Joseph Seaver Curtis (June 8, 1831May 15, 1878) was an American lawyer,

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 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, ...

for three terms, representing Green Bay and eastern Brown County during the

1869 Events January–March * January 3 – Abdur Rahman Khan is defeated at Tinah Khan, and exiled from Afghanistan. * January 5 – Scotland's oldest professional Soccer, football team, Kilmarnock F.C., is founded. * January 20 & ...

, 1871, and

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defe ...

sessions. He was also an editor of the ''

Green Bay Gazette The ''Green Bay Press-Gazette'' is a newspaper whose primary coverage is of northeastern Wisconsin, including Green Bay. It was founded as the ''Green Bay Gazette'' in 1866 as a weekly paper, becoming a daily newspaper in 1871. The ''Green Ba ...

'', and an officer in 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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during 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 ...

Early life

Joseph Seaver Curtis was born in

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in and the county seat of Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Located in northeastern Ohio, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 census. The hi ...

, in June 1831. His mother died when he was just a year old. His father moved the family back east to

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, where Joseph was raised and educated. He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kill ...

, in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, in 1852. He came out of college in poor health and sought revitalization in the west. He moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where his uncle, Reverend Jeremiah Porter, was established and lived as a member of Porter's household for several years. When the Porters left Wisconsin, in 1858, Curtis elected to stay and make it his permanent home. In these early years in Green Bay, he served in several local offices, including justice of the peace, city clerk, and deputy clerk of the court. He chose to study law and moved temporarily to

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, to utilize the library there.

Civil War service

While he was living in Madison, the country entered the

. He joined up with a company of Green Bay volunteers who had come to Madison to become organized into a regiment, and was enrolled as a private in Company H of the 12th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. The 12th Wisconsin Infantry mustered into federal service in January 1862 and proceeded to

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

for service in the western theater of the war. Due to logistical challenges in southern Illinois, the regiment was exposed to severe cold and food shortages for much of their journey. Curtis served with the regiment through the

Vicksburg campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Ri ...

and Sherman's Atlanta campaign, he was promoted to corporal and re-enlisted at the end of his three year term as a veteran. He refused several offers to be commissioned as an officer, until July 1864, when he accepted commission as second lieutenant of Company E in the 42nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He served only briefly with the 42nd Wisconsin Infantry, however. He was detached from his company and served as adjutant for the mustering office at Cairo, Illinois, until the end of the war.

Political career

Curtis returned to Green Bay after the war and was admitted to the bar. He was a staunch

and was elected to three non-consecutive terms (1869, 1871, 1873) in the

, representing Green Bay and parts of eastern Brown County. He also ran for election to the 1872 Assembly session, but was defeated in that election. He ran for

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 ...

twice in the 2nd Senate district, but was defeated both times, in 1869 and 1873. Curtis was a friend and political ally to the owners of the ''

'', and spent a year as editor of the paper in 1877. During the 31st Wisconsin Legislature, he was appointed clerk of the Assembly committee on revision, but had to resign due to his failing health. He died at his home in Green Bay, in May 1878, after suffering from illness for much of his adult life.'Collections on the State Historical of Wisconsin,' volume VIII, Wisconsin Historical Society: 1879, Biographical Sketch of Joseph S. Curtis, pg. 469

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1868, 1870, 1871, 1872)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 8, 1870 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1871 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1872

Wisconsin Senate (1869, 1873)

, 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 4, 1873

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Joseph S. 1831 births 1878 deaths Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin Politicians from Warren, Ohio People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Williams College alumni Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Wisconsin lawyers Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians Journalists from Ohio Writers from Green Bay, Wisconsin 19th-century American lawyers