Reuben Moores Norton (September 30, 1796April 24, 1884) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

businessman and the first mayor of

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 ...

. He was also the first president of the Racine County Bank and the first president of the Western Union Railroad Company. In historical documents, he is often referred to as

Biography

Norton was born in Greenwich, in Washington County, New York, one of eleven children born to Captain Elijah Norton and his wife Rebecca (Moore) Norton. His father, Elijah, had served as a captain in the militia during the American Revolutionary War. When he first arrived in the Wisconsin Territory, Norton was involved in the lumber industry, and was president of the Oconto Lumber Company. He located at the village of

Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...

in 1842, purchased a large farm, and engaged in

grain trade The grain trade refers to the local and international trade in cereals and other food grains such as wheat, barley, maize, and rice. Grain is an important trade item because it is easily stored and transported with limited spoilage, unlike other ...

and warehousing. In 1843, Norton established the first meat-packing plant in Racine, assisted by his brother-in-law Alexander Mosher. The business was located on the south bank of the Root River, near the present location of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad overpass at 9th Street. They purchased and slaughtered cattle from southeast Wisconsin and northern Illinois, then packed and shipped the meat down the river to

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

, and on to markets in New York and Boston. In April 1848, Norton was elected as a member of the last board of trustees for the Village of Racine, before it was abolished and replaced by the new city government. After the incorporation of the city of Racine, an election was held for the first city officers. Norton was nominated by the new Free Soil Party as their candidate for Mayor. Norton was elected with 47% of the vote over Whig and Democratic candidates Matthew B. Mead and Henry Bryan. Following his term as Mayor, Norton continued to grow in influence in the Racine business community. In 1854, Norton was one of the co-founders of the Racine County Bank, and was the first president of the company. He was also a major shareholder and a member of the board of directors of the Racine and Mississippi Railroad Company, and later became the first president of its successor company, the Western Union Railroad Company, which subsequently became a component of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. In the 1860s, he ran into financial trouble and had to sell much of his property. He moved to Chicago and went into business with his son-in-law, Augustus R. Gray. His former home on Main Street was purchased by

Jerome Case Jerome Increase Case (December 11, 1819December 22, 1891) was an early American manufacturer of threshing machines. He founded the J. I. Case Company which has gone through many mergers and name changes to today's Case Corporation. He served thre ...

Personal life and family

Norton married Elizabeth Perine, together they had at least three children. Their son, Reuben, enlisted as a private with the

20th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 20th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 20th Wisconsin was organized at Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service August 23, 1862 ...

in the American Civil War and died of wounds at the Battle of Prairie Grove. Norton died at the home of his son-in-law, Augustus Gray, on April 24, 1884. He was buried at Racine's historic Mound Cemetery.

Electoral history

Racine Mayor (1848)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, October 3, 1848

References

External links

Reuben M. Norton, the first mayor of the city of Racine
at Wisconsin Historical Society * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Reuben M. 1796 births 1884 deaths Businesspeople from Racine, Wisconsin Mayors of Racine, Wisconsin People from Washington County, New York 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople Wisconsin Free Soilers Burials at Mound Cemetery (Racine, Wisconsin)