Fredrick Seymour Ellis (January 17, 1830June 6, 1879) was an American surveyor, insurance agent, and politician. He was the

18th 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

Mayor of

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

, and, as a member of 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 ...

, he represented Brown 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 ...

(1864–1866) and

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

(1861–1864). He was the son of Wisconsin pioneer

Albert Gallatin Ellis Albert Gallatin Ellis (August 24, 1800December 23, 1885) was one of the first American pioneers to settle in Wisconsin. He was the 2nd, 6th, 8th, and 10th Mayor of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Before statehood, he was a member of the legislature of ...

and brother of Wisconsin judge Eleazor H. Ellis.

Early life and career

Ellis was born January 17, 1830, in what is now

Allouez, Wisconsin Allouez is a village in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 13,975 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Allouez is located between Green Bay to the north, and De ...

. At the time, it was unorganized land of Brown County outside the frontier town of 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 one of the first American settlers at Green Bay. He trained as a surveyor and worked as an assistant to his father, who was

surveyor general A surveyor general is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Historically, this would often have been a military appointment, but it is now more likely to be a civilian post. The following surveyor ge ...

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 ...

. He then partnered with his brother, Eleazor H. Ellis, in a land agency and mortgage lending business. Ellis helped raise a company of

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

known as the Green Bay Guards for service in 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 ...

. Though Ellis was initially elected their captain, he did not end up entering the service. The Green Bay Guards became part of the

4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, primarily in the Western Theater. It was later mounted and became the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment. History The 4th Wis ...

Political career

Ellis was elected to 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, ...

in 1860, and was the first member of the Assembly who had been born in the territory of Wisconsin. He was reelected in 1861 and 1862. In 1863, he was elected to a two-year term in the

. After serving six years as chairman of the Brown County Board of Supervisors, Ellis was mayor of Green Bay in 1876. After his term as mayor, he was elected treasurer of Brown County. In this role, he ran into scandal when the county went into debt. Ellis attempted to repair the debt by selling off his own possessions, and cashing in a $2,000 insurance policy, but his friends in the community offered to assist in covering the balance.

Personal life and family

Frederick Ellis was the third son of

and his first wife, Pamela Ellis (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Holmes). Albert G. Ellis initially came to Green Bay in 1821 as an

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

and teacher; he became surveyor general for the Wisconsin Territory, he served in the Territorial Legislature for several years, and was Mayor of

Stevens Point, Wisconsin Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was incorporated in 1858. Its 2020 population of 25,666 makes it the largest city in the county. Stevens Point forms the core of the United States Census Bur ...

, for 7 of the first 15 years after the city's establishment. Frederick's brother, Eleazor H. Ellis, was the 6th Mayor of Green Bay, and in the 1870s became a

Wisconsin circuit court The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 10 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and criminal case ...

judge. Frederick Ellis married Lydia Whitney in 1868. Together, they had four children. Frederick Ellis died at his home in Green Bay on June 6, 1879, after several weeks of

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity (pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other sy ...

and

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Frederick S. Mayors of Green Bay, Wisconsin Wisconsin state senators Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly County supervisors in Wisconsin 1830 births 1879 deaths 19th-century American politicians