Richard Dewhurst

Richard Dewhurst
Born	near Manchester, England
Died	13 October 1895(1895-10-13) (aged 69) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Lawyer, jurist, entrepreneur, politician, teacher
Years active	1850s–1890s
Known for	Four terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly; county judge of Clark County, Wisconsin; president of Neillsville Bank and German American Bank

Richard Dewhurst (May 26, 1826 – October 13, 1895) was an English-born American immigrant who built a multifaceted career as a lawyer, jurist, entrepreneur, and politician. Over the course of four decades—from the 1850s through the 1880s—he held four separate terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing various political affiliations including the Republican, Union, Liberal Reform, and Independent factions. Additionally, he experienced two electoral defeats while running as a Democratic candidate.

Background

Born near Manchester, England on May 26, 1826, Dewhurst emigrated to the United States during infancy. His family initially settled in Bristol County, Massachusetts before relocating to Lorain County, Ohio. There, he completed his primary and secondary education in Elyria, Ohio. He pursued legal studies in Oberlin, Ohio, subsequently gaining admission to the Ohio bar. In 1850, Dewhurst moved westward to Jo Daviess County, Illinois, where he briefly worked in lead mining and taught school. Around 1852, he established residence in Potosi, located in Grant County, Wisconsin.

Public office and employment; first term in the Assembly; marriage and relocation; Civil War

By 1854, Dewhurst was engaged in teaching at Platteville and was admitted to practice law in Wisconsin at White Oak Springs, Wisconsin by 1856. That same year marked his move to Weston, where he was elected as Clark County's county judge and served concurrently as register of deeds. In 1858, he secured election to the Wisconsin Assembly as a Republican representative for Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, and Pierce counties.

On March 29, 1859, Dewhurst wed Maria S. Curtis from Ohio. The couple made their home near local milling operations in Neillsville. Dewhurst became involved in the logging industry—a dominant economic sector locally—at a time when market outlets were largely confined to Sparta and La Crosse. Their residence was a framed house set amid predominantly undeveloped land.

During the period of the American Civil War, Dewhurst enlisted with a Wisconsin regiment and served as a deputy U.S. assessor between 1863 and 1864.

Second term in the Assembly

In 1864, Dewhurst won re-election to the Assembly running as a National Union candidate representing Clark and Jackson counties. His legislative duties included membership on committees overseeing banking institutions as well as school and university land management. At this time, his occupation was recorded as land agent. He was succeeded by fellow Unionist Leandor Merrill.

Post-second term; activities in the 1870s and later

Dewhurst returned to the Assembly in 1874 under the banner of the Liberal Reform Party—a brief alliance formed in 1873 among Democrats, reform advocates, Liberal Republicans, and Grangers. That year he also campaigned for the 32nd Senate District seat but narrowly lost to Republican Robert C. Field. Nonetheless, he reclaimed his former Assembly seat representing Clark and Jackson Counties by defeating Republican James Hewett. Following the decline of the Reform coalition—evidenced by Governor William Robert Taylor's electoral loss—Dewhurst opted not to run for re-election in 1875 and was replaced by Republican Hugh B. Mills.

In 1875, he assumed the role of county school superintendent and subsequently completed an unexpired term as county treasurer after William Hutchinson's departure. From 1877 through 1879, Dewhurst once again served as county judge.

During this era, he invested significantly in real estate ventures including constructing a colonial-style residence along with a commercial block on Neillsville’s Main Street that bore his name. In 1874 he undertook travels through Oregon, Washington, and California; later that decade he toured parts of Scotland, Ireland, England, and attended the French Exposition of 1878.

Dewhurst sought election again for the Assembly in 1884 as a Democrat but was defeated by Republican James O'Neill with vote totals of 1,515 to 1,831. In 1886 he secured his fourth and final term as an independent candidate with 1,601 votes against Republican T. J. La Flesh and Prohibitionist George A. Austin. During this term he served on the committee focused on town and county organizations. Running for re-election as a Democrat thereafter, Dewhurst was defeated by Republican Merritt Clarke Ring.

Personal life

At the time of his passing, Dewhurst served as the president of Neillsville Bank and held a comparable leadership position at the German American Bank located in Marshfield. He was affiliated with the Masonic fraternity and was a member of the Universalist Church. Dewhurst succumbed to apoplexy on October 13, 1895, while attending the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. He had departed Neillsville on September 30 to visit the exposition prior to traveling to his winter residence in Florida.

In recognition of his contributions, the Town of Dewhurst, Wisconsin, was named after him in 1901.

External links

• Town of Dewhurst, Wisconsin