Angus Cameron (July 4, 1826March 30, 1897) was an American lawyer, banker, and politician who served ten years as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

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 also served as the 18th

speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly, the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin, ratified in 1848, establishes the legislature and ...

and served two terms in 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

La Crosse County La Crosse County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 120,784. Its county seat is La Crosse. La Crosse County is included in the La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Metropolitan Statistical Area with ...

Early life and career

Cameron was born in

Caledonia, New York Caledonia is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 4,255 at the 2010 census. The town contains the village of Caledonia. The town is in the northwestern part of the county and is southwest of Rochester. It is ...

on July 4, 1826, the fifth child of seven born to

Scottish American Scottish Americans or Scots Americans (Scottish Gaelic: ''Ameireaganaich Albannach''; sco, Scots-American) are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Scotland. Scottish Americans are closely related to Scotch-Irish Americans, d ...

immigrants Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...

Duncan and Sarah McColl Cameron. He attended Temple Hill Academy in

Geneseo, New York Geneseo is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Livingston County, New York, Livingston County in the Finger Lakes region of New York (state), New York, United States. It is at the south end of the five-county Rochester metropol ...

, and then the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary in

Lima, New York Lima (, the name is a shibboleth) is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Livingston County, New York, Livingston County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 4,305 at the 2010 census. The town is in the ...

, which is now

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. He later studied law with the firm of Wadsworth and Cameron in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

. He graduated from the

State and National Law School The State and National Law School was an early practical training law school founded in 1849 by John W. Fowler in Ballston Spa, New York ( Saratoga County). It was also known as New York State and National Law School, Ballston Law School, and Fow ...

in 1853, was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

, and practiced with Wadsworth and Cameron. He later formed a partnership with Frederick H. Wing, which was active in banking as Cameron & Wing.

Political career

In 1857 Cameron moved to

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

, where he continued his legal and banking careers. Initially a Whig, he joined the Republican Party when it was founded in the mid-1850s. He served in the

from 1863 to 1864 and 1871 to 1872. He was a delegate to the 1864 National Union National Convention. From 1866 to 1867 he served in 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 he was Speaker of the Assembly in the 1867 session. Cameron also served on the

University of Wisconsin Board of Regents A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

from 1866 to 1875, and helped found

Christ Church of La Crosse Christ Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church located in La Crosse, Wisconsin in the Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire. In 1985, Christ Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places. History On June 23, 1850, on top of G ...

. In February 1875 the

Wisconsin State Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republ ...

, in joint session, elected Cameron to the United States Senate, and he served from March 4, 1875 to March 3, 1881. He did not seek reelection in 1881. During this term he was appointed chairman of a committee to investigate alleged election fraud in

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

during the disputed United States presidential election of 1876. In February 1881 Senator Matthew H. Carpenter died in office, and on March 10 Cameron was elected to complete the remaining four years of his six-year term. Cameron took his seat on March 14, and served until March 3, 1885. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1885.

Death and legacy

After leaving the Senate Cameron returned to his banking and legal interests. He died in La Crosse on March 30, 1897, and was buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in La Crosse. Cameron Park in downtown La Crosse was named for him. The village of Cameron, in

Barron County Barron County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,711. Its county seat is Barron. The county was created in 1859 and later organized in 1874. History The county was created in 1859 ...

, was also named for him.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Angus 1826 births 1897 deaths Politicians from La Crosse, Wisconsin People from Livingston County, New York State and National Law School alumni Republican Party United States senators from Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Genesee Wesleyan Seminary alumni 19th-century American politicians Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly