Matthew Keenan (January 5, 1825August 20, 1898) was an American businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the

lower east side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally an im ...

of the city of Milwaukee during the 1871 session.

Biography

Keenan was born in

Manlius, New York Manlius is a town in Onondaga County, east of the city of Syracuse, New York, United States. The population was 33,712 at the 2020 census, making it the third largest suburb in metropolitan Syracuse. In 2005, the town was ranked 98th on CNN's ...

, in January 1825. He received his early education in New York, but came west to the Wisconsin Territory with his parents in 1837. They arrived in Milwaukee when it was just a collection of three small settlements. When he was sixteen, both his parents died, and he went to work to support himself as a clerk in the general merchandise store of William Brown, Jr. After a few years, he and a partner purchased the store, operating it afterwards as Hayden & Keenan. He was elected clerk of the Wisconsin circuit court for Milwaukee County in the fall of 1852, and was subsequently re-elected three times, serving until January 1861. He served six years as Milwaukee tax commissioner through the 1860s, and was elected to the city council from Milwaukee's seventh ward in 1869. In 1870, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly running on the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

ticket. He represented

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

's 7th Assembly district, which at that time was identical to his previous city council district, covering what's known as the

of the city. His chief accomplishment in the Legislature was the passage of the law to enable Milwaukee to construct a waterworks (1871 Wisc. Act 475). Keenan was selected as secretary of the new city water commission and superintendent of the waterworks. He remained in that role until the construction was finished and the works were operational. The

North Point Water Tower The North Point Water Tower was built in 1873 and 1874 as part of Milwaukee, Wisconsin's first public waterworks, with Victorian Gothic styling unusually handsome for a water tower. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. ...

constructed in this project is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places. After completing his duty to the waterworks, Keenan resigned to take a role as an officer of the

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company Northwestern Mutual is an American financial services mutual organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The financial security company provides consultation on wealth and asset income protection, education planning, retirement planning, investme ...

. He rose quickly, serving several years as superintendent of the company's agencies, then as head of their real estate department. In 1876, he was made a vice president of the company, where he remained until his retirement in 1894. In addition to his corporate and political roles, Keenan served in several civic groups. He was vice president of the Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce, delegate to the National Board of Trade, regent of the University of Wisconsin, and trustee of the Milwaukee Public Library. Keenan died of a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

at his home in Milwaukee, on August 20, 1898. He was buried at Milwaukee's historic Calvary Cemetery.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1870)

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keenan, Matthew 1825 births 1898 deaths Politicians from Milwaukee Wisconsin city council members American businesspeople in insurance Businesspeople from Wisconsin Burials in Wisconsin 19th-century American legislators 19th-century American businesspeople Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly