Erasmus D. Campbell
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Erasmus Daniel Campbell (January 11, 1811 – April 16, 1873) was an American Democratic politician who served as the 6th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, and 2nd Mayor of
La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...
. In historical sources, he was sometimes referred to as "E. D. Campbell." In at least one source, he was incorrectly referred to as "Edward Campbell."


Biography

Erasmus D. Campbell was born in
South Kingstown, Rhode Island South Kingstown is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 31,931 at the 2020 census. South Kingstown is the second largest town in Rhode Island by total geographic area, behind New ...
, and lived for a time in
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
. He arrived in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1854. He initially worked as a cashier in a bank owned by J. M. Levy. He studied law and eventually entered a law partnership, Campbell & Wood. In 1857, Campbell was elected Mayor of La Crosse. As mayor, Campbell advocated for the building a work-house, the purchase and establishment of a poor farm, the construction of a city hall, a new jail, additional school houses, and other infrastructure improvements. Shortly after he took office, the City Council passed a bond measure to pay for an expanded city jail. The city selected and purchased a lot of farmland for a poor farm near Shelby. His year as mayor was ultimately marred by the
Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph by Samuel F. Morse in 1844, the Panic of 1857 was ...
, in which Campbell lost a significant portion of his personal wealth and property. Later that year, at the 1857
Wisconsin Democratic Party 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 educ ...
Convention, Mayor Campbell was nominated as the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
's candidate for Lieutenant Governor in the 1857 election. Among convention delegates, Campbell received 83 votes to 51 for Henry M. Billings. Campbell ran alongside Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Milwaukee Mayor James B. Cross. Campbell defeated his opponent in the general election, Milwaukee abolitionist lawyer
Carl Schurz Carl Schurz (; March 2, 1829 – May 14, 1906) was a German revolutionary and an American statesman, journalist, and reformer. He immigrated to the United States after the German revolutions of 1848–1849 and became a prominent member of the new ...
, but his running-mate, Mayor Cross, was defeated by Republican Alexander Randall. In his later years, Campbell retired to a farm near Shelby. He died in La Crosse, April 16, 1873.


Legacy

The town of
Campbell Campbell may refer to: People Surname * Campbell (surname), includes a list of people with surname Campbell Given name * Campbell Brown (footballer), an Australian rules footballer * Campbell Brown (journalist) (born 1968), American television ne ...
in
La Crosse County La Crosse County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 120,784. Its county seat is La Crosse. La Crosse County is included in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area with ...
, was named after him.La Crosse Tribune - 7.0 : French Island residents pride themselves on their separateness from La Crosse, their lifestyle and their drinking water
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Notes


References

* ''La Crosse Republican and Leader'', La Crosse, Wisconsin, April 19, 1873, obituary of Erasmus D. Campbell. Courtesy of the public archives of the La Crosse Public Library, La Crosse, Wisconsin. {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Erasmus D. 1811 births 1873 deaths Mayors of La Crosse, Wisconsin Lieutenant governors of Wisconsin People from South Kingstown, Rhode Island Wisconsin Democrats 19th-century American politicians 19th-century mayors of places in Wisconsin