lawyer, politician, Congressman, b. Strong, Me. He studied law in Massachusetts and New York, was admitted to the bar, and in 1840 moved to Wisconsin, stopping first in Green Bay, and a few months later settling in Platteville. There he established a law practice and soon became active in Democratic politics. He was secretary of the legislative council of Wisconsin Territory (1843-1846), and also served as district attorney of Grant County. In 1850 he was elected to Congress and served two terms (Mar. 1851-Mar. 1855). After failing to be renominated in 1854 because of his opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, he continued his private law practice in Platteville until his death. J. R. Berryman, ed., Bench and Bar of Wis. (2 vols., Chicago, 1898); Coils. State Hist. Soc. Wis., 3 (1857); Proc. State Bar Assoc. Wis., 1 (1905); Biog. Dir. Amer. Cong. (1928).

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]