Philetus Sawyer (September 22, 1816March 29, 1900) was a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

for twelve years (1881–1893). He also represented Wisconsin for ten years in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

(1865–1875), and he was the 9th mayor of

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...

Sawyer County, Wisconsin Sawyer County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,074. Its county seat is Hayward. The county partly overlaps with the reservation of the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa ...

, is named for him.

Biography

Philetus Sawyer was born in 1816 in

Whiting, Vermont Whiting is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for John Whiting, a landholder. The population was 405 at the 2020 census. Geography Whiting is located in southern Addison County, in the southern reaches of the Cha ...

, and moved to

Crown Point, New York Crown Point is a town in Essex County, New York, United States, located on the west shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 2,024 at the 2010 census. The name of the town is a direct translation of the original French name, . The town is on ...

, as an infant in 1817. He moved to Wisconsin in 1847 and worked in the lumber industry. Sawyer's early political career included serving 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, ...

in 1857 and 1861, and as mayor of

, from 1863 to 1864. He ran for and was elected to the

in 1864 and served for ten years from 1865 until 1875 being first elected to the

39th United States Congress The 39th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1865, ...

. From 1865 till 1873 he was the representative of

Wisconsin's 5th congressional district Wisconsin's 5th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in Wisconsin, covering most of Milwaukee's northern and western suburbs. It presently covers all of Washington and Jefferson count ...

. However, for the

43rd Congress The 43rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1873, ...

he redistricted and represented Wisconsin's 6th district. He did not run for reelection in 1874. Sawyer returned to Congress in 1881 as a

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

. He served two terms from 1881 to 1893 and did not seek a third. However, he became notorious for a charge made against him by Congressman

Robert La Follette Sr. Robert Marion "Fighting Bob" La Follette Sr. (June 14, 1855June 18, 1925), was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Wisconsin in both chambers of Congress and served as the 20th Governor of Wisconsin. A Republican for most of his ...

that he had attempted to bribe La Follette. Sawyer died in 1900 in Oshkosh at age 83. He was interred at a family

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

at Riverside Cemetery in Oshkosh.

References

External links

Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Mayors of places in Wisconsin Politicians from Oshkosh, Wisconsin 1816 births 1900 deaths People from Whiting, Vermont Republican Party United States senators from Wisconsin Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin People from Crown Point, New York 19th-century American politicians {{Wisconsin-mayor-stub