Hugh Porter (politician)

Hugh Porter
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Crawford district
In office
January 2, 1899 – January 7, 1901
Preceded byJames O. Davidson
Succeeded byJohn A. Haggerty
In office
January 3, 1887 – January 5, 1891
Preceded byThomas Curley
Succeeded byAmbrose Thompson
Personal details
Born(1843-09-23)September 23, 1843
Morgan County, Ohio, U.S.
DiedAugust 1, 1936(1936-08-01) (aged 92)
Viroqua, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeViroqua Cemetery, Viroqua, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Mary Alice Cron
​
(died 1934)​
Children
  • Justin Adelbert Porter
  • (b. 1870; died 1932)
  • Adelaide "Addie" (McIntosh)
  • (b. 1870; died 1932)
  • John Porter
  • (died after 1936)
OccupationFarmer
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Volunteers
Union Army
Years of service1865
RankCorporal, USV
Unit49th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Hugh Porter (September 23, 1843 – August 1, 1936) was an American farmer and Republican politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly for three terms, representing Crawford County.

Biography

Hugh Porter was born in Morgan County, Ohio, on September 23, 1843. He came west with his parents at age 12 to the town of Newport, in Columbia County, Wisconsin.[1] The family then briefly moved to Allamakee County, Iowa, before settling more permanently in the town of Seneca, Crawford County, Wisconsin, in the Fall of 1855.[2]

In the last year of the American Civil War, he volunteered for service and was enrolled as a private in Company F of the 49th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to corporal before the regiment was mustered out in November 1865.[3] His regiment didn't see any combat, and was solely tasked with logistics and provost duties in Missouri.[4]

He was elected chairman of the town board and president of the Crawford County Agricultural Society before running for Wisconsin State Assembly in 1886. He won two consecutive terms in the Assembly, in 1886 and 1888, running on the Republican Party ticket; he was not a candidate in 1890.[5]

He was elected to a third and final term in the Assembly in the 1898 election, serving in the 1899 session.[6] He did not run again in 1900.

After leaving the Assembly, he moved to Viroqua, Wisconsin, where he resided for the rest of his life. There, in 1905, he was a co-founder of the Viroqua Co-Operative Creamery and served for several years on the board of directors.[1]

He died at his home in Viroqua on August 1, 1836.[1]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1886, 1888)

Wisconsin Assembly, Crawford District Election, 1886[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 2, 1886
Republican Hugh Porter 1,671 56.80% +7.25%
Democratic Thomas W. Tower 1,271 43.20% −9.70%
Plurality 400 13.60% +12.69%
Total votes 2,942 100.0% -8.03%
Republican gain from Democratic
Wisconsin Assembly, Crawford District Election, 1888[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 6, 1888
Republican Hugh Porter (incumbent) 1,829 53.06% −3.74%
Democratic James A. Robb 1,559 45.23% +2.03%
Prohibition Thomas W. Gay 59 1.71%
Plurality 270 7.83% -5.76%
Total votes 3,447 100.0% +17.17%
Republican hold

Wisconsin Assembly (1898)

Wisconsin Assembly, Crawford District Election, 1898[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 8, 1898
Republican Hugh Porter 1,828 60.11% +1.08%
Democratic Peter N. Peterson 1,213 39.89%
Plurality 615 20.22% +2.17%
Total votes 3,041 100.0% -20.89%
Republican hold

References

  1. ^ a b c "Hugh Porter, 92, Last Veteran At Viroqua, is Dead". La Crosse Tribune. August 1, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Timme, Ernst G., ed. (1887). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 494. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  3. ^ "Forty-Ninth Regiment Infantry". Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865 (Report). Vol. 2. Office of the Adjutant General of Wisconsin. 1886. p. 858. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  4. ^ Quiner, Edwin B. (1866). "Forty-Ninth Infantry". The Military History of Wisconsin. Clarke & Co. pp. 866–867. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Timme, Ernst G., ed. (1889). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 504. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Froehlich, William H., ed. (1899). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 766. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Crawford district
January 3, 1887 – January 5, 1891 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Crawford district
January 2, 1899 – January 7, 1901 		Succeeded by