Otto Puhlman (June 12, 1837April 26, 1924) was a

German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...

businessman and Democratic politician. He was the first mayor of

Plymouth, Wisconsin Plymouth is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, along the Mullet River. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located in the Town of Plymouth, but is politically independent. Plymouth is kno ...

, and served six additional terms as mayor. He represented much of western

Sheboygan County Sheboygan County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named after the Sheboygan River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 118,034. Its county seat is Sheboygan. The county was created in 1836 and organized in 1846. At th ...

in 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, ...

during the 1873 session. Earlier, he served as a

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 (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer in 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 th ...

Biography

Otto Pulman was born in Görzke, in what is now eastern

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. At the time of his birth, it was the

Province of Brandenburg The Province of Brandenburg (german: Provinz Brandenburg) was a province of Prussia from 1815 to 1945. Brandenburg was established in 1815 from the Kingdom of Prussia's core territory, comprised the bulk of the historic Margraviate of Brandenburg ...

in the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

. He was raised and educated there, and attended

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

. In 1859, Puhlman emigrated to the United States and settled in

, where he started a flour mill. At the outbreak of the

, Puhlman was among the first volunteers for the

from Wisconsin. He was enrolled as a sergeant in Co. C of the

4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 4th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, primarily in the Western Theater. It was later mounted and became the 4th Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment. History The 4th Wis ...

and served with that regiment through the first year of the war, on garrison duty in

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. In February 1862, he was commissioned

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

of Co. G in the

19th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 19th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army 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 Un ...

and returned to Wisconsin for the organization of that regiment. The 19th Wisconsin Infantry was assigned to guard Confederate prisoners at

Camp Randall Camp Randall was a United States Army base in Madison, Wisconsin, the largest staging point for Wisconsin troops entering the American Civil War. At this camp fresh volunteers received quick training before heading off to join the Union Army. Also ...

until May 1862, and then headed to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in June for service in the eastern theater of the war. They were assigned to the Union garrison at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

, and participated in several of the sieges and battles along Virginia's Atlantic coast. In the Spring of 1864, they were assigned to XVIII Corps and proceeded up the James River to join the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

. After nine months entrenched around Petersburg and

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, they took the cities in April 1865, and were then assigned to garrison duty in northern Virginia until the end of the war. Puhlman was promoted to first lieutenant in June 1863, and captain in April 1864. During the

, Puhlman served in the

19th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 19th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 19th Wisconsin was organized at Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service April 30, 1862. The reg ...

. Puhlman served as mayor of Plymouth, Wisconsin. In 1873, Puhlman served in the

and was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. In 1885, Puhlman sold his business and moved to

Sanborn, Iowa Sanborn is a city in O'Brien County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,392 at the time of the 2020 census. History Sanborn got its start in the year 1871, following construction of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway through that t ...

, where he started a new mill. In 1887, Puhlman moved to Chicago, Illinois, and worked for the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Company until 1912. Puhlman died at a soldiers sanitarium in

Sawtelle, California Sawtelle is a district in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, California, partially within the West Los Angeles subregion. It was established in 1899 and named after a manager of the Pacific Land Company who was initially responsible fo ...

. He was buried in Plymouth, Wisconsin.'Former Mayor of Plymouth Passes Away,' Sheboygan Press-Telegram, May 1, 1924, pg. 1

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Puhlman, Otto 1837 births 1924 deaths Prussian emigrants to the United States Politicians from the Province of Brandenburg People from O'Brien County, Iowa People from Plymouth, Wisconsin Politicians from Chicago Heidelberg University alumni Businesspeople from Iowa Businesspeople from Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army officers Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly