Gysbert Van Steenwyk, Sr., (birth name: ''Gijsbert''; January 30, 1814April 13, 1902) was a

Dutch American Dutch Americans ( nl, Nederlandse Amerikanen) are Americans of Dutch descent whose ancestors came from the Netherlands in the recent or distant past. Dutch settlement in the Americas started in 1613 with New Amsterdam, which was exchanged with ...

immigrant, banker, and Republican politician from

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 ...

. He was the 4th Bank Comptroller of Wisconsin and served in the Wisconsin State Senate and

State Assembly State Assembly is the name given to various legislatures, especially lower houses or full legislatures in states in federal systems of government. Channel Islands States Assembly is the name of the legislature of the Bailiwick of Jersey. The Baili ...

Background

Van Steenwyk was the son of Arnoud van Steenwijk and Neeltje van Vliet and was born in Utrecht, the Netherlands. He served as a volunteer in the

Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dutc ...

in 1830 and 1831, and as a commissioned officer of the National Guards from 1833 to 1849. Van Steenwyk graduated from the University of Utrecht in 1836, where he studied philosophy and classical literature.

In the United States

He came to the United States in May 1849, and settled in Milwaukee until 1851, when he moved to Newport, Sauk County, where he resided until 1858; then removed to Kilbourn City in Columbia County.

Public office

Van Steenwyk was appointed consul of the Netherlands for Wisconsin in 1849, and additionally for Michigan and Minnesota in 1850 (he resigned as consul in 1859). He was appointed commissioner of immigration for Wisconsin in New York City by

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

Leonard J. Farwell Leonard James Farwell (January 5, 1819 – April 11, 1889) was an American politician and public administrator. He was the 2nd Governor of Wisconsin. Early life Farwell was born in Watertown, New York, the son of James and Rebecca (Cady) ...

from 1852 to 1853. He was appointed as a brigadier general of the Wisconsin State Militia in 1857. Van Steenwyk, at that time was working as a land and

insurance agent Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

and living in Kilbourn City (now called Wisconsin Dells), was elected as a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1858 for the 1st Columbia County Assembly district (the

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of Dekorah, West Point, Newport, Lewiston,

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...

, Lodi and Pacific) succeeding

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Alvin Alden Alvin Alden (March 1, 1818 – August 18, 1882) was an American businessman and politician. Born in Stafford, Connecticut or Stamford, Connecticut, Alden moved to Randolph, Wisconsin, Randolph, Wisconsin Territory in 1844 and then moved to P ...

. He was appointed to the standing committees on education and school and university lands; and on railroads., then was elected state Bank

Comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

for 1860–61, unseating incumbent Democrat

Joel Squires Joel Cook Squires (December 11, 1819March 3, 1889) was an American carpenter, miner, Wisconsin pioneer, and Democratic politician. He was elected as the 3rd Bank Comptroller of Wisconsin, and also served in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assem ...

. He was succeeded in the Assembly by Democrat Henry B. Munn. He was succeeded as Comptroller by Democrat William H. Ramsey.

After serving as comptroller

In January 1862, he moved to La Crosse, where he worked as a banker. From 1873 to 1874, Van Steenwyk served as mayor of La Crosse. He was elected senator from the Wisconsin Senate, District 31 (

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 ...

) for 1879–80, receiving 1,849 votes to 747 for Greenback Edward Cronan and 729 for Democrat W. A. Anderson (Republican incumbent Merrick Wing was not a candidate for re-election). He was assigned to the committees on insurance, banks and banking; and on enrolled bills, chairing the latter.Hans B. Warner (Ed.),
The blue book of the state of Wisconsin, for 1879
'. Madison: David Atwood, State Printer, 1879; pp. 197, 251, 486, 510, 516. He was not a candidate for re-election and was succeeded by Merrick Wing.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Steenwyk, Gysbert 1814 births 1902 deaths American bankers Businesspeople from Wisconsin Dutch emigrants to the United States Insurance agents Mayors of La Crosse, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Military personnel from Utrecht (city) American real estate brokers Royal Netherlands Army personnel Republican Party Wisconsin state senators People from Columbia County, Wisconsin 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople