William A. Barstow

William A. Barstow (1853)

William Augustus Barstow (born September 13, 1813 in Plainfield , Connecticut , † December 14, 1865 in Leavenworth , Kansas ) was an American politician and from 1854 to 1856 the third governor of the state of Wisconsin .

Early years and political advancement

Barstow left school at the age of 16. From 1834 he worked in his brother's flour mill, which fell victim to the economic crisis of 1837 at the end of the 1830s . In 1839 Barstow moved to Prairieville in what was then the Wisconsin Territory . There he worked again as a miller and road maintenance officer ( Highway Commissioner ). He also managed the post office there.

Barstow was also a member of the Milwaukee County county council . Between 1850 and 1852 he served as Secretary of State of Wisconsin.

Governor of wisconsin

In 1853 he was elected as the Democratic Party candidate for the new governor of Wisconsin. In this position he quickly came under suspicion of corruption . It concerned irregularities in connection with the purchase of land by a company in which he himself was involved. There were also irregularities in the placing of print jobs, just like in the construction of a hospital for the mentally handicapped. Corruption did not stop at the Treasury either. At times, the governor threatened to block all bills in the event that he was investigated. Otherwise Barstow supported the plan for a railway to the Pacific coast and was an opponent of the Prohibition movement.

Despite the corruption allegations against him, Barstow ran for re-election in 1855. The first election result saw him with a margin of 157 votes as the election winner against the Republican Coles Bashford . It soon became clear that this result was the result of electoral fraud. The Republicans called the Supreme Court to protest this move, while Barstow has meanwhile been inducted into his second term. Now there were protests against the governor, who mobilized his supporters. There was almost a civil war in Wisconsin. The Supreme Court upheld the lawsuit. But since Barstow was unwilling to give up, the conflict escalated. However, under general pressure he had to resign on March 21, 1856. Until the official inauguration of Bashford on March 24, Lieutenant Governor Arthur MacArthur had to officiate for three days.

Further career

Despite his offenses, Barstow was not charged. He withdrew into private life, worked again as a miller, but also dealt with the railway system. Among other things, he was president of a railway company, which soon went bankrupt. For a short time he was also in the banking business. In 1860 he was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention . During the civil war he was a colonel in the Union Army . After being wounded, he became chairman of a court martial in St. Louis . William Barstow died in Leavenworth in December 1865. He was married to Maria Quarles, with whom he had two children.

Web links

• William A. Barstow in the database of the National Governors Association (English)
• William A. Barstow in the database of Find a Grave (English)
• Online biography