5th Wisconsin Legislature
The Fifth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 14, 1852, to April 19, 1852, in regular session. Senators representing even-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assemblymembers were elected to a one-year term. Assemblymembers and even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 4, 1851. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 5, 1850.
Major events
- January 30, 1852: Assemblymember Matthew Murphy of Lafayette County resigned his seat after it was demonstrated that he had actually lost his election to George W. Hammett.
- November 2, 1852: Franklin Pierce elected President of the United States
Major legislation
- March 3, 1852: Act to incorporate Racine College,
- March 4, 1852: Act to incorporate the Milwaukee University,
- April 16, 1852: Act to set apart and incorporate the County of Kewaunee,
- April 17, 1852: Act to provide for the organization of a separate Supreme Court and for the election of Justices thereof,
- April 19, 1852: Act to authorize the business of Banking,
- April 19, 1852: Act to provide for the registration of Marriages, Births, and Deaths,
- April 19, 1852: Act to apportion and district anew the members of the Senate and Assembly of the State of Wisconsin, , increased the size of the Senate to 25 members, and the Assembly to 82.
- April 19, 1852: Act relating to Printing,
Party summary
Senate
Assembly
Sessions
- 1st Regular session: January 14, 1852 - April 19, 1852
Leaders
Senate
- President of the Senate: Samuel Beall, Lieutenant Governor
- President pro tempore: Eliab B. Dean, Jr.
Assembly
- Speaker of the Assembly: James McMillan Shafter
Members
Senate
Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Fifth Wisconsin Legislature:| District | Counties | Senator | Party |
| 1 | Brown, Calumet, Door, Manitowoc, Oconto, Outagamie, Sheboygan | Theodore Conkey | Democrat |
| 2 | Columbia, Marathon, Marquette, Portage, Sauk, Waushara | James S. Alban | Whig |
| 3 | Bad Ax, Chippewa, Crawford, La Crosse, St. Croix, La Pointe | Hiram A. Wright | Democrat |
| 4 | Fond du Lac, Waupaca, Winnebago | Bertine Pinckney | Whig |
| 5 | Iowa, Richland | Levi Sterling | Whig |
| 6 | Grant | Joel C. Squires | Democrat |
| 7 | Lafayette | Samuel G. Bugh | Democrat |
| 8 | Green | Thomas S. Bowen | Democrat |
| 9 | Dane | Eliab B. Dean, Jr. | Democrat |
| 10 | Dodge | Judson Prentice | Whig |
| 11 | Washington | Harvey G. Turner | Democrat |
| 12 | Jefferson | Alva Stewart | Whig |
| 13 | Waukesha | E. B. West | Whig |
| 14 | Walworth | Eleazer Wakeley | Democrat |
| 15 | Rock | Andrew Palmer | Democrat |
| 16 | Kenosha | John Sharpstein | Democrat |
| 17 | Racine | Stephen O. Bennett | Free Soil |
| 18 | Milwaukee 1 | Duncan Reed | Democrat |
| 19 | Milwaukee 2 | Francis Huebschmann | Democrat |
Assembly
Members of the Assembly for the Fifth Wisconsin Legislature:| Counties | Representative | Party |
| Bad Ax, Chippewa, Crawford, La Crosse | Andrew Briggs | Democrat |
| Brown, Door, Oconto, Outagamie | Uriel H. Peak | Democrat |
| Calumet | James Cramond | Democrat |
| Columbia | James T. Lewis | Democrat |
| Dane 1 | Alexander Botkin | Whig |
| Dane 2 | Hiram Giles | Whig |
| Dane 3 | William A. Pierce | Democrat |
| Dodge 1 | Darius L. Bancroft | Whig |
| Dodge 2 | Timothy B. Sterling | Whig |
| Dodge 3 | Maximilian Averbeck | Democrat |
| Dodge 4 | William H. Green | Democrat |
| Dodge 5 | Horace D. Patch | Democrat |
| Fond du Lac 1 | Benjamin F. Moore | Whig |
| Fond du Lac 2 | Nicholas M. Donaldson | Whig |
| Grant 1 | William Richardson | Whig |
| Grant 2 | Noah Clemmons | Democrat |
| Grant 3 | David McKee | Democrat |
| Grant 4 | J. Allen Barber | Whig |
| Green | Truman J. Safford | Whig |
| Iowa & Richland 1 | John Toay | Whig |
| Iowa & Richland 2 | Luman M. Strong | Democrat |
| Jefferson 1 | Thomas R. Mott | Whig |
| Jefferson 2 | A. H. Van Norstrand | Democrat |
| Jefferson 3 | Jacob Skinner | Whig |
| Kenosha 1 | Christopher Latham Sholes | Free Soil |
| Kenosha 2 | Lathrop Burgess | Free Soil |
| Lafayette 1 | James H. Earnest | Whig |
| Lafayette 2 | Matthew Murphy, resigned January 30, 1852 | Democrat |
| Lafayette 2 | George W. Hammett, remainder of term | Whig |
| La Pointe, St. Croix | Otis W. Hoyt | Democrat |
| Manitowoc | Ezekiel Ricker | Democrat |
| Marathon, Portage | George W. Cate | Democrat |
| Marquette, Waushara | Eleazer Root | Whig |
| Milwaukee 1 | Charles Cain | Whig |
| Milwaukee 2 | Joseph A. Phelps | Whig |
| Milwaukee 3 | Wallace W. Graham | Democrat |
| Milwaukee 4 | Jonathan L. Burnham | Whig |
| Milwaukee 5 | Edward Hasse | Democrat |
| Milwaukee 6 | Valentine Knoll | Democrat |
| Milwaukee 7 | William Beck | Democrat |
| Racine 1 | William L. Utley | Free Soil |
| Racine 2 | Abram Gordon | Whig |
| Racine 3 | James Catton | Whig |
| Rock 1 | William A. Lawrence | Whig |
| Rock 2 | Simeon W. Abbott | Whig |
| Rock 3 | John Hackett | Democrat |
| Rock 4 | George R. Ramsey | Whig |
| Rock 5 | Asal Kinney | Whig |
| Sauk | Jonathan W. Fyffe | Whig |
| Sheboygan 1 | James McMillan Shafter | Whig |
| Sheboygan 2 | David B. Conger | Whig |
| Walworth 1 | Joel H. Cooper | Free Soil |
| Walworth 2 | Zerah Mead | Whig |
| Walworth 3 | Timothy H. Fellows | Free Soil |
| Walworth 4 | Lewis N. Wood | Whig |
| Walworth 5 | Stephen Steele Barlow | Free Soil |
| Washington 1 | Simon D. Powers | Democrat |
| Washington 2 | Phineas M. Johnson | Democrat |
| Washington 3 | Adam Staats | Democrat |
| Washington 4 | Densmore W. Maxon | Democrat |
| Washington 5 | Baruch Schleisinger Weil | Democrat |
| Waukesha 1 | John U. Hilliard | Democrat |
| Waukesha 2 | Denison Worthington | Whig |
| Waukesha 3 | Thomas Sugden | Whig |
| Waukesha 4 | Publius V. Monroe | Democrat |
| Waukesha 5 | Findley McNaughton | Democrat |
| Waupaca, Winnebago | Dudley C. Blodget | Whig |
Employees
Senate
- Chief Clerk: John K. Williams
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Patrick Cosgrove
Assembly
- Chief Clerk: Alexander T. Gray
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Elisha Starr