Denison Worthington (March 4, 1806 – April 23, 1880) was 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, ...

and 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 ...

. His first name is sometimes spelled "Dennison" in historical documents.

Biography

Worthington was born on March 4, 1806, in

Colchester, Connecticut Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,555 at the 2020 census. In 2010 Colchester became the first town in Connecticut, and the 36th in the country, to be certified with the National Wildli ...

, to Daniel Worthington, Sr., and Elizabeth "Betsey" Hazard. His siblings were Robert Worthington I, Daniel Worthington, Jr., Joel Worthington, Samuel Worthington, Eliza Worthington Crawford, Dr. Robert Hazard Worthington II, Giles Worthington, and Ophelia Worthington. After living for a time in

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

, Worthington moved to

Oconomowoc, Wisconsin Oconomowoc ( ) is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi language, Potawatomi term for "waterfall." The population was 15,712 at the 2010 census. The city is partially adjacen ...

. He married Martha Searing on Christmas Eve of 1829. He had three children: Robert Searing Worthington, Hattie Worthington, and William Henry Worthington I. Martha died in 1839. The following year, on June 3, 1840, he married Mary Ann LaGrange, with whom he had seven children: Denison LaGrange Worthington, William Henry Worthington II, Mary Frances Worthington Hennegan, Martha Worthington, James LaGrange Worthington, Gerrit Hazard Worthington, and Frank Tows Worthington. Mary Ann died in 1856. In 1860, he married Julia McNaughton Proudfit, the sister of

Andrew Proudfit Andrew Proudfit (August 3, 1820 – November 12, 1883) was an American politician and businessman. Proudfit was born in Argyle, New York. In 1843, Proudfit and his family moved to Brookfield, Wisconsin Territory. He worked in the grain and b ...

. Worthington died on April 23, 1880, in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Career

Worthington was first involved in the grocery business in 1835. He owned Worthington and Davis wholesale grocery stores until his move to 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 ...

in 1847. While in Albany, he served on the city council. After moving to Wisconsin, he was involved in farming. He was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly in 1852 and was re-elected in 1854. He was elected to three two-year terms as a member of the Senate, first from 1855 to 1856, and then again from 1858 through 1861. In 1859, he was elected president pro tempore of the Senate. He was secretary of Madison Mutual Insurance Company from 1861 to 1874, when resigned due to poor health. He then moved to Denver, Colorado, where he spent his final years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Worthington, Denison 1806 births 1880 deaths People from Colchester, Connecticut American people of English descent Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin state senators Politicians from Albany, New York People from Oconomowoc, Wisconsin 19th-century American politicians