George Averill Jenkins (May 19, 1818April 27, 1896) was an American farmer, Republican 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 served one year in each house of 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 ...

, representing Calumet County 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, ...

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...

and the State Senate in

1862 Events January–March * January 1 – The United Kingdom annexes Lagos Island, in modern-day Nigeria. * January 6 – French intervention in Mexico: French, Spanish and British forces arrive in Veracruz, Mexico. * January ...

. His name was sometimes abbreviated .

Biography

George A. Jenkins was born in Jefferson County, New York, in May 1818. He came to Wisconsin in the 1850s and settled initially in the town of

Charlestown, Wisconsin Charlestown is a town in Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 775 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated community of Hayton is located in the town. Geography The Town of Charlestown is located in southeastern Calume ...

, in Calumet County. He became active in politics with the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, and in 1856 he received the Republican nomination for

in Calumet County. He defeated his Democratic opponent in the general election and went on to serve in the 1857 session. In 1858 and 1859, he served as chairman of the town of Charlestown and was an ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'' member of the county board of supervisors. In the first year of 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 ...

, 1861, incumbent state senator

Benjamin Sweet Benjamin Jeffery Sweet (April 24, 1832 – January 1, 1874) was an American lawyer, politician, public administrator, and Union Army officer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate and a Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Sweet ...

resigned his office in order to join the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. This created the need for a special election to fill the remaining year of his term. Jenkins was elected in November 1861, running on the Republican Party ticket, and served in the Senate for the

session, representing the 19th Senate district. The district then comprised all of Calumet County and neighboring

Manitowoc County Manitowoc County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359. Its county seat is Manitowoc. The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848. Manitowoc County ...

. He defeated Democratic candidate Joseph Vilas of Manitowoc. After his term in the Legislature, Jenkins was appointed draft commissioner for Calumet County to supervise

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

for the Union Army in that county. In the late 1860s, Jenkins moved to

Koshkonong, Wisconsin Koshkonong is a town in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,692 at the 2010 census. The town entirely surrounds the city of Fort Atkinson. The unincorporated communities of Koshkonong Mounds and Vinnie Ha Ha are lo ...

, in Jefferson County. In Jefferson County, he became involved with the

Prohibition Party The Prohibition Party (PRO) is a political party in the United States known for its historic opposition to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages and as an integral part of the temperance movement. It is the oldest existing third party ...

. He ran for State Assembly in Jefferson County's 2nd Assembly district in 1884, but came in a distant third behind the regular Democratic and Republican candidates. He died at the nearby city of

Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It is on the Rock River (Illinois), Rock River, a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. Fort Atkins ...

, on April 27, 1896.

Personal life and family

George A. Jenkins was the 5th of seven children born to George Jenkins and his wife Parthenia (' Wood). George A. Jenkins married twice. With his first wife, Rachel Battchellor, he had four daughters. After her death in 1850, he married his first cousin, Rachel Marina Wood, and had a son. Jenkins kept extensive diaries for the last forty years of his life, including temperature readings three times per day. His diaries were donated to the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

after his death.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1884)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 4, 1884

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, George A. 1818 births 1896 deaths People from Jefferson County, New York People from Calumet County, Wisconsin People from Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Burials in Wisconsin Wisconsin pioneers