10th Wisconsin Legislature
The Tenth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 14, 1857, to March 9, 1857, in regular session.
This was the first legislative session after the expansion and redistricting of the Senate and Assembly according to an act of the previous session. The Senate grew from 25 to 30 seats; the Assembly grew from 82 to 97 seats.
Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assembly members were elected to a one-year term. Assembly members and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 4, 1856. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 6, 1855, or were elected in the 1856 election for a newly created district and were serving a one-year term.
Major events
- January 23, 1857: James Rood Doolittle elected United States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in Joint Session.
- March 4, 1857: Inauguration of James Buchanan as the 15th President of the United States.
- November 3, 1857: Alexander Randall elected Governor of Wisconsin.
- January 4, 1858: Inauguration of Alexander Randall as the 6th Governor of Wisconsin.
Major legislation
- February 19, 1857: Act relating to the writ of Habeas Corpus to persons claimed as Fugitive Slaves, the right of trial by jury, and to prevent kidnapping in this State, . This was an attempt to make it more difficult to arrest people on accusation that they were fugitive slaves. It also introduced severe penalties for falsely claiming a person as a fugitive slave.
- February 28, 1857: Act providing for the erection of the main edifice of the State University,
- February 28, 1857: Act authorizing the enlargement of the State Capitol, and providing and appropriating means for the payment of the same,
- March 4, 1857: Act to extend the right of Suffrage, . This was the second attempt to create a referendum which would grant voting rights to African American men in Wisconsin. The first referendum passed, but was deemed illegitimate. This referendum would fail in the 1857 election. Ultimately, the Wisconsin Supreme Court would rule in the 1866 case of Gillespie v. Palmer that the earlier referendum was valid, and that African American men would have the right to vote in the state.
- March 7, 1857: Act to preserve the purity of Elections,
- March 9, 1857: Act to provide for the appointment of a Superintendent of Public Property and to define his powers and duties,
Party summary
Senate
Assembly
Sessions
- 1st Regular session: January 14, 1857 - March 9, 1857
Leaders
Senate
- President of the Senate: Arthur MacArthur, Sr., Lieutenant Governor
- President pro tempore:
Assembly
- Speaker of the Assembly: Wyman Spooner
Members
Senate
Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Tenth Wisconsin Legislature:| District | Counties | Senator | Party |
| 1 | Sheboygan | Elijah Fox Cook | Democrat |
| 2 | Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawanaw | Perry H. Smith | Democrat |
| 3 | Ozaukee | Herman J. Schulteis | Democrat |
| 4 | Washington | Baruch Schleisinger Weil | Democrat |
| 5 | Northern Milwaukee | Augustus Greulich | Democrat |
| 6 | Southern Milwaukee | Edward O'Neill | Democrat |
| 7 | Racine | Champion S. Chase | Republican |
| 8 | Kenosha | Christopher Latham Sholes | Republican |
| 9 | Adams, Juneau, Sauk | John T. Kingston | Republican |
| 10 | Waukesha | Edward Gernon | Democrat |
| 11 | Eastern Dane | Hiram H. Giles | Republican |
| 12 | Walworth | Jesse C. Mills | Republican |
| 13 | Lafayette | Philemon B. Simpson | Democrat |
| 14 | Northern Jefferson | S. W. Barnes | Democrat |
| 15 | Iowa, Richland | Lemuel W. Joiner | Republican |
| 16 | Grant | J. Allen Barber | Republican |
| 17 | Western Rock | James Sutherland | Republican |
| 18 | Eastern Rock | Louis P. Harvey | Republican |
| 19 | Manitowoc, Calumet | Temple Clark | Democrat |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | Edward Pier | Republican |
| 21 | Winnebago | Edwin Wheeler | Republican |
| 22 | Dodge | Solomon L. Rose | Democrat |
| 23 | Southern Jefferson | Samuel C. Bean | Republican |
| 24 | Green | George E. Dexter | Republican |
| 25 | Columbia | Moses M. Davis | Republican |
| 26 | Western Dane | Hiram C. Bull | Republican |
| 27 | Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood | Luther Hanchett | Republican |
| 28 | Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix | William Wilson | Republican |
| 29 | Marquette | Martin L. Kimball | Republican |
| 30 | Bad Ax, Buffalo, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Tremealeau | William T. Price | Republican |
Assembly
Members of the Assembly for the Tenth Wisconsin Legislature:Employees
Senate
- Chief Clerk: William Henry Brisbane
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Alanson Filer
Assembly
- Chief Clerk: William C. Webb
- Sergeant-at-Arms: William C. Rogers
Changes from the 9th Legislature
Senate redistricting
Summary of changes
- 17 senate districts were left unchanged.
