Joseph W. Beardsley

Joseph Warren Beardsley (1820 – August 27, 1868) was an American physician, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as the 14th speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly and represented Pierce County. In historical documents, his name is commonly abbreviated J. W. Beardsley. The 1862 Wisconsin legislative manual and later works that relied on that source inaccurately listed his first name as "James".

J. W. Beardsley
14th Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
In office
January 8, 1862 – January 14, 1863
Preceded byAmasa Cobb
Succeeded byJ. Allen Barber
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Pierce–St. Croix district
In office
January 6, 1862 – January 5, 1863
Preceded byDistrict established
Succeeded byCharles B. Cox
Personal details
Born1820
Herkimer County, New York, U.S.
DiedAugust 27, 1868(1868-08-27) (aged 47–48)
Ilion, New York, U.S.
Resting placeSt. Luke's Cemetery, Richfield, New York
Political party
SpouseCaroline Maxson (died 1922)
Children
  • Amelia Elizabeth Beardsley
  • (b. 1848)
  • Arthur Maxson Beardsley
  • (b. 1849; died 1851)
  • Clara (Babbidge)
  • (b. 1854; died 1948)
  • Frank Warren Beardsley
  • (b. 1852; died 1872)
  • Anna Cora Beardsley
  • (b. 1858)
Relatives

Biography

Joseph Warren Beardsley was born in Herkimer County, New York, in 1820. He was educated as a medical doctor and came to the Wisconsin Territory about 1845, working as a physician and surgeon in Johnstown, in Rock County.[1]

In the mid-1850s, Beardsley relocated to Pierce County, in northwest Wisconsin, and operated a general store. He became a leading member of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin in that county, and was active in the unsuccessful effort to move the county seat to Prescott, Wisconsin.[2] During the American Civil War, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Union Democrat,[3] and formed a coalition with the Republicans in which he was elected speaker and Republicans received many of the other Assembly offices.[4]

He died at Ilion, New York, in September 1868.[5]

Personal life and family

The Beardsleys are direct descendants of William Beardsley, one of the first settlers at Stratford, Connecticut, who arrived in the country about 1635.[6]

Joseph Warren Beardsley's father, also named Joseph, was the first white child born at Monticello, Otsego County, New York.[6] His uncles, Samuel and Levi Beardsley, were prominent lawyers and politicians in New York, and served in several elected offices.[7]

He married Caroline Maxson and had at least five children.[6]

References
  1. "Dr. J. W. Beardsley". Janesville Gazette. August 29, 1846. p. 1. Retrieved December 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Weld, Allen P. The Story of Pierce County. Brookhaven Press. pp. 8, 77, 109, 152. Retrieved December 17, 2021 – via Wisconsin Historical Society.
  3. Warren, John H.; Dean, John S., eds. (1862). "Legislative Department" (PDF). The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 83, 116. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  4. "Legislature". Appleton Crescent. January 11, 1862. p. 2. Retrieved December 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Death of Ex-Speaker Beardsley". The Wisconsin State Register. September 12, 1868. p. 2. Retrieved December 17, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Holt, Nellie Beardsley (1950). Beardsley Genealogy: The Family of William Beardsley - One of the First Settlers of Stratford, Connecticut. p. 204. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
  7. Beardsley, Isaac Haight (1902). Genealogical History of the Beardsley-lee Family in America. J. Dove. p. 311. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
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