Eliab Byram Dean Jr., (November 7, 1819July 22, 1900) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

businessman, Democratic politician, and

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 ...

pioneer. He served as Superintendent of Public Property under Governor

William Robert Taylor William Robert Taylor (July 10, 1820March 17, 1909) was an American politician and the 12th Governor of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1876. Early life Taylor was born in Woodbury, Connecticut. He was orphaned at age 6 when his father's ship was lost ...

, and was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate for the

1851 Events January–March * January 11 – Hong Xiuquan officially begins the Taiping Rebellion. * January 15 – Christian Female College, modern-day Columbia College, receives its charter from the Missouri General Assembly. ...

and

1852 Events January–March * January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic. * January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come tog ...

sessions, representing Dane County. In historic documents, his name is frequently abbreviated as E. B. Dean.

Biography

Dean was born in Raynham,

Bristol County, Massachusetts Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in S ...

, in 1819. He came to the Wisconsin Territory in the early 1840s. In 1842, he settled at the village of

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

and started a merchant business with his brother, Nathaniel W. Dean, dealing in dry goods and other groceries. In 1849, Nathaniel started a solo business, and Eliab started a partnership known as Dean & Ruggles with J. D. Ruggles, dealing again in groceries and general goods. Dean also became involved in politics with the

Democratic Party of Wisconsin The Democratic Party of Wisconsin is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is currently headed by chair Ben Wikler. Important issues for the state party include support for workers and unions, strong public educa ...

. He was a political ally and business partner of other prominent Madison Democrats, such as

Levi Baker Vilas Levi Baker Vilas (February 25, 1811February 6, 1879) was an American lawyer and politician. He was the 4th Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin, and served three non-consecutive years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Dane County. Before movin ...

Simeon Mills Simeon Mills (February 14, 1810 – June 1, 1895) was a Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Senate from Dane County in the 1st Wisconsin Legislature. He introduced the bill which became the charter for the University of Wisconsin. Biogr ...

, and his father-in-law

Jairus C. Fairchild Jairus Cassius Fairchild (December 27, 1801 – July 18, 1862) was an American Democratic politician and a businessman. He was the first State Treasurer of Wisconsin and the first Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin. He was the father of Wisconsin's tent ...

. He also joined the Madison masonic lodge in 1845, the first year after it was established. In 1846, he was elected to the Madison Village Board. Later that year, he was appointed probate judge for Dane County by Territorial Governor

Henry Dodge Moses Henry Dodge (October 12, 1782 – June 19, 1867) was a Democratic member to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son, Augustus C. Dodge, served as a ...

, ultimately serving until the fall of 1848. He was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1850, representing all of Dane County for the

and

sessions. During the 1852 session, he was elected President ''pro tempore'' of the Senate by his colleagues. After his Senate term, with a Democratic President in power in Washington, Dean began to seek federal appointments. His allies pushed for his appointment as 2nd Assistant Postmaster General in 1853, but were unsuccessful. In 1855, however, he received an appointment as receiver of the United States General Land Office at

Superior, Wisconsin , native_name_lang = oj , nickname = , total_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Tower Avenue.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Downtown Superior , ima ...

, from President

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

. The 1860s saw Democrats significantly diminished in Wisconsin due to the politics of 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 ...

. During these years, Dean served several terms on the Madison City Council. He was also a delegate from Wisconsin to the

1864 Democratic National Convention The 1864 Democratic National Convention was held at The Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois. The Convention nominated Major General George B. McClellan from New Jersey for president, and Representative George H. Pendleton of Ohio for vice president ...

, which nominated General George B. McClellan, and the

1872 Democratic National Convention The 1872 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at Ford's Grand Opera House on East Fayette Street, between North Howard and North Eutaw Streets, in Baltimore, Maryland on July 9 and 10, 1872. It resulted in ...

, which nominated

Horace Greeley Horace Greeley (February 3, 1811 – November 29, 1872) was an American newspaper editor and publisher who was the founder and newspaper editor, editor of the ''New-York Tribune''. Long active in politics, he served briefly as a congressm ...

. In

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defeat ...

was elected Governor of Wisconsin—the first Democratic Governor of the state since 1856. His election set off an intense competition among Democrats—who had long been out of office—for some of the top state political appointments. The office of Superintendent of Public Property was particularly desirable due to its lucrative nature. Shortly after his inauguration, Governor Taylor selected Eliab B. Dean. Dean only lasted six months in office, however, as he was noted as being frequently drunk. He was asked to resign, refused, and was subsequently fired. Though his businesses were successful and earned him substantial wealth earlier in his life, he seems to have lost most of his fortune in his later years. Accounts of his life frequently refer to his

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

. For the last year of his life, he was incapable of caring for himself, and was tended to at the home of Henry Messerschmidt. He died at Messerschmidt's home in the town of Fitchburg, Wisconsin, on July 22, 1900.

Personal life and family

Dean married Sarah Fairchild on January 9, 1848. Sarah was the daughter of the influential state Democrat

, who would, soon after the marriage, become Wisconsin's first State Treasurer. Sarah's younger brothers, Cassius and Lucius, were also prominent Democratic politicians in the 1850s and popular

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colonels in the

. After the war, Lucius would run for office as a Republican, and became the 10th Governor of Wisconsin (1866–1872). Dean and Fairchild had one daughter, Ella ("Lottie"), but the girl died in childhood. They later divorced.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Eliab Politicians from Madison, Wisconsin Businesspeople from Madison, Wisconsin Wisconsin state court judges Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators 1819 births 1900 deaths 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American judges 19th-century Wisconsin politicians