30th Wisconsin Legislature
# 30th Wisconsin Legislature

The Thirtieth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 10, 1877, to March 8, 1877, in regular session.

This was the first legislative session after the redistricting of the Senate and Assembly according to an act of the previous session.

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 7, 1876. 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 2, 1875.

## Major events

* January 29, 1877: President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Electoral Commission Act to attempt to settle the disputed 1876 United States presidential election.
* March 2, 1877: The Compromise of 1877 secured the election of Rutherford B. Hayes, resolving the disputed 1876 United States presidential election.
* March 4, 1877: Inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes as the 19th President of the United States.
* May 6, 1877: Chief Crazy Horse of the Oglala Sioux surrendered to United States troops in Nebraska.
* July 16, 1877: The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 lead to rioting in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis.
* September 5, 1877: While in captivity, Chief Crazy Horse was killed by an American soldier.
* November 6, 1877: William E. Smith elected Governor of Wisconsin.
* November 29, 1877: Thomas Edison demonstrated his phonograph for the first time.

## Major legislation

* January 31, 1877: Joint Resolution agreeing to an amendment of section four of article seven of the constitution of the state of Wisconsin, 1877 Joint Resolution 1. Confirmed a constitutional amendment adding two seats to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, to be chosen at the Spring 1878 election.
* February 16, 1877: Joint Resolution relating to the coinage of silver, 1877 Act 3.

## Party summary

### Senate summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Dem. | Ref. | Lib.R. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 33 | 0 |
| 1st Session | 8 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 33 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 33.33% | 33.33% | 33.33% | 66.67% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 10 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 33 | 0 |

### Assembly summary

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Dem. | Ref. | Soc. | Gbk. | Ind. | Lib.R. | Rep. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 35 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 52 | 100 | 0 |
| Start of 1st Session | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 100 | 0 |
| From Jan. 31 | 32 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 62 | 100 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 38% | 38% | 38% | 38% | 38% | 38% | 62% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 41 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 100 | 0 |

## Sessions

* 1st Regular session: January 10, 1877 – March 8, 1877

## Leaders

### Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Charles D. Parker (D)
* President pro tempore: William Hiner (R)

### Assembly leadership

* Speaker of the Assembly: John B. Cassoday

## Members

### Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Thirtieth Wisconsin Legislature:

| Dist. | Counties | Senator | Residence | Party |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 01 | Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, & Shawano | George Grimmer | Kewaunee | Rep. |
| 02 | Brown | Thomas R. Hudd | Green Bay | Dem. |
| 03 | Racine | Thomas A. Bones | Racine | Rep. |
| 04 | Crawford & Vernon | J. Henry Tate | Viroqua | Rep. |
| 05 | Milwaukee (Northern Part) | Isaac W. Van Schaick | Milwaukee | Rep. |
| 06 | Milwaukee (Southern Part) | John L. Mitchell | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 07 | Milwaukee (Central Part) | George A. Abert | Milwaukee | Dem. |
| 08 | Kenosha & Walworth | Asahel Farr | Kenosha | Rep. |
| 09 | Green Lake, Marquette, & Waushara | Hobart S. Sacket | Berlin | Rep. |
| 10 | Waukesha | William Blair | Waukesha | Rep. |
| 11 | Chippewa, Clark, Lincoln, Taylor, & Wood | Thomas B. Scott | Grand Rapids | Rep. |
| 12 | Green & Lafayette | Joseph B. Treat | Monroe | Rep. |
| 13 | Dodge | Charles H. Williams | Fox Lake | Dem. |
| 14 | Juneau & Sauk | David E. Welch | Baraboo | Rep. |
| 15 | Manitowoc | Joseph Rankin | Manitowoc | Dem. |
| 16 | Grant | Oscar C. Hathaway | Beetown | Rep. |
| 17 | Rock | Hamilton Richardson | Janesville | Rep. |
| 18 | Fond du Lac (Western Part) | William Hiner | Fond du Lac | Rep. |
| 19 | Winnebago | Return Torrey | Oshkosh | Rep. |
| 20 | Sheboygan & Eastern Fond du Lac | Daniel Cavanagh | Osceola | Dem. |
| 21 | Marathon, Portage, & Waupaca | Henry Mumbrue | Waupaca | Lib.R. |
| 22 | Calumet & Outagamie | James Ryan | Appleton | Dem. |
| 23 | Jefferson | William W. Reed | Jefferson | Lib.R. |
| 24 | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk, & St. Croix | Sam S. Fifield | Ashland | Rep. |
| 25 | Dane (Eastern Part) | George B. Burrows | Madison | Rep. |
| 26 | Dane (Western Part) | Romanzo E. Davis | Middleton | Lib.R. |
| 27 | Adams & Columbia | Levi W. Barden | Portage | Rep. |
| 28 | Iowa & Richland | Daniel Downs | Richland Center | Rep. |
| 29 | Buffalo, Pepin, & Trempealeau | Alexander A. Arnold | Galesville | Rep. |
| 30 | Dunn, Eau Claire, & Pierce | Rockwell J. Flint | Menomonie | Rep. |
| 31 | La Crosse | Merrick Wing | La Crosse | Rep. |
| 32 | Jackson & Monroe | Mark Douglas | Melrose | Rep. |
| 33 | Ozaukee & Washington | Philip Schneider | Farmington | Dem. |

### Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Thirtieth Wisconsin Legislature:

| Senate District | County | Dist. | Representative | Party | Residence |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 27 | Adams | Adams | Solon Pierce | Rep. | Friendship |
| 24 | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, & Polk | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, & Polk | Woodbury S. Grover | Rep. | Prairie Farm |
| 02 | Brown | 1 | David M. Kelly | Rep. | Green Bay |
| 02 | Brown | 2 | William J. Fisk | Rep. | Fort Howard |
| 02 | Brown | 3 | Michael J. Touhey | Dem. | Morrison |
| 29 | Buffalo & Pepin | 1 | John J. Senn | Rep. | Fountain City |
| 29 | Buffalo & Pepin | 2 | Vivus W. Dorwin | Rep. | Durand |
| 22 | Calumet | Calumet | Benjamin F. Carter | Dem. | Harrison |
| 11 | Chippewa | Chippewa | Louis Vincent | Dem. | Chippewa Falls |
| 11 | Clark, Lincoln, Taylor & Wood | Clark, Lincoln, Taylor & Wood | Freeman Lindsay | Rep. | Neillsville |
| 27 | Columbia | 1 | David Owen | Rep. | Caledonia |
| 27 | Columbia | 2 | Harmon J. Fisk | Rep. | Columbus |
| 04 | Crawford | Crawford | Samuel Wannemaker | Dem. | Marietta |
| 26 | Dane | 1 | Michael Johnson | Ref. | Springdale |
| 25 | Dane | 2 | Phineas Baldwin | Rep. | Oregon |
| 25 | Dane | 3 | George Weeks | Rep. | York |
| 13 | Dodge | 1 | William Zeiman | Dem. | Horicon |
| 13 | Dodge | 2 | Francis Newhauser | Dem. | Lomira |
| 13 | Dodge | 3 | Leander H. Shepard | Rep. | Burnett |
| 13 | Dodge | 4 | Patrick Roche | Dem. | Elba |
| 01 | Door | Door | Jarvis T. Wright | Dem. | Sturgeon Bay |
| 30 | Dunn | Dunn | Samuel Black | Rep. | Menomonie |
| 30 | Eau Claire | Eau Claire | Thomas Carmichael | Dem. | Eau Claire |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 1 | William T. Innis | Rep. | West Rosendale |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 2 | Wolcott T. Brooks | Rep. | Waupun |
| 18 | Fond du Lac | 3 | Thomas W. Spence | Rep. | Fond du Lac |
| 20 | Fond du Lac | 4 | Lambert Brost | Dem. | Calumet |
| 16 | Grant | 1 | William E. Carter | Rep. | Platteville |
| 16 | Grant | 2 | Joseph Bock | Rep. | Lancaster |
| 16 | Grant | 3 | Daniel R. Sylvester | Rep. | Castle Rock |
| 12 | Green | 1 | John Luchsinger | Rep. | New Glarus |
| 12 | Green | 2 | Franklin Mitchell | Rep. | Spring Grove |
| 09 | Green Lake | Green Lake | Homer Nelson | Rep. | Markesan |
| 28 | Iowa | 1 | Robert Kinzie | Dem. | Avoca |
| 28 | Iowa | 2 | John Gray | Rep. | Mineral Point |
| 32 | Jackson | Jackson | Carl C. Pope | Rep. | Black River Falls |
| 23 | Jefferson | 1 | Hezekiah Flinn | Dem. | Watertown |
| 23 | Jefferson | 2 | Charles H. Phillips | Rep. | Lake Mills |
| 23 | Jefferson | 3 | Adolf Scheuber | Dem. | Erfurt |
| 14 | Juneau | 1 | David Truell | Rep. | Lyndon |
| 14 | Juneau | 2 | William H. H. Cash | Rep. | New Lisbon |
| 08 | Kenosha | Kenosha | Walter Maxwell | Rep. | Somers |
| 01 | Kewaunee | Kewaunee | Charles Tisch | Dem. | Carlton |
| 31 | La Crosse | La Crosse | William Van Waters | Dem. | Hamilton |
| 11 | Lafayette | 1 | Andrew J. Anderson | Rep. | Argyle |
| 11 | Lafayette | 2 | James Earnest | Dem. | Shullsburg |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 1 | Thomas Thornton | Dem. | Cato |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 2 | Thomas Mohr | Ref. | Kossuth |
