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

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

, 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

Biography

Personal life and family

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1870)

Wisconsin Senate (1872)

References

See also