S. J. Todd

Samuel J. Todd (January 19, 1821  January 9, 1902) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He was an early settler of Beloit, Wisconsin, and was the 4th Mayor of Beloit. He also represented Rock County in the Wisconsin State Senate for the 1867 and 1868 sessions. His name is often abbreviated as S. J. Todd in historical documents.

S. J. Todd
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 17th district
In office
January 7, 1867  January 4, 1869
Preceded byWilliam A. Lawrence
Succeeded byCharles G. Williams
4th Mayor of Beloit, Wisconsin
In office
April 1859  April 1860
Preceded byA. P. Waterman
Succeeded byJohn Bannister
Personal details
Born
Samuel J. Todd

(1821-01-19)January 19, 1821
Preble, New York, U.S.
DiedJanuary 9, 1902(1902-01-09) (aged 80)
Beloit, Wisconsin, U.S.
Cause of deathStroke
Resting placeOakwood Cemetery, Beloit, Wisconsin
Political party
Spouse
Mary E. Hazard
(m. 1853)
Children
  • Mary A. Todd
  • (b. 1859; died 1861)
  • Robert H. Todd
  • (b. 1862; died 1907)
  • Alice C. Todd
  • (b. 1863; died 1898)
  • Anne C. Todd
  • (b. 1867; died 1897)
  • Elizabeth (Eldred)
  • (b. 1869; died 1925)
Occupationlawyer, politician

Biography

Todd was born on January 19, 1821, in Preble, New York, son of Daniel and Mary Taggart Todd.[1] He studied law at Batavia, New York, and was admitted to the bar.[2]

In 1850, he moved west and settled at Beloit, Wisconsinthen a small village. He formed a law partnership with John M. Keep, which continued until Keep was appointed a Wisconsin circuit court judge in 1857. Todd was one of the leading lawyers of Beloit for 30 years.[1]

In 1857, Todd was one of three respected lawyers chosen by Governor Coles Bashford for a commission to revise and compile the statutes of Wisconsin, based on changes in the law since the previous edition. He was partnered with David Taylor and Frederick S. Lovell.[2] The revised statutes were published in 1858, and later that year Todd was elected to a one-year term as Mayor of Beloit.

In 1866, Todd was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate, representing all of Rock County in what was then the 17th State Senate district. He ran on the National Union Party ticket, but was identified with the Radical Republican faction of the time. In the Senate, he served on the committee on incorporations in 1867, and served on judiciary, state affairs, and military affairs in 1868.[3]

After leaving the Senate, he served as city attorney of Beloit from 1870 to 1874, and was a member of the school board from 1875 through 1885.[2]

He suffered a stroke on January 7, 1902, and died two days later at his home in Beloit.[2]

Personal life and family

Todd's ancestors were Scotch-Irish Americans. He married Ms. Mary (or May) E. Hazard, of Essex County, New York, on December 21, 1853.[2] They had five children together, though one daughter died in infancy. At the time of his death, only two of his children were still living.[1]

References

  1. Brown, William Fiske (1908). Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of its Cities, Villages, Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, up to Date. C. F. Cooper & Co. pp. 740–741. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  2. "Early Settler in Beloit is Dead". Janesville Daily Gazette. January 9, 1902. p. 5. Retrieved June 15, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Legislative Department" (PDF). The Legislative Manual, of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1868. p. 169. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
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