Joel Cook Squires (December 11, 1819March 3, 1889) was an
American carpenter, miner,
Wisconsin pioneer, and
Democratic
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 ...
politician. He was elected as the 3rd
Bank Comptroller of Wisconsin, and also served in the
Wisconsin State Senate and
Assembly, representing
Grant County.
Background
Squires was born in
Vienna Township,
Ohio, on December 11, 1819, and attended the public schools.
[ ] He came to Wisconsin in 1838 and settled in the Platteville area in 1841.
He died at his home in Platteville on March 3, 1889.
Public service
Squires was Clerk of the
Grant County Board of Supervisors
A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...
for 1849, 1850 and 1851; he was Clerk of the
Circuit Court in 1851 and 1852.
At that time a resident of
Lancaster, Squires was elected to the State Senate from the
Sixth District for the 1852 session. Squires, a
Democrat, succeeded
Whig John H. Rountree
John Hawkins Rountree (March 24, 1805June 27, 1890) was an American farmer, businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the founder of Platteville, Wisconsin, and was instrumental in the early development of that village. He was also ...
. At the time of election, he was 31 years of age and had been in Wisconsin for twelve years; he listed his occupation as "carpenter".
After the Senate was re-apportioned and the Sixth District was shifted from the region around
Platteville and the surrounding region to the
Milwaukee area, Squires was succeeded by fellow Democrat
Duncan Reed
Duncan Cameron "Cam" Reed (July 2, 1815September 14, 1890) was an American steamship engineer and Democratic politician, and an early settler of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served two terms in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing the southe ...
in the Sixth District, but was elected to the succeeding one-year term in the new
Sixteenth District. On May 1, 1853, he resigned from the Senate; fellow Democrat
James Wilson Seaton
James Wilson Seaton (May 28, 1824February 11, 1904) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly, representing Grant County.
Biography
Born in New Hartford, New Yor ...
of
Potosi was elected to fill his seat.
He served as Register of the United States
Land Office at Mineral Point, from 1853 to 1857, until he was elected the State of Wisconsin's
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 ...
(at that time an elected position), serving through the end of 1859.
''The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin; Comprising Jefferson's Manual, Rules, Forms and Laws, for the Regulation of Business; also, lists and tables for reference'' Ninth Annual Edition. Madison: Atwood and Rublee, State Printers, Journal Block, 1870; p. 250
/ref> He sought re-election in 1860, but was defeated by Republican Gysbert Van Steenwyk Sr.
Gysbert Van Steenwyk, Sr., (birth name: ''Gijsbert''; January 30, 1814April 13, 1902) was a Dutch American immigrant, banker, and Republican politician from La Crosse, Wisconsin. He was the 4th Bank Comptroller of Wisconsin and served in the W ...
In the Assembly
In 1870, now living in Platteville and working as a miner, he was elected for a single year term from the first Grant County Assembly district (the Towns of Hazel Green, Smeltzer and Platteville), succeeding Republican Joseph Harris. He received 465 votes to 437 for
Republican William E. Carter (Harris was not a candidate).
Electoral history
Wisconsin Bank Comptroller (1857, 1859)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1857
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1859
Wisconsin Assembly (1869, 1870)
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1869
, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1870
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Squires, Joel
American carpenters
Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
American miners
Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators
People from Platteville, Wisconsin
People from Vienna Township, Trumbull County, Ohio
1819 births
1889 deaths
19th-century American legislators
19th-century Wisconsin politicians