By Kris Leonhardt
Editor-in-chief
GREEN BAY – The first election held in the state of Wisconsin occurred in Green Bay, then part of a much larger Brown County.
Brown County — named for Gen. Jacob Brown — was one of the first counties organized in the state.
It was incorporated in October of 1818 by Michigan Territory Governor Lewis Cass, at that time taking up much of the eastern half of what was to become the state of Wisconsin.
What is now Wisconsin became part of the Indiana Territory when it was formed in 1800.
In 1809, it became part of the Illinois Territory and when Illinois became a state, it was merged into the Michigan Territory until Michigan became its own state.
In Florence Elizabeth Baker’s “A Brief History of the Elective Franchise in Wisconsin” — presented to the Wisconsin Historical Society in 1894 — Baker recounts the first time the elective franchise was exercised in Wisconsin.
“In June of 1825, we discover a Detroit paper (Detroit Gazette) stopping its press ‘to announce that the schooner Harriet arrived this morning (June 14) from Green Bay and Mackinac, bringing the intelligence that Mr. Biddle received 82 votes at Green Bay and 42 on the island of Mackinac. Mr. Wing received at the former place 34 and at the latter 18, and Mr. Richard two at Mackinac,’” the paper stated.
“In 1830, the counties of Brown, Crawford, Chippewa and Iowa, which included part of the Wisconsin Territory, but were then in Michigan Territory, were exempted from the operation of the law requiring freehold security to be given for any purpose, or as a qualification for office.”
The race was for the U.S. House of Representatives, and at that time the election was held on varying dates from July 1824, to August 1825 across the country.
Incumbent Gabriel Richard faced Austin Eli Wing and John Biddle for the non-voting delegate for the Michigan Territory at-large.
Richard lost to Wing in the election.
“As Michigan was still a territory, Wing was a non-voting delegate. He was allowed to debate, bring up bills in committee, but not to vote. He was again elected in 1830 as Michigan’s delegate to the U.S. House,” said Monroe County Museum Volunteer Mary Strevel wrote in a Monroe News column.
Strevel transcribed hand-written letters donated to the museum from the Wing family.
“In the process of deciphering one of the letters Austin had written to his father in 1825, I learned that the election of 1825 was contested. Austin had two opponents in this election: Major Biddle and Mr. Richard. Wing tied Biddle for the seat at 732 votes. Mr. Wing objected to the counting of certain votes given at Sault de St. Marie on the grounds of illegality. Of course Mr. Biddle objected, and a committee was formed to look into this matter. After much debating, the election was decided in favor of Austin Eli Wing and he became the delegate to the 19th Congress.”