| 15 | Manitowoc | 3 | Peter Johnston | Rep. | Manitowoc |
| 21 | Marathon | Marathon | Bartholomew Ringle | Dem. | Wausau |
| 09 | Marquette | Marquette | Samuel Crockett | Dem. | Westfield |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 1 | James G. Flanders | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 2 | Joseph Hamilton | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 3 | Edward Keogh | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 4 | Edwin Hyde | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 5 | David Vance | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 6 | Florian J. Ries | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 07 | Milwaukee | 7 | David P. Hull | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 8 | Peter Salentine (Until Jan. 31) | Dem. | Milwaukee |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 8 | Henry Fink (From Jan. 31) | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 9 | Christian Sarnow | Rep. | Milwaukee |
| 05 | Milwaukee | 10 | Richard F. Stapleton | Dem. | Granville |
| 06 | Milwaukee | 11 | Aloysius Arnolds | Dem. | New Coeln |
| 32 | Monroe | 1 | Chauncey Blakeslee | Dem. | Sparta |
| 32 | Monroe | 2 | Harry Doxtader | Rep. | Tomah |
| 01 | Oconto & Shawano | Oconto & Shawano | John D. Kast | Rep. | Shawano |
| 22 | Outagamie | 1 | David Hammel | Dem. | Appleton |
| 22 | Outagamie | 2 | John J. Knowlton | Dem. | Seymour |
| 33 | Ozaukee | Ozaukee | Gustav Gotze | Ref. | Port Washington |
| 30 | Pierce | Pierce | Ellsworth Burnett | Rep. | River Falls |
| 21 | Portage | Portage | William Arnott | Rep. | Stockton |
| 03 | Racine | 1 | Norton J. Field | Rep. | Racine |
| 03 | Racine | 2 | John T. Rice | Rep. | Waterford |
| 28 | Richland | 1 | J. L. R. McCollum | Dem. | Sextonville |
| 28 | Richland | 2 | Elihu Bailey | Rep. | Marshall |
| 17 | Rock | 1 | Sereno Merrill | Rep. | Beloit |
| 17 | Rock | 2 | John B. Cassoday | Rep. | Janesville |
| 17 | Rock | 3 | Gideon E. Newman | Rep. | Cooksville |
| 14 | Sauk | 1 | David B. Hulburt | Rep. | Loganville |
| 14 | Sauk | 2 | Silas J. Seymour | Rep. | Dellona |
| 20 | Sheboygan | 1 | Joseph Wedig | Ref. | Sheboygan |
| 20 | Sheboygan | 2 | Samuel D. Hubbard | Lib.R. | Lyndon |
| 20 | Sheboygan | 3 | Ambrose D. DeLand | Rep. | Lima |
| 24 | St. Croix | St. Croix | Guy Dailey | Ref. | Hudson |
| 29 | Trempealeau | Trempealeau | James L. Linderman | Rep. | Osseo |
| 04 | Vernon | 1 | Peter J. Dale | Rep. | Coon Prairie |
| 04 | Vernon | 2 | Henry H. Wyatt | Rep. | Stark |
| 08 | Walworth | 1 | Alfred H. Abell | Rep. | Bloomfield |
| 08 | Walworth | 2 | Wilson R. Herron | Rep. | Sharon |
| 08 | Walworth | 3 | William Greening | Rep. | La Grange |
| 33 | Washington | 1 | Frank Fitzgerald | Dem. | Hartford |
| 33 | Washington | 2 | Nicholaus Marx | Dem. | Farmington |
| 10 | Waukesha | 1 | Hercules F. Dousman | Rep. | Waterville |
| 10 | Waukesha | 2 | Thomas McCarty | Dem. | Menomonee Falls |
| 21 | Waupaca | 1 | Asa L. Baldwin | Rep. | Baldwin's Mills |
| 21 | Waupaca | 2 | Hannibal Dixon | Rep. | New London |
| 09 | Waushara | Waushara | Jabez K. Walker | Rep. | East Oasis |
| 19 | Winnebago | 1 | Thomas Wall | Dem. | Oshkosh |
| 19 | Winnebago | 2 | Henry Leavens | Rep. | Neenah |
| 19 | Winnebago | 3 | Levi E. Knapp | Rep. | Oshkosh |
| 19 | Winnebago | 4 | Sidney Shufelt | Rep. | Poygan |

## Changes from the 29th Legislature

New districts for the 30th Legislature were defined in 1876 Wisconsin Act 343, passed into law in the 29th Wisconsin Legislature.

### Senate redistricting

**Summary of changes**

* 10 Senate districts were left unchanged (or were only renumbered).
* Brown County became its own senate district (2), after previously having been in a shared district with Door and Kewaunee counties.
* The Dane County district boundaries were slightly redrawn and renumbered (25, 26).
* Milwaukee County went from having 2 districts to 3 (5, 6, 7).
* Green and Lafayette counties were combined into one district (12).
* Fond du Lac County's eastern district was combined with Manitowoc County as one district (20).
* Pierce County was removed from the 24th district and added to a new district with Eau Claire and Dunn counties (30).

**Senate districts**

| Dist. | 29th Legislature | 30th Legislature |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Sheboygan County | Door, Kewaunee, Oconto, Shawano counties |
| 2 | Brown, Door, Kewaunee counties | Brown County |
| 3 | Ozaukee County | Racine County |
| 4 | Monroe, Vernon counties | Crawford, Vernon counties |
| 5 | Racine County | Northern Milwaukee County |
| 6 | Southern Milwaukee County | Southern Milwaukee County |
| 7 | Eastern Dane County | Central Milwaukee County |
| 8 | Kenosha, Walworth counties | Kenosha, Walworth counties |
| 9 | Iowa County | Green Lake, Marquette, Waushara counties |
| 10 | Waukesha County | Waukesha County |
| 11 | Lafayette County | Chippewa, Clark, Lincoln, Taylor, Wood counties |
| 12 | Green County | Green, Lafayette counties |
| 13 | Dodge County | Dodge County |
| 14 | Sauk County | Juneau, Sauk counties |
| 15 | Manitowoc County | Manitowoc County |
| 16 | Grant County | Grant County |
| 17 | Rock County | Rock County |
| 18 | Western Fond du Lac County | Western Fond du Lac County |
| 19 | Manitowoc County | Winnebago County |
| 20 | Eastern Fond du Lac County | Sheboygan, Eastern Fond du Lac counties |
| 21 | Marathon, Oconto, Shawano, Waupaca, Northern Outagamie counties | Marathon, Portage, Waupaca counties |
| 22 | Calumet, Southern Outagamie counties | Calumet, Outagamie counties |
| 23 | Jefferson County | Jefferson County |
| 24 | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix counties | Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk, St. Croix counties |
| 25 | Green Lake, Marquette, Waushara counties | Eastern Dane County |
| 26 | Western Dane County | Western Dane County |
| 27 | Columbia County | Adams, Columbia counties |
| 28 | Crawford, Richland counties | Iowa, Richland counties |
| 29 | Adams, Juneau, Portage, Wood counties | Buffalo, Pepin, Trempealeau counties |
| 30 | Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin counties | Dunn, Eau Claire, Pierce counties |
| 31 | La Crosse County | La Crosse County |
| 32 | Buffalo, Clark, Jackson, Trempealeau counties | Jackson & Monroe counties |
| 33 | Ozaukee, Washington counties | Ozaukee, Washington counties |

