Leonard J. Farwell

Leonard James Farwell (born January 5, 1819 in Watertown , Jefferson County , New York , † April 11, 1889 in Grant City , Missouri ) was an American politician and from 1852 to 1854 the second governor of the state of Wisconsin .

Early years

At the age of 19 Farwell came to Lockport , Illinois , where he worked as a tin maker . After moving again to the Wisconsin Territory , he acquired a large estate in the capital Madison area . He even owned half of the Madison metropolitan area. He was involved in building the city's road network and public buildings, as well as founding the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Wisconsin Agricultural Association. He was also involved in building the public school system and the University of Wisconsin .

Governor of wisconsin

In 1851, he was elected as the Whigs' candidate for second governor of Wisconsin, just one percentage point ahead of Democrat Don A. Upham. Farwell began his two-year term on January 5, 1852. During this time, a new banking system was built in Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Supreme Court was established as an independent court. Farwell also tried to make the state more attractive to immigrants. The death penalty was suspended in Wisconsin during his tenure . After he had waived re-election in 1853, he resigned on January 2, 1854 from his office.

Another résumé

In 1857 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat on Madison City Council. In the same year he fell victim to the economic crisis of the time and lost a large part of his possessions. At the beginning of the Civil War , Farwell was vice president of an association for the supply of soldiers from Wisconsin. From 1863 to 1870 he worked in Washington, DC as an employee in the Federal Patent Office . On April 14, 1865, he was an eyewitness to the assassination attempt on President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater and was subsequently the first to inform Vice President Andrew Johnson of the attack. In 1870 he opened his own patent agency in Chicago , but it burned down in the great fire on October 9, 1871. He then moved to Grant City, Missouri, where he died in 1889. Leonard Farwell was married to Francis A. Cross, with whom he had three children.

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personal data
SURNAME	Farwell, Leonard J.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Farwell, Leonard James (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	January 5, 1819
PLACE OF BIRTH	Watertown (City, New York) , New York
DATE OF DEATH	April 11, 1889
Place of death	Grant City , Missouri