2nd Wisconsin Legislature
The Second Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 10, 1849, to April 2, 1849, in regular session. Senators representing odd numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Senators representing even numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term.
Major events
- March 4, 1849: Zachary Taylor became President of the United States
- November 6, 1849: Nelson Dewey is re-elected Governor of Wisconsin
- January 7, 1850: Second Inauguration of Nelson Dewey as Governor of Wisconsin
- January 7, 1850: Inauguration of Samuel Beall as Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
Major legislation
- February 8, 1849: Joint resolution related to Slavery and the Slave trade,
- March 6, 1849: Act to extend the boundaries of the county of Marquette,
- March 8, 1849: Act in relation to the boundaries of the counties of Columbia, Adams, Sauk, Chippewa, La Pointe, and St. Croix,
- March 8, 1849: Act to extend the boundaries of Winnebago county,
- March 10, 1849: Joint resolution relative to a proposed amendment to the constitution of the United States, concerning the election of Senators in congress,
- March 22, 1849: Act submitting the question of the extension of the right of suffrage to a vote of the People, . Setting a referendum for the 1849 general election which would grant voting rights to African Americans living in Wisconsin. The referendum passed, but the legality was challenged. The Wisconsin Supreme Court finally upheld the result of the 1849 referendum in the 1866 case of Gillespie v Palmer and others.
- March 31, 1849: Joint resolution instructing the Hon. Isaac P. Walker to resign his seat as United States Senator, .
Party summary
Senate
Assembly
Sessions
- 1st Regular session: January 10, 1849-April 2, 1849
Leaders
Senate
- President of the Senate: John E. Holmes, Lieutenant Governor
Assembly
- Speaker of the Assembly: Harrison Carroll Hobart
Members
Senate
Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Second Wisconsin Legislature:| District | Counties | Senator | Party |
| 1 | Brown, Calumet, Manitowoc, Sheboygan | Lemuel Goodell | Democrat |
| 2 | Columbia, Marquette, Portage, Sauk | Henry Merrill | Whig |
| 3 | Crawford, Chippewa, St. Croix, La Pointe | James Fisher | Democrat |
| 4 | Fond du Lac, Winnebago | Warren Chase | Democrat |
| 5 | Iowa, Richland | Montgomery M. Cothren | Democrat |
| 6 | Grant | George W. Lakin | Whig |
| 7 | Lafayette | Dennis Murphy | Democrat |
| 8 | Green | E.T. Gardner | Democrat |
| 9 | Dane | Alexander Botkin | Whig |
| 10 | Dodge | William M. Dennis | Democrat |
| 11 | Washington | Frederick W. Horn | Democrat |
| 12 | Jefferson | Myron B. Williams | Democrat |
| 13 | Waukesha | Frederick Sprague | Democrat |
| 14 | Walworth | John W. Boyd | Democrat |
| 15 | Rock | Otis W. Norton | Whig |
| 16 | Racine 1 | Christopher Latham Sholes | Democrat |
| 17 | Racine 2 | Victor Willard | Free Soil |
| 18 | Milwaukee 1 | Asa Kinney | Democrat |
| 19 | Milwaukee 2 | John B. Smith | Democrat |
Assembly
Members of the Assembly for the Second Wisconsin Legislature:Employees
Senate
- Chief Clerk: William Rudolph Smith
- Assistant Clerk: P. N. Bovee
- Enrolling Clerk: G. W. Boardman
- Engrossing Clerk: Henry B. Welsh
- Transcribing Clerk: William Dutcher
- Messenger: Moritz Morgenstine
- Doorkeeper: J. S. Delno
- Fireman: S. B. Sibley
- Sergeant-at-Arms: W. Shellmer
Assembly
- Chief Clerk: Robert L. Ream
- Chief Clerk pro tem: Daniel Noble Johnson
- Assistant Clerk: William Hull
- Assistant Clerk pro tem: Alexander T. Gray
- Enrolling Clerk: Aaron V. Fryer
- Engrossing Clerk: J. J. Driggs
- Transcribing Clerk: Lyman Cowderey
- Messenger: Marshall Ten Eyk
- Doorkeeper: C. W. White
- Fireman: Samuel Noyes
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Felix McLinden