Densmore William Maxon (September 30, 1820 – March 21, 1887) was an American farmer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served 9 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly and 4 years in the State Senate, representing Washington County.
Densmore Maxon | |
|---|---|
 Portrait from A Political History of Wisconsin (1900) | |
| Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 4th district | |
| In office January 4, 1858 – January 6, 1862 | |
| Preceded by | Baruch S. Weil |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Thorpe |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Washington 1st district district | |
| In office January 2, 1882 – January 1, 1883 | |
| Preceded by | John F. Schwalbach |
| Succeeded by | George Noller |
| In office January 1, 1872 – January 6, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | Baruch S. Weil |
| Succeeded by | Hiram Wilson Sawyer |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Washington 2nd district district | |
| In office January 7, 1867 – January 1, 1872 | |
| Preceded by | Mitchel L. Delaney |
| Succeeded by | Baruch S. Weil |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Washington 4th district district | |
| In office January 5, 1852 – January 3, 1853 | |
| Preceded by | John C. Toll |
| Succeeded by | William P. Barnes |
| In office June 5, 1848 – January 1, 1849 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Toland |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Densmore William Maxon September 30, 1820 Verona, New York, U.S. |
| Died | March 21, 1887 (aged 66) Santa Cruz, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Cedar Creek Cemetery, Cedar Creek, Wisconsin |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Turck (died 1913) |
| Children | 8 |
Background
editMaxon was born in Verona, Oneida County, New York, in 1820.[1] He was educated at the Oneida Conference Seminary at Cazenovia, New York, and became a farmer. He moved to Wisconsin Territory in 1843, and first settled at Milwaukee and was appointed deputy county surveyor in 1843; but removed to Cedar Creek, Washington County, in 1846.
Political career
editMaxon was Town Chairman of Polk from 1846 to 1859. He was first elected a member of the Assembly in the first state legislative elections for the new state of Wisconsin, held in February 1848, and went on to serve in the 1st Wisconsin Legislature. He was subsequently elected to another one-year term in the 5th Wisconsin Legislature (1852), and was elected to two terms as Washington County's representative in the Wisconsin Senate, serving from 1858 through 1861.
In 1865, he was the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, but was defeated by Republican Wyman Spooner. Following the 1866 redistricting, he was again elected to the State Assembly, serving six consecutive terms (1867–1873). He was elected to a final term in 1881, receiving 797 votes to 613 votes for Republican Jacob H. Goelzer, and 72 for Greenbacker H. A. Forbes. In 1882, he was assigned to the joint committee on charitable and penal institutions.[2]
Outside the legislature
editIn May, 1868 Maxon was appointed by President Andrew Johnson as a member of the board of visitors to attend the annual examination at the United States Military Academy at West Point. In the 1880s he was one of the Commissioners of the Wisconsin Farm Mortgage Land Company, a state commission. He died in 1887 in Santa Cruz, California, and was buried in Cedar Creek, Wisconsin.[3][4]
References
edit- ^ "Maxon, Densmore William 1820 - 1887". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ Heg, J. E., ed. (1882). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. pp. 561–562. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
- ^ "Death of D. W. Maxon". The Weekly Wisconsin. March 26, 1887. p. 4. Retrieved September 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mr. Maxon's Remains". San Francisco Chronicle. March 26, 1887. p. 8. Retrieved September 2, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
