Robert Lewis Dorr Potter (February 5, 1833November 2, 1893) was an American lawyer,

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

politician, and

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 ...

pioneer. He served four years as a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

, representing Waushara County and central Wisconsin. He is the namesake of the "Potter Law"—a railroad reform law from 1874 which established state regulation of Wisconsin railroads.

Early life and education

Potter was born February 5, 1833, in

Hillsdale, New York Hillsdale is a town in Columbia County, New York, near Hudson, New York and Great Barrington, Massachusetts. State Routes 22 and 23 intersect near the town center, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town has several r ...

. At the age of nine, his family moved to

Egremont, Massachusetts Egremont is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,372 at the 2020 census. Egremont consists of two villages, North Egremont and S ...

, where he received most of his primary education. He moved to

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river that joins the Delaware R ...

, at about age 20 to work as a tutor in the high school. About two years later, he resigned to attend

Union Law School Union Law School was a law school located in Easton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1846 by Washington McCartney, and incorporated by the Pennsylvania legislature in 1854 as "Union Law School"; and was still operating at the time of his death in ...

and read law in the offices of

Andrew Horatio Reeder Andrew Horatio Reeder (July 12, 1807 – July 5, 1864) was the first governor of the Territory of Kansas. Biography Reeder was born in Easton, Pennsylvania to Absolom Reeder and Christina (Smith) Reeder. He was educated at an academy in Law ...

. He graduated in 1857 and moved to

later that year, settling at Wautoma, in Waushara County.

Political and legal career

In 1860, he was elected district attorney for Waushara County, running on the Republican Party ticket. He was subsequently elected to two more terms as district attorney in 1866 and 1868. While serving as district attorney, in 1867, Potter became the owner and publisher of the ''Waushara Argus'', a Republican partisan newspaper. But he sold out his ownership to the previous owner, W. S. Monroe. In 1872, Potter was elected to the

, representing Wisconsin's 25th State Senate district—then comprising Marquette, Green Lake, and Waushara counties. During Potter's first year in the Senate, an economic panic set off calls for reform, resulting in a political upheaval that saw Democrats gain control 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, ...

and the governor's office for the first time in a generation. During the subsequent 1874 session, Potter worked with his new Democratic colleagues to pass his signature railroad regulation law, titled, ''An Act relating to railroads, express and telegraph companies, in the state of Wisconsin''
1874 Wisc. Act 273
. The act came to be commonly known as the "Potter Law". It established regulation of railroad freight and passenger rates and created a new Wisconsin Railroad Commission to oversee the railroad industry in the state. Railroad companies bitterly resisted the regulation. Two of the largest railroad operators in Wisconsin openly ignored the requirements of the new law, initiating months of litigation. Ultimately, the Potter Law was vindicated in federal court and in the

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the highest appellate court in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court has jurisdiction over original actions, appeals from lower courts, and regulation or administration of the practice of law in Wisconsin. Location The Wi ...

. Politically, however, the railroad companies had more success with the next Governor and Legislature, and successfully lobbied for a significant rollback of the Potter Law's regulations in 1876. The law and court cases, however, did serve as an important precedent in establishing the state's authority to regulate the railroad industry and had a lasting effect on the actual freight and passenger rates charged by the railroads. The Office of Railroad Commissioner still exists in Wisconsin today. Potter was re-elected to the Senate in 1874, but did not run for a third term in 1876. In March 1876, he was appointed special assistant U.S. attorney general to represent the United States government in a number of lawsuits that had resulted from flooding caused by federal improvements on the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. He served in that role until May 1878, when he resigned due to poor health. Politically, he remained active with the

Republican Party of Wisconsin The Republican Party of Wisconsin is a right-wing political party in Wisconsin and is the Wisconsin affiliate of the United States Republican Party (GOP). The state party chair is Paul Farrow. The state party is divided into 72 county parties f ...

and was a long-time member of the Republican State Central Committee. Later in life, he relocated to

Berlin, Wisconsin Berlin is a city in Green Lake and Waushara counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 5,571 at the 2020 census. Of this, 5,435 were in Green Lake County, and only 89 were in Waushara County. The city is located mostly within t ...

, and engaged in a law practice with his son, known as "Potter & Potter". He also served as mayor of Berlin. He died of a sudden stroke while standing on his own doorstep on November 2, 1893.

Personal life and family

Robert L. D. Potter married Emeline Bingham at Wautoma on February 5, 1861. They had at least seven children, though three died in infancy. Their eldest son, Sherman, went on to serve sixteen years as county judge of Green Lake County.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1872, 1874)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1872 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 3, 1874

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Robert L.D. 1833 births 1893 deaths People from Berkshire County, Massachusetts People from Hillsdale, New York People from Wautoma, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Editors of Wisconsin newspapers Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin state senators American male journalists 19th-century American journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers