Milton Pettit

Milton Howard Pettit (October 22, 1835 – March 23, 1873) was an American businessman, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 11th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, during the governorship of Cadwallader C. Washburn, and died while in office. Earlier, he had been mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and had represented Kenosha in the Wisconsin State Senate.

Milton H. Pettit
11th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
In office January 1, 1872 – March 23, 1873
Governor	Cadwallader C. Washburn
Preceded by	Thaddeus C. Pound
Succeeded by	Charles D. Parker (1874)
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 8th district
In office January 1, 1870 – January 1, 1872
Preceded by	Anthony Van Wyck
Succeeded by	Samuel Pratt
8th, 11th, 13th, and 16th Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin
In office April 1870 – April 1871
Preceded by	Frederick Robinson
Succeeded by	Asahel Farr
In office April 1867 – April 1868
Preceded by	Dennis J. Hynes
Succeeded by	Isaac W. Webster
In office April 1865 – April 1866
Preceded by	Asahel Farr
Succeeded by	Dennis J. Hynes
In office April 1861 – April 1862
Preceded by	Isaac W. Webster
Succeeded by	Frederick Robinson
Member of the Kenosha City Council
In office April 1864 – April 1865
In office April 1859 – April 1860
Personal details
Born	Milton Howard Pettit (1825-10-22)October 22, 1825 Fabius, New York, US
Died	March 23, 1873(1873-03-23) (aged 47)
Resting place	Green Ridge Cemetery, Kenosha, Wisconsin
Political party	Republican
Spouses	Caroline Diana Marsh (m. 1847; died 1902)
Children	Ossian Marsh Pettit (b. 1854; died 1906) Elizabeth Augusta (Mailer) (b. 1857; died 1934) Caroline Julia (Griswold) (b. 1870; died 1934)
Parents	George Pettit (father) Jane (Upfold) Pettit (mother)
Profession	lawyer, politician

Biography

He was born in Fabius, New York, in 1835, but moved to Somers, Wisconsin Territory, at the age of 11. As an adult, in 1854, he moved to the neighboring city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and became a member of the Republican Party. In 1859 he was elected to the city council and, in 1861, he was elected to his first term as Mayor of Kenosha. He would be elected to three more one-year terms as Mayor, in 1865, 1867, and 1870, and was elected to represent Kenosha County in the Wisconsin State Senate for the 1870 and 1871 sessions of the Wisconsin Legislature. In 1871, he was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor, and won election, along with Republican gubernatorial nominee Cadwallader Washburn. Shortly after taking office in 1872, however, his health began to fail, and he died in the spring of 1873. He was the second Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin to die in office, after Timothy Burns.

Electoral history

Wisconsin Senate (1869)

Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 1869

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 2, 1869
	Republican	Milton H. Pettit	1,172	59.22%
	Democratic	James M. Wilber	807	40.78%
Total votes			1,979	100.0%
	Republican hold

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1871)

Wisconsin Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 1871

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
General Election, November 7, 1871
	Republican	Milton H. Pettit	77,751	53.05%
	Democratic	John A. Rice	68,807	46.95%
Total votes			146,558	100.0%
	Republican hold

References

• "Wisconsin Constitutional Officers; Lieutenant Governors" (PDF). State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2005–2006. Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. July 2005. p. 31. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2007.
• "Milton H. Pettit". Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved October 6, 2007.