Eliphalet Steele Miner (March 20, 1818February 9, 1890) 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 ...
merchant,
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 ...
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 was the first American settler at
Necedah, Wisconsin
Necedah is a village in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 916 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Necedah.
Geography
Necedah is located at (44.0262, −90.0737).
According to the United S ...
, and represented
Juneau County for four years in the
Wisconsin Legislature
The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republican ...
. He was also the first county judge of
Adams County, Wisconsin
Adams County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,654. Its county seat is Friendship. The county was created in 1848 and organized in 1853. Sources differ as to whether its name is in honor of ...
, despite not having a legal background. In historical documents, his name is frequently abbreviated as E. S. Miner.
Early life
Miner was born on March 20, 1818, in
Madison, New York
Madison is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 3,008 at the 2010 census.
The Town of Madison contains a village also named Madison. The town is near the eastern border of the county.
History
Settlement be ...
.
At age 10, he came west with his family to
Green Bay, which was then part of the
Michigan Territory
The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...
. His father was a
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
missionary, preaching to the
Stockbridge Indians Stockbridge may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Stockbridge, Edinburgh, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland
* Stockbridge, Hampshire
* Stockbridge, West Sussex
* Stockbridge Anticline, one of a series of parallel east–west trending folds in t ...
. Just a few months after their arrival, before their home had been finished, the family was stricken with
Dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
, which killed Miner's father and infant sister. Eliphalet and his siblings were also sick at the time, and his mother brought the children back to New York, where they remained until 1834.
Wisconsin pioneer
In 1834, he returned to the west, laboring on a farm in
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...
until 1841, when he returned 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 ...
with his earnings.
That year, he was an early settler at what is now
Grand Rapids, Wisconsin
Grand Rapids is a town in Wood County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 7,801 at the 2000 census. The census-designated place of Lake Wazeecha is located in the town. The unincorporated community of Kellner is located also partially ...
—he opened a general store there with merchandise from Illinois. His store quickly also became the local post office, and in 1843 he was the first appointed postmaster at Grand Rapids.
He was also elected to the Portage County board of supervisors—Portage County at that time stretched all the way from the major bend in the
Wisconsin River
The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskousi ...
all the way to the northern border of the Wisconsin Territory.
During these years, he also married and began a family.
In 1847, 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 ...
appointed him public administrator for Portage County, and the Territorial Assembly authorized him and an associate to build dams along the
Wisconsin River
The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskousi ...
in the vicinity of Grand Rapids to improve the
navigability
A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against dir ...
, and to collect
tolls from cargo rafts floating through their improvements. In 1848, Miner went into business with
John T. Kingston and others in the firm T. Weston & Co., to profit from lumber transportation on the Wisconsin River and its
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Standard Beijing Mandarin, Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the List of rivers by length, sixth-longest river system in the world at th ...
tributary. The firm operated successfully and Miner remained a stockholder through at least 1881, when it became the Necedah Lumbering Company.
In the Spring of 1848, during the
last session of 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 ...
government before statehood, the Assembly created
Adams County from the southwest corner of Portage County. At the first election of this new county, held in April 1848, Eliphalet Miner was elected county judge.
Despite having no legal education, he was re-elected several times and held the office through 1862.
While serving as judge, he relocated to
Necedah, Wisconsin
Necedah is a village in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 916 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Necedah.
Geography
Necedah is located at (44.0262, −90.0737).
According to the United S ...
, in May 1850.
Necedah became part of Juneau County when it was created in 1857, but the new county remained attached to Adams County for judicial purposes for several years after. Miner and his family were the first known settlers at Necedah.
In Necedah, he maintained a store and was appointed the first postmaster there when the mail route was extended to that place. Necedah was organized as a town in 1853, at which point Miner was chosen as town treasurer and justice of the peace.
Political career
During the 1860s, Miner was associated with the
National Union Party—the branding of the Republican Party during 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 ...
. On the Union ticket, he was elected to two terms (1865, 1866) 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, ...
, representing Juneau County. In 1870, he was elected on the
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 ...
ticket to 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 ...
to represent the
9th State Senate district.
Redistricting
Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...
occurred in the
1871 session, and, as a result of the map changes, Miner became the representative of the
29th State Senate district for the 1872 session.
During the 1871 session, he was one of a number of legislators appointed to a special committee to investigate the state penal and charitable institutions.
In 1871, three-term Republican Governor
Lucius Fairchild
Lucius Fairchild (December 27, 1831May 23, 1896) was an Americans, American politician, soldier, and diplomat. He served as the List of Governors of Wisconsin, tenth Governor of Wisconsin and represented the United States as List of ambassadors o ...
did not intend to run for a fourth term. Miner was a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor that year, but received only minor support at the Republican state convention, with most of the delegates split between the eventual winner, Civil War general
Cadwallader C. Washburn
Cadwallader Colden Washburn (April 22, 1818May 14, 1882) was an American businessman, politician, and soldier who founded a mill that later became General Mills. A member of the Washburn family of Maine, he was a U.S. Congressman and governor o ...
, and
William E. Smith, the former State Treasurer.
Miner did not run for re-election to the Senate in 1872. He continued to serve as postmaster at Necedah until December 1885.
Personal life and family
Miner was the eldest child of the Presbyterian missionary Reverend Jesse Miner and his wife Amanda (' Head). In November 1845, Eliphalet married Serena Elliott, an immigrant from
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...
. They had at least six children together.
Miner died on February 9, 1890, after suffering heart failure.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Senate (1870)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1870
References
External links
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miner, Eliphalet
People from Madison, New York
People from Grand Rapids, Wisconsin
People from Necedah, Wisconsin
Republican Party Wisconsin state senators
Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
Wisconsin postmasters
American justices of the peace
Wisconsin state court judges
1818 births
1890 deaths
19th-century American legislators
19th-century American judges
19th-century Wisconsin politicians