Albert Gallatin Ellis (August 24, 1800December 23, 1885) was one of the first American pioneers to settle in

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 ...

. He was the 2nd, 6th, 8th, and 10th Mayor of

Stevens Point, Wisconsin Stevens Point is the county seat of Portage County, Wisconsin, United States. The city was incorporated in 1858. Its 2020 population of 25,666 makes it the largest city in the county. Stevens Point forms the core of the United States Census Bur ...

. Before statehood, he was a member of the legislature of the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belmont was ...

and was a publisher of the first newspaper west of

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 ...

Biography

Ellis was born in

Verona, New York Verona (called ''Te-o-na-ta-le'', "''pine forest''" by the Haudenosaunee) is a town in southwestern Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 6,293 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Verona, Italy. Verona is located so ...

, on August 24, 1800. An

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

, Ellis moved to Green Bay,

, with members of the

Oneida people The Oneida people (autonym: Onʌyoteˀa·ká·, Onyota'a:ka, ''the People of the Upright Stone, or standing stone'', ''Thwahrù·nęʼ'' in Tuscarora) are a Native American tribe and First Nations band. They are one of the five founding nat ...

to establish a colony and a school. He later became involved in the

Public Land Survey System The Public Land Survey System (PLSS) is the surveying method developed and used in the United States to plat, or divide, real property for sale and settling. Also known as the Rectangular Survey System, it was created by the Land Ordinance of 1 ...

before becoming a publisher of the '' Green Bay Intelligencer'' in 1834, the first newspaper west of

. In 1852, Ellis moved to

, where he worked with the

General Land Office The General Land Office (GLO) was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department o ...

and became a

surveyor general A surveyor general is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Historically, this would often have been a military appointment, but it is now more likely to be a civilian post. The following surveyor ge ...

, as well as once again became a newspaper publisher, eventually becoming an editor. Ellis died on December 23, 1885. Two of his sons, Eleazor H. Ellis and Frederick S. Ellis, became mayors of Green Bay.

Political career

Ellis served as secretary to the Seventh Michigan Territorial Council for the western area of

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

. In 1836 and again from 1841 to 1844, Ellis was a member of the Wisconsin Territorial House of Representatives of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature. After Wisconsin's admission to the Union, Ellis served as Mayor of Stevens Point. He was a

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 ...

.'Proceedings of the Wisconsin Historical Society at its Sixth-eight Annual Meeting,' Vol. 68, October 21, 1920, The Rump Council, Biographical Sketch of Albert Gallatin Ellis, pg. 150-151

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Albert People from Verona, New York Politicians from Green Bay, Wisconsin People from Stevens Point, Wisconsin Mayors of places in Wisconsin Members of the Michigan Territorial Legislature Members of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature Wisconsin Democrats Editors of Wisconsin newspapers American newspaper publishers (people) American Anglican missionaries 1800 births 1885 deaths Anglican missionaries in the United States 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American politicians Writers from Green Bay, Wisconsin 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American businesspeople