Densmore Maxon

Densmore Maxon
Portrait from A Political History of Wisconsin (1900)
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 4th district
In office
January 4, 1858 – January 6, 1862
Preceded byBaruch S. Weil
Succeeded byFrederick Thorpe
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Washington 1st district district
In office
January 2, 1882 – January 1, 1883
Preceded byJohn F. Schwalbach
Succeeded byGeorge Noller
In office
January 1, 1872 – January 6, 1873
Preceded byBaruch S. Weil
Succeeded byHiram Wilson Sawyer
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Washington 2nd district district
In office
January 7, 1867 – January 1, 1872
Preceded byMitchel L. Delaney
Succeeded byBaruch S. Weil
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Washington 4th district district
In office
January 5, 1852 – January 3, 1853
Preceded byJohn C. Toll
Succeeded byWilliam P. Barnes
In office
June 5, 1848 – January 1, 1849
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPatrick Toland
Personal details
Born
Densmore William Maxon

(1820-09-30)September 30, 1820
Verona, New York, U.S.
DiedMarch 21, 1887(1887-03-21) (aged 66)
Santa Cruz, California, U.S.
Resting placeCedar Creek Cemetery, Cedar Creek, Wisconsin
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseElizabeth Turck (died 1913)
Children8

Densmore William Maxon (September 30, 1820 – March 21, 1887) was an American farmer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served 9 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly and 4 years in the State Senate, representing Washington County.

Background

Maxon was born in Verona, Oneida County, New York, in 1820.[1] He was educated at the Oneida Conference Seminary at Cazenovia, New York, and became a farmer. He moved to Wisconsin Territory in 1843, and first settled at Milwaukee and was appointed deputy county surveyor in 1843; but removed to Cedar Creek, Washington County, in 1846.

Political career

Maxon was Town Chairman of Polk from 1846 to 1859. He was first elected a member of the Assembly in the first state legislative elections for the new state of Wisconsin, held in February 1848, and went on to serve in the 1st Wisconsin Legislature. He was subsequently elected to another one-year term in the 5th Wisconsin Legislature (1852), and was elected to two terms as Washington County's representative in the Wisconsin Senate, serving from 1858 through 1861.

In 1865, he was the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, but was defeated by Republican Wyman Spooner. Following the 1866 redistricting, he was again elected to the State Assembly, serving six consecutive terms (1867–1873). He was elected to a final term in 1881, receiving 797 votes to 613 votes for Republican Jacob H. Goelzer, and 72 for Greenbacker H. A. Forbes. In 1882, he was assigned to the joint committee on charitable and penal institutions.[2]

Outside the legislature

In May, 1868 Maxon was appointed by President Andrew Johnson as a member of the board of visitors to attend the annual examination at the United States Military Academy at West Point. In the 1880s he was one of the Commissioners of the Wisconsin Farm Mortgage Land Company, a state commission. He died in 1887 in Santa Cruz, California, and was buried in Cedar Creek, Wisconsin.[3][4]

References

  1. ^ "Maxon, Densmore William 1820 - 1887". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 561–562. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "Death of D. W. Maxon". The Weekly Wisconsin. March 26, 1887. p. 4. Retrieved September 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Mr. Maxon's Remains". San Francisco Chronicle. March 26, 1887. p. 8. Retrieved September 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
1865
Succeeded by
Gilbert L. Park
Wisconsin State Assembly
State government established Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Washington 4th district
June 5, 1848 – January 1, 1849
Succeeded by
Preceded by
John C. Toll
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Washington 4th district
January 5, 1852 – January 3, 1853
Succeeded by
William P. Barnes
Preceded by
Mitchel L. Delaney
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Washington 2nd district
January 7, 1867 – January 1, 1872
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Washington 1st district
January 1, 1872 – January 6, 1873
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Washington 1st district
January 2, 1882 – January 1, 1883
Succeeded by
Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 4th district
January 4, 1858 – January 6, 1862
Succeeded by