Edward Decker
Edward Decker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Casco, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | July 9, 1911 (aged 84) Casco, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Years active | 1841–1902 |
| Known for | Founding Kewaunee County, Wisconsin; Wisconsin State Senate (1860–1861) |
Edward Decker (May 2, 1827 – July 9, 1911) was a prominent American entrepreneur, Democratic public servant, and early settler of Wisconsin. He is credited with founding Kewaunee County, Wisconsin and held office in the Wisconsin State Senate during the sessions of 1860 and 1861.
Early life
Decker was born in Casco, Maine in 1827. With minimal formal schooling, he began his working life at age 14 in Portland, Maine. At 16, he relocated to Boston, where he served as a clerk in his uncle’s retail business. Drawn by prospects in the Midwest, he journeyed westward in 1845, eventually establishing residence in the Wisconsin Territory after arriving in Milwaukee.
Following a year in Watertown, Wisconsin, Decker moved further north to Oshkosh and entered the lumber trade. He was instrumental in pioneering log drives along the Wolf River to Oshkosh and negotiated an arrangement with a sawmill owner to supply logs in exchange for half of the produced lumber. After three years selling lumber locally, Decker shifted to the hospitality sector by constructing and managing a hotel in nearby Menasha.
Establishing Kewaunee County
In 1855, Decker divested his holdings in Winnebago County and relocated to the newly formed Kewaunee County. There, he acquired substantial land to establish a settlement named "Casco" after his hometown.
Following the county’s inaugural elections in 1856—which resulted in unqualified officials and administrative gridlock—local business leaders appointed Decker in 1857 to organize county governance. He constructed county offices in Kewaunee and was elected county clerk in 1858. He retained this position through multiple re-elections until 1869.
Concurrently, Decker served a two-year term beginning in 1859 as a member of the Wisconsin State Senate, representing the northeastern region of the state. He chose not to seek renomination in 1861.
Decker introduced Kewaunee County’s first printing press and launched the Democratic newspaper Kewaunee Enterprise, which he later sold in 1869.
During the American Civil War, as deputy provost marshal for Kewaunee County, he effectively managed resistance among a predominantly immigrant populace who opposed war taxes and conscription, ultimately ensuring their compliance.
Railroad and business career
After the war, Decker collaborated with Charles D. Robinson and Anton Klaus to construct a railroad linking Green Bay to Saint Paul, Minnesota. In 1868, he assumed the presidency overseeing its construction but suffered a severe arm injury that necessitated amputation. Subsequently, the railroad’s terminus was redirected to Winona, Minnesota.
In 1872, Decker settled in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he acquired majority control of the Bank of Commerce. Returning later to Casco, he became a principal shareholder and president of the Kewaunee Exchange Bank. He established the Bank of Ahnapee (1881) using his own funds; co-founded the Bank of Sturgeon Bay (1888) alongside James Keogh—serving as its president—and organized the Bank of Two Rivers (1891) with his son David.
He resumed involvement in publishing by purchasing half ownership of the Green Bay Advocate in 1888, forming it into the Green Bay Advocate Company and managing its publication until 1901.
Decker made one final political attempt in 1902 as the Democratic nominee for Congress representing Wisconsin's 9th congressional district, but was soundly defeated by incumbent Republican Edward S. Minor.
He passed away at his residence in Casco on July 9, 1911.
Personal life and family
Edward Decker was the firstborn child of David and Eliza (Template:Nee Dunham) Decker. His father, David, originally a miller and merchant from Maine, moved to Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, in 1857, following Edward's relocation.
Throughout his life, Edward Decker entered into four marriages and fathered at least six children. His initial marriage to Dolly Anna Puffer resulted in one son, George, before her passing in 1861. Subsequently, he wed Susan, with whom he had two children prior to her death in 1868. In 1872, he married Joanna Curtin; they had two children before she died in 1880. Later that year, he married Elizabeth Mallory Walker, the widow of Charles H. Walker, and together they had one daughter.
U.S. House of Representatives (1902)
| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 4, 1902