Ninian Edward Whiteside (December 25, 1812September 1, 1876) was an American Democratic politician, attorney, and

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

who served as the 1st Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly and 9th Speaker of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

. Whiteside is believed to be the only person to serve as the Speaker of the House in two separate state legislatures in the United States.

Early life and career

Born in the

Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ca ...

, Whiteside settled in the mining district in southern Wisconsin. Whiteside practiced law as a member of the Wisconsin Bar.

Legislative career

In 1846, Whiteside served in the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention of 1846. In 1847–1848, Whiteside served in the Wisconsin Territorial Council. In 1848, Whiteside was elected to the first Wisconsin State Assembly from Belmont, Wisconsin and was elected the first Speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly. He then went to California to take part in the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. In the same year, he was elected to the

and was elected

Speaker of the California State Assembly The following is a list of speakers of the California State Assembly. It does not number those individuals who served abbreviated terms or those who served during an extraordinary session called by the Governor of California for a narrowly-define ...

by a vote of 66–6. Whiteside was a delegate to the Breckinridge Convention in 1860. Whiteside served in the State Assembly until an election defeat in 1863.

Achievements

While in the Wisconsin Legislature, Whiteside authored new laws regarding the renaming and restructuring of new villages and towns; renovations and repairs to the Wisconsin State Capitol; a new municipal water and well system for the capitol building; local tax levy requirements; establishment of the office of adjutant general of the militia of the State of Wisconsin; and plaintiff liabilities. While in the

California State Legislature The California State Legislature is a bicameral state legislature consisting of a lower house, the California State Assembly, with 80 members; and an upper house, the California State Senate, with 40 members. Both houses of the Legisla ...

, Whiteside authored new laws regarding incorporation of the Hornitos, California; restricting of herding of sheep to certain California county pastures; a new special tax levy for county jails; expansion of powers for the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco and a funding bill for the City of Oakland, California.

Death

Whiteside continued to practice law as a member of the

State Bar of California The State Bar of California is California's official attorney licensing agency. It is responsible for managing the admission of lawyers to the practice of law, investigating complaints of professional misconduct, prescribing appropriate disciplin ...

until his retirement. He died in Marysville, California after an illness.Ninian Whiteside
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Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whiteside, Ninian E. People from Illinois People from Marysville, California People from Belmont, Wisconsin People of the California Gold Rush Speakers of the California State Assembly Democratic Party members of the California State Assembly Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature 1812 births 1876 deaths 19th-century American legislators Wisconsin pioneers 19th-century Wisconsin politicians 19th-century California politicians