- Dane County went from having one senator to two.
- Jefferson County went from having one senator to two.
- Marquette County became its own senate district, after previously having been in a shared district with Adams, Sauk, and Waushara counties.
- Sheboygan County became its own senate district, after previously having been in a shared district with Calumet and Manitowoc counties
- Waukesha County went from two senators to one.
- The multi-county, lightly-populated northern and western regions of the state went from two senators to four.
Senate districts
| Dist. | 9th Legislature | 10th Legislature |
| 1 | Calumet, Manitowoc, Sheboygan counties | Sheboygan County |
| 2 | Brown, Door, Marathon, Oconto, Outagamie, Portage, Waupaca counties | Brown, Outagamie, Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, Shawano counties |
| 3 | Ozaukee County | Ozaukee County |
| 4 | Washington County | Washington County |
| 5 | Northern Milwaukee County | Northern Milwaukee County |
| 6 | Southern Milwaukee County | Southern Milwaukee County |
| 7 | Racine County | Racine County |
| 8 | Kenosha County | Kenosha County |
| 9 | Northern Waukesha County | Sauk, Adams, Juneau counties |
| 10 | Southern Waukesha County | Waukesha County |
| 11 | Dane County | Eastern Dane County |
| 12 | Walworth County | Walworth County |
| 13 | Lafayette County | Lafayette County |
| 14 | Jefferson County | Northern Jefferson County |
| 15 | Iowa, Richland counties | Iowa, Richland counties |
| 16 | Grant County | Grant County |
| 17 | Western Rock County | Western Rock County |
| 18 | Eastern Rock County | Eastern Rock County |
| 19 | Bad Ax, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix counties | Manitowoc, Calumet County |
| 20 | Fond du Lac County | Fond du Lac County |
| 21 | Winnebago County | Winnebago County |
| 22 | Dodge County | Dodge County |
| 23 | Adams, Marquette, Sauk, Waushara counties | Southern Jefferson County |
| 24 | Green County | Green County |
| 25 | Columbia County | Columbia County |
| 26 | Did not exist in 9th Legislature | Western Dane County |
| 27 | Did not exist in 9th Legislature | Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, Waushara, Wood County |
| 28 | Did not exist in 9th Legislature | Burnett, Chippewa, Clark, Douglas, Dunn, La Pointe, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix counties |
| 29 | Did not exist in 9th Legislature | Marquette County |
| 30 | Did not exist in 9th Legislature | Bad Ax, Buffalo, Crawford, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Tremealeau counties |
Assembly redistricting
Summary of changes
- Brown County became its own assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Door and Kewaunee counties.
- Columbia County went from having 2 districts to 3.
- Dane County went from having 5 districts to 6.
- Fond du Lac County went from having 4 districts to 5.
- Green County went from having 1 district to 2.
- Manitowoc County went from having 1 district to 2.
- Marquette County went from sharing 1 district and 1 shared district with Waushara to having 2 districts.
- Outagamie County became its own assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Oconto and Waupaca counties.
- Rock County went from having 4 districts to 5.
- Sauk County went from sharing a district with Adams to having 2 districts of its own.
- Sheboygan County went from having 2 districts to 3.
- Walworth County went from having 6 districts to 4.
- Washington County went from having 2 districts to 3.
- Waupaca County became its own assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Oconto and Outagamie counties.
- Waushara County became its own assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Marquette
- Winnebago County went from having 2 districts to 3.
Assembly districts