Joseph Warren Beardsley (1820August 27, 1868) was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
physician, politician, and
Wisconsin pioneer. He served as the 14th
speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly and represented
Pierce County. In historical documents, his name is commonly abbreviated J. W. Beardsley. The 1862 Wisconsin legislative manual and later works that relied on that source inaccurately listed his first name as "James".
Biography
Joseph Warren Beardsley was born in
Herkimer County, New York, in 1820. He was educated as a medical doctor and came to the
Wisconsin Territory about 1845, working as a physician and surgeon in
Johnstown, in
Rock County.
In the mid-1850s, Beardsley relocated to
Pierce County, in northwest Wisconsin, and operated a general store. He became a leading member of the
Democratic Party of Wisconsin in that county, and was active in the unsuccessful effort to move the county seat to
Prescott, Wisconsin.
During the
American Civil War, he was elected to the
Wisconsin State Assembly as a Union Democrat, and formed a coalition with the Republicans in which he was elected
speaker and Republicans received many of the other Assembly offices.
He died at
Ilion, New York
Ilion is a village in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 7,790 at the 2017 census.
The village is at the northern edge of the town of German Flatts, though a tiny portion is in the town of Frankfort. It is south of the ...
, in September 1868.
Personal life and family
The Beardsleys are direct descendants of
William Beardsley, one of the first settlers at
Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Stratford is in the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled ...
, who arrived in the country about 1635.
Joseph Warren Beardsley's father, also named Joseph, was the first white child born at
Monticello, Otsego County, New York.
His uncles,
Samuel
Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...
and
Levi Beardsley, were prominent lawyers and politicians in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
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, and served in several elected offices.
He married Caroline Maxson and had at least five children.
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beardsley, Joseph W.
1820 births
1868 deaths
Date of birth missing
People from Herkimer County, New York
People from Prescott, Wisconsin
Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly
19th-century American legislators
Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly
19th-century Wisconsin politicians