Perry R. Briggs (November 21, 1825September 2, 1918) was an American lawyer, banker, and Republican politician. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Juneau County during the 1871 session.

Biography

Perry Briggs was born November 21, 1825, in Auburn, New York. As a child, he moved with his parents to

Yates County, New York Yates County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 24,774, making it the third-least populous county in New York. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Gover ...

, and then to Buffalo, and Fredonia, where he received two years of academic schooling. As a young man, he went to work in the pail factory at

Versailles, New York Versailles is a hamlet in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The community is located along Cattaraugus Creek, northwest of Gowanda. Versailles has a post office with ZIP code 14168, which opened on September 13, 1837. Versailles is ...

. In 1856, Briggs moved west with his family to Juneau County, Wisconsin. They initially settled on a farm near Mauston, but only spent two years conducting the farm. In 1858, he moved into the village of Mauston and began studying law in the office of

John Azor Kellogg John Azor Kellogg (March 16, 1828February 10, 1883) was an American lawyer, politician, and Union Army officer from Wisconsin. He was one of the founders of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. Early life Born in Bethany, Penns ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1860, and in the summer of 1861 he was appointed

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

after Kellogg resigned that office to enlist in the Union Army. Briggs was subsequently elected to a full term as district attorney, but he too resigned, in May 1864, to enter service in the American Civil War. Briggs initially signed up for service in one of the "100 day" regiments. He was enrolled as first lieutenant of Company E in the

41st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 41st Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was among scores of regiments that were raised in the summer of 1864 as Hundred Days Men, an effort to augment existing ...

. The 41st Wisconsin Infantry served in middle Tennessee and actually saw some combat with

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...

's raid on raid on Memphis. At the expiration of their 100-day service, Briggs re-enlisted and was commissioned captain of Company C in the 47th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. The 47th Wisconsin Infantry also spent most of their short service in Tennessee. Briggs served part of the time on detached duty as an acting judge advocate. After the war, he served a short time as a pension and bounty agent, and secured 1600 veteran claims. He was appointed postmaster at Mauston by President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

in 1866, and served in that role until his election to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1870. At that time, his wife was appointed to fulfill the postmaster duties. He was elected to the Assembly on the Republican ticket, receiving 55% of the vote. He represented all of Juneau County in the 1871 session and did not run for re-election in 1871. Briggs purchased the ownership of the Bank of Mauston in 1868 and re-opened it in January 1869, acquiring it from its founder and sole-stockholder J. B. Rosencrans. In 1880, he took on his son, Bert, as a partner in the bank, and they opened a branch of the bank in

Wonewoc, Wisconsin Wonewoc is a village along the Baraboo River in Juneau County, Wisconsin. The population was 816 at the time of the 2010 census. History The name “Wonewoc” is of Indigenous American origin, probably meaning "howling hills". However, at the ...

, which Bert managed. They operated the banks until 1886, when they sold out to Jeff T. Heath. After selling his stake, Briggs briefly moved to the Dakota Territory, but soon returned to Mauston and opened a new bank—the Juneau County State Bank. After retiring, he moved to Texas. Briggs died in San Antonio, Texas, in 1918, and was buried at the

San Antonio National Cemetery San Antonio National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 3,163 interme ...

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1870)

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Briggs, Perry R. 1825 births 1918 deaths People from Mauston, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century American legislators People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union Army officers American bank presidents 19th-century Wisconsin politicians