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of Fond du Lac County.

Personal life

On January 1, 1862, he married Mary B. Turner of Waukesha County, with whom he would have seven children. He played a leadership role on a state and national level in the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

, and was a Royal Arch Mason. In 1913 he relocated to

Roberts, Wisconsin Roberts is a village in St. Croix County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,651 at the 2010 census. The village is surrounded by the town of Warren. History Roberts was named in 1873 for John Bannister Gibson Roberts, the chief eng ...

, where he died in 1917.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitton, David 1836 births 1917 deaths American grocers Businesspeople from Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Dundee People from Brandon, Wisconsin Scottish emigrants to the United States Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin Reformers (19th century) 19th-century American legislators Wisconsin sheriffs People from Ashippun, Wisconsin People from Waupun, Wisconsin People from Dodge County, Wisconsin 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century Wisconsin politicians