Stephen Steele Barlow (August 17, 1818October 5, 1900) 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 ...

lawyer and Republican politician. He was the 10th Attorney General of Wisconsin and served four years in the Wisconsin Legislature. He also served several years as a

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

and county judge.

Background

Barlow was born on August 17, 1818, in Ballston Spa, New York, and moved with his family at an early age to Genesee County, New York. He attended public schools and was graduated from

Rochester Seminary Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent **HM Prison ...

in New York in 1837. He began

reading the law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

in Albany, New York.

In Wisconsin

Barlow came to Wisconsin about 1840, continued his legal studies, and settled at Delavan in Walworth County, where in 1841 he was admitted to the bar. He was elected as a

Free Soiler The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into ...

member of the Assembly from Walworth county in 1851 for a one-year term, and in 1853 became that county's

. He moved to Sauk County in May 1854, settled in Delton (then called New Buffalo) in 1855, and was elected as a County Judge in 1857, for the term of four years.

Republican politician

By the beginning of the 1860 presidential election campaign, he had become part of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, declaring that "the spirit of abolition is the spirit of the Republican Party", and that the Republicans, considering slavery "morally and politically wrong", opposed its spread as the first step in its complete

abolition Abolition refers to the act of putting an end to something by law, and may refer to: * Abolitionism, abolition of slavery * Abolition of the death penalty, also called capital punishment * Abolition of monarchy *Abolition of nuclear weapons *Abol ...

. He was elected

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

of Sauk County in 1862, and re-elected in 1864. he was elected to Sauk County's 2nd Assembly district (

Towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of New Buffalo, Dellona,

Winfield Winfield may refer to: Places Canada * Winfield, Alberta * Winfield, British Columbia United States * Winfield, Alabama * Winfield, Arkansas * Winfield, Georgia * Winfield, Illinois * Winfield, Indiana * Winfield, Iowa * Winfield, Kansas * Winfi ...

, La Valle, Woodland, Ironton, Reedsburg, Excelsior,

Baraboo Baraboo is a city in the Midwest and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The largest city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2020 population was 12,556. It is situ ...

, Fairfield,

Greenfield Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to: Engineering and Business * Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation * Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist * Greenf ...

and

Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...

) for 1867, succeeding fellow Republican Rollin Strong; then to the Wisconsin State Senate's 14th District from 1868 to 1869, to succeed

Argalus Starks Argalus Waldo Starks (March 10, 1804June 28, 1870) was an American farmer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as the 3rd Wisconsin Department of Corrections, State Prison Commissioner of Wisconsin and later served 6 years in the Wiscons ...

(a War Democrat then part of the Union Party). He was succeeded in the Assembly by

John Gillespie John Gillespie may refer to: * John H. Gillespie, evolutionary biologist *John Gillespie (auditor) (1832–1897) state auditor and commissioner in Nebraska * Dizzy Gillespie (John Birks Gillespie, 1917–1993), jazz trumpeter * Jimmy Gillespie (J ...

. He was a Republican

elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

for

Ulysses S Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

in 1868. He was elected Wisconsin Attorney General in 1869 with 69,746 votes, against 60,510 for

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Silas U. Pinney., being succeeded in the Senate by fellow Republican Bennett Strong, and re-elected in 1871, with 78,326 votes against 68,807 for

Edward S. Bragg Edward Stuyvesant Bragg (February 20, 1827June 20, 1912) was an American politician, lawyer, soldier, and diplomat. He was an accomplished Union Army officer in the American Civil War and served four terms in the United States House of Represent ...

, Democrat.Wisconsin Historical Society-Stephen Steele Barlow
Wisconsinhistory.org. Retrieved on January 22, 2016.

After serving as Attorney General

Except for a two-year sojourn in

Chippewa Falls Chippewa Falls is a city located on the Chippewa River (Wisconsin), Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, Chippewa County in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 14,778 in the 2021 census. Incorporated as ...

, Barlow lived in Delton and

until 1893, when he moved to the

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, home of his son Henry P. Barlow. He died there on October 5, 1900.''Proceedings of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin'' Madison: State Bar Association of Wisconsin, 1902; Vol. 4, p. 220]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Attorney General (1869, 1871)

, colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 2, 1869 , colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;", General Election, November 7, 1871

References

} {{DEFAULTSORT:Barlow, Stephen People from Ballston Spa, New York Wisconsin Attorneys General District attorneys in Wisconsin Wisconsin Free Soilers 19th-century American politicians Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 1818 births 1900 deaths 1868 United States presidential electors Wisconsin state court judges American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law People from Delavan, Wisconsin 19th-century American judges