Richard Walter Hubbell (November 8, 1840April 5, 1910) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He was 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, ...

, representing Oconto County during the

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

and

1873 Events January–March * January 1 ** Japan adopts the Gregorian calendar. ** The California Penal Code goes into effect. * January 17 – American Indian Wars: Modoc War: First Battle of the Stronghold – Modoc Indians defe ...

sessions, and also served as county judge and district attorney. In the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, he served as a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

artillery officer. He was a son of Levi Hubbell—the first Wisconsin state official to be impeached.

Early life and education

Born in

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

, Hubbell moved with his parents to Wisconsin Territory in 1844 and settled in Milwaukee. Hubbell's father was a prominent lawyer and judge in these days, and afforded a good education for his sons. Hubbell attended a college preparatory course in 1853, and then attended the University of Wisconsin from 1854 through 1858, graduating with a bachelor's degree. Hubbell flourished at the University and was one of the charter members there of the Hesperia literary society, along with his lifelong friend William Freeman Vilas. Hubbell subsequently earned his master's degree in 1861, and was admitted to the bar in 1862.

Civil War service

In the second year of the war, as new calls were being made for volunteers to the

, Hubbell saw several of his University classmates joining the service. William F. Vilas recruited a company for the 23rd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, which Hubbell sought to join, but was too late to register a spot. He instead joined a company for the 24th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, and was enrolled as a sergeant in Company I of that regiment. He served only a few months with the 24th Wisconsin Infantry, but saw serious combat with them at the Battle of Perryville. In the Winter of 1862–1863, he accepted a commission to become a first lieutenant in the 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery Regiment. With the 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery, he served with Battery B, which was stationed for the rest of the war at forts in Kentucky and Tennessee. He was promoted to captain of his battery in July 1864, and was then made a major in the regiment in September 1864. He mustered out with the rest of the regiment in June 1865.

Legal and political career

After the war, Hubbell moved to Oconto, Wisconsin, and established a legal practice. Hubbell became active with the Republican Party of Wisconsin and first ran for

in 1867. He failed in that campaign, but was subsequently elected to two consecutive terms, serving in the

and

sessions. In the meantime, he was also elected to two four-year terms as Probate court, county judge for Oconto County, serving in that office from 1870 through 1878. In the 1877 election, rather than running again for judge, he ran for and was elected district attorney, for a two year term. In 1890, Hubbell moved to Wautoma, Wisconsin, without his family and continued to practice law. He died at his home in Wautoma in 1910, he had been in ill health.

Personal life and family

Richard Hubbell was one of at least four children of Levi Hubbell, a Wisconsin pioneer lawyer and judge who served in Wisconsin's first Wisconsin Supreme Court, state supreme court and was the first state official to be impeached by the Wisconsin Legislature. He was not convicted in his impeachment trial, and later served as United States Attorney for Wisconsin. Richard's grandfather, Abijah Hubbell, served in the American Revolutionary War. The Hubbells were descendants of Richard Hubbell, an English immigrant who came to the Connecticut Colony about 1650. Richard W. Hubbell married Emily Snover in 1871. They had at least six children, but at least one died in infancy. In addition to his legal career, Hubbell was a lifelong literary enthusiast and wrote his own poetry and prose. For much of his life, including his final years, Hubbell wrote for and edited the ''Wisconsin Alumni Magazine'' in its various incarnations. Near the end of his life, he published several of his poems in the magazine. He was also apparently a fishing enthusiast, and authored a pamphlet on fly fishing, titled ''Hints on Fly Fishing''.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1871, 1872)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1871 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 5, 1872

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hubbell, Richard W. 1840 births 1910 deaths Politicians from Ithaca, New York Politicians from Milwaukee People from Oconto, Wisconsin People from Wautoma, Wisconsin People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Wisconsin lawyers Wisconsin state court judges County officials in Wisconsin Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Writers from Ithaca, New York Writers from Wisconsin Burials in Wisconsin Union Army officers 19th-century American judges 19th-century American lawyers