Marshall Mason Strong (September 3, 1813 – March 9, 1864) was an American lawyer, newspaper editor, businessman, and politician from

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

who served on the

Wisconsin Territorial Council The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

(the predecessor 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 ...

) of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature in 1838–1839 and 1844–1847 from

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 ...

, including a term as President of the Council. He later spent a single one-year term in 1849 as a

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery int ...

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, ...

from that county.

Background

Strong was born in

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...

, on September 3, 1813. His first American ancestor, Elder John Strong, had come to

Dorchester, Massachusetts Dorchester (colloquially referred to as Dot) is a Boston neighborhood comprising more than in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Originally, Dorchester was a separate town, founded by Puritans who emigrated in 1630 from Dorchester ...

in 1630 from England, and the next five generations in the Strong lineage remained in that state. His father was Hezekiah Wright Strong, a lawyer and the son of

Simeon Strong Simeon Strong (1736–1805) was a justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. Biography Simeon Strong was the son of Nehemiah Strong and Hannah French. He was born in Amherst, Province of Massachusetts on March 6, 1736, and graduated f ...

(a Justice of the

Supreme Court of Massachusetts The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the court of last resort, highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Although the claim is disputed by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the SJC claims the di ...

). Marshall Strong spent two years at

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

from 1830–1832. In late 1832, his father had moved to

Troy, New York Troy is a city in the U.S. state of New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany a ...

; Marshall entered

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

in nearby

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, and studied there for an unknown period. He later

read the law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in Troy, and was admitted to the bar there.

Newspaper and territorial government

In 1838 he and

Lorenzo Janes Lorenzo Janes (September 18, 1801 – June 25, 1873) was an American lawyer, judge, businessman, and territorial legislator. Born in Washington County, Vermont, Janes went to school in Montpelier, Vermont. He studied law and was admitted to t ...

were among those who combined to found the newspaper the Racine ''Argus'', the first newspaper in Racine County; and he and Janes served as its first editors. Strong was one of the first pair of Councillors from Racine County in 1838–1839. When the Legislature in its 1838 session passed a law incorporating a " University of the Territory of Wisconsin", Strong was among those who were appointed to its

Board of Visitors In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual ...

; however, this body (the predecessor of the U.W.

board of regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual col ...

) never actually accomplished anything before statehood. He resigned from the Council in 1839, and Janes was elected to succeed him. He served again from 1843–1847, serving as President of the Council from December 5, 1843 to January 6, 1845. He was a delegate to the 1st Wisconsin Constitutional Convention, but resigned from that body and acted as a leader of the successful movement to reject the

ratification Ratification is a principal's approval of an act of its agent that lacked the authority to bind the principal legally. Ratification defines the international act in which a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty if the parties inten ...

of the Constitution it had drafted, one he considered too radical in its provisions.

Railroad work

When the Racine, Janesville and Mississippi Railroad Company, later the Racine and Mississippi Rail Road Company) was incorporated by the legislature April 17, 1852, Strong was one of the incorporators. From 1854–56 he was the corporation's attorney. This line was later merged into the Western Union Railroad Company.Turner, A. J. ''et al.'' "Public document no. 5: Fifth Annual Report of the Railroad Commissioner of the State of Wisconsin, pp. 351–53 in, ''Governor's message and accompanying documents'' Volume I. Madison: David Atwood, 1879 (Covers 1877/1878)
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Electoral history

Wisconsin Supreme Court (1852)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, September 1852

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, Marshall 1813 births 1864 deaths 19th-century American newspaper editors 19th-century American newspaper founders Amherst College alumni Businesspeople from Wisconsin Editors of Wisconsin newspapers New York (state) lawyers Politicians from Amherst, Massachusetts Politicians from Troy, New York People from Racine, Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature 19th-century American politicians Union College (New York) alumni Wisconsin Free Soilers Wisconsin lawyers American male journalists 19th-century American male writers Journalists from New York (state) American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers