Robert Glenn, Sr. (September 10, 1813August 10, 1887) was a pioneer farmer and politician from Wyalusing,

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 ...

, who spent three terms (1863, 1865, and 1874) as a member of 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, ...

Background

Glenn was born September 10, 1813, in what was described in 1874 as ''"within the present limits of the city of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

..."''. He attended

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schools, and became a farmer. He moved to Wisconsin in 1840, and settled in the lead mines near Potosi. He moved to Wyalusing in 1850, where he was a merchant and sold

produce Produce is a generalized term for many farm-produced crops, including fruits and vegetables (grains, oats, etc. are also sometimes considered ''produce''). More specifically, the term ''produce'' often implies that the products are fresh and g ...

until 1860, when he returned to farming. He is credited with naming the village "Wyalusing" after

Wyalusing, Pennsylvania Wyalusing is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 596 as of the 2010 census. History The history of Wyalusing dates back centuries. It was originally known as ''M'chwihilusing ...

, because of a perceived resemblance.

Public office

As early as 1840-43, he was a "judge of the precinct" (apparently equivalent to a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

) for the mining camp precinct in the Town of Harrison called "Big Platte", then "Red Dog". He would hold various offices in the Town of Wyalusing, including Supervisor (equivalent to

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

member) in 1854-59,

assessor An assessor may be: * ''Assessor'' (fish), a genus of fishes * Assessor (law), the assistant to a judge or magistrate * Assessor (Oxford), a senior officer of the University of Oxford * Assessor (property), an expert who calculates the value of pr ...

in 1860,

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

in 1862 and 1862–70, supervisor again 1863-64, 1870–74, 1878–79, 1882, 1884, 1887, and 1897. He was first elected to the Assembly in 1862 (as a Republican) from the 5th Grant County assembly district (the

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of Cassville, Beetown, Glen Haven, Tafton,

Little Grant Little Grant is a town in Grant County, Wisconsin, Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 257 at the 2000 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.0 square miles (93. ...

, Wyalusing, and Patch Grove), to succeed fellow Republican Samuel Newick. He was assigned to the standing committee on

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and manufactures. He was replaced for the 1864 session by Wood R. Beach, who was elected on the National Union ticket. In 1864, he was re-elected to his old seat for the

18th Wisconsin Legislature The Eighteenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 11, 1865, to April 10, 1865, in regular session. Senators representing even-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Ass ...

, running this time on the National Union ticket (as did all Wisconsin Republicans of that era). He was put on the committee on charitable and benevolent institutions, and on enrolled bills. He did not return for the next session, being succeeded by Alvery A. Bennett, also running on the National Union ticket. He was

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

of the Wyalusing

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

for some time in the 1860s. He was elected to the county

board of supervisors A board of supervisors is a governmental body that oversees the operation of county government in the U.S. states of Arizona, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Virginia, and Wisconsin, as well as 16 counties in New York. There are equivalent agenc ...

for 1870 and 1871, and would return in 1877-79 and 1884. In 1872 he was appointed one of the county's "Commissioners of the Insane" for 1873. In 1873, Glenn returned to the Assembly as a Republican from what was now the 4th Grant County district, with 596 votes to 507 for

Jared Warner Jared David Warner (born 14 November 1996) is an English cricketer who plays for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. He made his List A debut on 6 May 2019, for Yorkshire in the 2019 Royal London One-Day Cup. He made his first-class debut on 27 ...

, who had last served in the Assembly in 1861 as a Republican, but was running on the Reform Party ticket. Republican incumbent Christopher Hutchinson was not a candidate. Glenn was assigned to the committee on roads and

bridges A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...

. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1874, and was succeeded by fellow Republican Delos Abrams.

Personal life

Glenn was for many years an adherent ("receiver") of the teachings of the Swedenborgian Church of North America. Glenn died on August 10, 1887, after a gradual decline in health.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn Sr., Robert Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Grant County, Wisconsin Politicians from Philadelphia People from Wisconsin Territory 1813 births 1887 deaths Wisconsin city council members American Swedenborgians American justices of the peace