Jacob Bodden (September 21, 1831 – February 21, 1889) was a

German American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...

, farmer, and politician. He represented eastern Dodge County for three terms as 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. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

Biography

Bodden was born in

Lich In fantasy fiction, a lich () is a type of undead creature with magical powers. Various works of fantasy fiction, such as Clark Ashton Smith's " The Empire of the Necromancers" (1932), had used ''lich'' as a general term for any corpse, animat ...

, which was, at the time, a part of the

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost Provinces of Prussia, province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. ...

of the

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

(modern day

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

). In 1851, Bodden immigrated to Wisconsin and worked as a farmer. On January 24, 1856, Bodden married Agnes Schafer. On September 3, 1858, Schafer died after giving birth to their only child. In 1860, Bodden married Gertrude Schaefer at the Catholic church in

Theresa, Wisconsin Theresa is a village in Dodge County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,255 at the 2020 census. The village is surrounded by the Town of Theresa. History Theresa was founded by Solomon Juneau along with his Metis wife, Josett ...

. They had 13 children. He died on February 21, 1889, in Theresa.

Career

Bodden served in the Wisconsin State Assembly during the

1861 This year saw significant progress in the Unification of Italy, the outbreak of the American Civil War, and the emancipation reform abolishing serfdom in the Russian Empire. Events January * January 1 ** Benito Juárez captures Mexico Ci ...

1866 Events January * January 1 ** Fisk University, a historically black university, is established in Nashville, Tennessee. ** The last issue of the abolitionist magazine '' The Liberator'' is published. * January 6 – Ottoman troops clash ...

, and

1874 Events January * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War: Battle of Caspe &n ...

sessions and 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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. He also served as treasurer and sheriff of

Dodge County, Wisconsin Dodge County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 89,396. Its county seat is Juneau, Wisconsin, Juneau. The county was created from the ...

. He also was chairman of the county board of supervisors of Dodge County in 1874–75. In 1873, Bodden ran for the state assembly unopposed and received 902 total votes.

Descendants

In 1988, Jacob Bodden's great-grandson, Todd Bodden, ran for

Wisconsin's 59th Assembly district The 59th Assembly district of Wisconsin is one of 99 districts in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Located in eastern Wisconsin, the district comprises parts of northern Washington County, Wisconsin, Washington County, northern Ozaukee County, Wis ...

as a Democrat and lost in the general election. In 2022, Jacob Bodden's 3rd great-grandson, Ty Bodden of

Stockbridge, Wisconsin Stockbridge is a village in Calumet County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 678 at the 2020 census. The village lies within the Town of Stockbridge. History Stockbridge is known as "The Sturgeon Capital of the World," and was ...

, was elected to the Assembly in the 59th Assembly district, running as a Republican. He had previously run unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in this district in 2018.https://ballotpedia.org/Ty_Bodden. Like his 3rd great-grandfather, Ty Bodden is a former resident of

. Ty also used to reside in St. Cloud, Wisconsin,

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Fond du Lac () is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the southern end of Lake Winnebago and had a population of 44,678 at the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Fond du Lac met ...

and

Kewaskum, Wisconsin Kewaskum is a village in Washington and Fond du Lac counties in Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,309 at the 2020 census. All of this population resided in the Washington County portion of the village. The village is mostly surr ...

. He currently resides in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodden, Jacob 1831 births 1889 deaths People from Theresa, Wisconsin Prussian emigrants to the United States Wisconsin sheriffs County supervisors in Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature