Francis Little (February 23, 1822January 6, 1890) was an
Irish American immigrant,
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, and
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. He was a member of 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 ...
(1871–1875) and
State Assembly (1864 & 1865), representing
Iowa County.
Biography
Little was born in
County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland.
The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
(in what is now
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
) on February 23, 1822. He received a common school education in Ireland and emigrated to the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
in 1842, staying for a year at the home of his brothers in
Mercer County, Illinois
Mercer County is a county in Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 16,434. Its county seat is Aledo.
Mercer County is included in the Davenport- Moline- Rock Island, IA-IL Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Mercer ...
.
In 1844, he moved north into 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 ...
and settled at
New Diggings, where he worked in the smelting shop of Stole & Leakley for four years. He then used his earnings to purchase a half-stake in a new general merchandise business with Leakley. After four years of that business, he parlayed his earnings to purchase 320 acres of land in what is now the town of
Linden, including the historic site of Fort Washington, which had been utilized in the
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the " British Band", cros ...
.
He went on to serve at least four terms as chairman of the town board of supervisors (1858–1862). (Records before 1858 are incomplete.)
He also served three years on the county board of supervisors and six years as county superintendent of the poor.
Politically, he was a stalwart
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 ...
and was elected to two consecutive terms 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, ...
from Iowa County's southern district, serving in the
1864 and
1865 sessions. He was elected in 1870 to represent all of Iowa County in 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 ...
, and was subsequently re-elected in 1872.
He was active in the Iowa County Agricultural Society, and served as a vice president of the organization in 1863. He was also involved with the Southwestern Wisconsin Industrial Association, serving on the board of that organization in 1879.
Little died on January 6, 1890, at his home in
Linden, Wisconsin
Linden is a village in Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 549 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Linden.
Geography
Linden is located at (42.917433, -90.273384).
According to the United States ...
, and was buried in
Mineral Point, Wisconsin.
[ ]
Personal life and family
In 1851, Little married
English American
English Americans (historically known as Anglo-Americans) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England.
In the 2020 American Community Survey, 25.21 million self-identified as being of English origin.
The term is distin ...
immigrant Susana Fawcett. They had ten children together, though three died in childhood.
Electoral history
Wisconsin Senate (1870)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1870
Wisconsin Senate (1872)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1872
References
See also
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Little, Francis
People from County Fermanagh
Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923)
People from Mercer County, Illinois
People from New Diggings, Wisconsin
People from Mineral Point, Wisconsin
County supervisors in Wisconsin
Wisconsin city council members
Republican Party Wisconsin state senators
Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
1822 births
1890 deaths
Burials in Wisconsin
19th-century American politicians