Henry Stevens (January 26, 1818July 10, 1875) was an American farmer,

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, 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 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 ...

, representing

Racine County Racine County (, sometimes also ) is a county in southeastern Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population was 197,727, making it Wisconsin's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat is Racine. The county was founded in 1836, then a par ...

from 1867 through 1870. He also served in the

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 ...

during the 1864 session.

Biography

Henry Stevens was born in

Wilton, New Hampshire Wilton is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,896 at the 2020 census. Like many small New England towns, it grew up around water-powered textile mills, but is now a rural bedroom community with some m ...

, in January 1818. He was raised and educated there and moved to

Caledonia, Wisconsin Caledonia is a village in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 25,361 at the 2020 census. The residential community of Franksville is located within the village. Franksville is a former census-designated place. The resi ...

, in 1855, where he established a farm. In Caledonia, he was elected chairman of the town board. In 1863, in the midst 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 ...

, he 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, ...

running on the National Union ticket. He was subsequently elected to the

in 1866 and 1868. He did not run for a third term in 1870. Stevens killed himself on July 10, 1875, hanging himself from a tree near his home in Caledonia. Obituaries indicated that he had suffered from depression for some time.

Personal life and family

Henry Stevens was the fifth of six children born to John Stevens and his wife Hannah (' Lovejoy). John Stevens served 20 years in the

New Hampshire Legislature The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 memb ...

, representing the towns of Wiltshire and Mason. Henry Stevens' paternal grandfather was also named John Stevens; he was a volunteer in the

New Hampshire militia The New Hampshire Militia was first organized in 1631 and lasted until 1641, when the area came under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. After New Hampshire became an separate colony again in 1679, New Hampshire Colonial Governor John Cutt reorgan ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

and served in the Ticonderoga Campaign. His maternal grandfather was Major Samuel Lovejoy, who served as an enlisted man in

Nichols' Regiment of Militia Nichols' Regiment of Militia also known as the 5th New Hampshire Militia Regiment was called up on July 21, 1777 at Winchester, New Hampshire, for Gen. John Stark's Brigade gathering at Charlestown, New Hampshire during the Saratoga Campaign. ...

in the

Battles of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

. The Lovejoys can trace their heritage back to John Lovejoy, an English colonist who came to the

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

as a child in 1630. Henry Stevens married Eliza Sawtelle of Wiltshire.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Henry 1818 births 1875 deaths People from Wilton, New Hampshire People from Caledonia, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Wisconsin National Union Party politicians American politicians who died by suicide 1870s suicides Suicides by hanging in Wisconsin