### Assembly redistricting

**Summary of changes**

* 45 Assembly districts were left unchanged (or were only renumbered).
* Adams County became its own Assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Wood County.
* Chippewa County became its own Assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Taylor County.
* Columbia County went from having 3 districts to 2.
* Dane County went from having 4 districts to 3.
* Dodge County went from having 6 districts to 4.
* Door County became its own Assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Northern Kewaunee County.
* Dunn County became its own Assembly district, after previously having been in a shared district with Pepin County.
* Juneau County went from having 1 district to 2.
* Ozaukee County went from having 2 districts to 1.
* Rock County went from having 5 districts to 3.

**Assembly districts**

| County | Districts in 29th Legislature | Districts in 30th Legislature |
| - | - | - |
| Adams | Shared with Wood | 1 District |
| Ashland | Shared with Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk | Shared with Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk |
| Barron | Shared with Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk | Shared with Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk |
| Bayfield | Shared with Ashland, Barron, Burnett, Douglas, Polk | Shared with Ashland, Barron, Burnett, Douglas, Polk |
| Brown | 3 Districts | 3 Districts |
| Buffalo | 1 District | 2 shared with Pepin |
| Burnett | Shared with Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Douglas, Polk | Shared with Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Douglas, Polk |
| Calumet | 1 District | 1 District |
| Chippewa | Shared with Taylor | 1 District |
| Clark | Shared with Jackson | Shared with Lincoln, Taylor & Wood |
| Columbia | 3 Districts | 2 Districts |
| Crawford | 1 District | 1 District |
| Dane | 4 Districts | 3 Districts |
| Dodge | 6 Districts | 4 Districts |
| Door | Shared with Northern Kewaunee | 1 District |
| Douglas | Shared with Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Polk | Shared with Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Polk |
| Dunn | Shared with Pepin | 1 District |
| Eau Claire | 1 District | 1 District |
| Fond du Lac | 3 Districts | 4 Districts |
| Grant | 4 Districts | 3 Districts |
| Green | 1 District | 2 Districts |
| Green Lake | 1 District | 1 District |
| Iowa | 2 Districts | 2 Districts |
| Jackson | Shared with Clark | 1 District |
| Jefferson | 3 Districts | 3 Districts |
| Juneau | 1 District | 2 Districts |
| Kenosha | 1 District | 1 District |
| Kewaunee | Divided between Door and Brown | 1 District |
| La Crosse | 1 District | 1 District |
| Lafayette | 1 District | 2 Districts |
| Manitowoc | 3 Districts | 3 Districts |
| Marathon | 1 District | 1 District |
| Marquette | 1 District | 1 District |
| Milwaukee | 11 Districts | 11 Districts |
| Monroe | 2 Districts | 2 Districts |
| Oconto | 1 District | Shared with Shawano |
| Outagamie | Divided between Shawano and own district | 2 Districts |
| Ozaukee | 2 Districts | 1 District |
| Pepin | Shared with Dunn | 2 shared with Buffalo |
| Pierce | 1 District | 1 District |
| Polk | Shared with Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas | Shared with Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas |
| Portage | 1 District | 1 District |
| Racine | 2 Districts | 2 Districts |
| Richland | 2 Districts | 2 Districts |
| Rock | 5 Districts | 3 Districts |
| Sauk | 2 Districts | 2 Districts |
| Shawano | Shared with Northern Outagamie & Eastern Waupaca | Shared with Oconto |
| Sheboygan | 3 Districts | 3 Districts |
| St. Croix | 1 District | 1 District |
| Taylor | Shared with Chippewa | Shared with Clark, Lincoln, Wood |
| Trempealeau | 1 District | 1 District |
| Vernon | 2 Districts | 2 Districts |
| Walworth | 3 Districts | 3 Districts |
| Washington | 2 Districts | 2 Districts |
| Waukesha | 2 Districts | 2 Districts |
| Waupaca | Shared with Shawano & Northern Outagamie | 2 Districts |
| Waushara | 1 District | 1 District |
| Winnebago | 4 Districts | 4 Districts |
| Wood | Shared with Adams | Shared with Clark, Lincoln, & Taylor |
