Benjamin Fontaine

Benjamin Fontaine
Benjamin Fontaine
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly; from the 1st Brown County district
	In office; 1880–1881
Preceded by	David M. Kelly
Succeeded by	John M. Hogan
Personal details
Born	February 27, 1837; Pietrebais, Province of Brabant, Belgium
Died	January 9, 1910 (aged 72); Green Bay, Wisconsin, US
Political party	Republican

Benjamin Fontaine (February 27, 1837 – January 9, 1910) was a Belgian-American hardware merchant and politician. He served as a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1880 and 1881, representing Brown County's First District.[1]

Biography

Fontaine was born in 1837 in Belgium, and was educated to the standards of the time.[2] He moved to the Town of Green Bay in 1855 and later moved to the town of Scott, where he lived from 1860 to 1864 and was town chairman in 1863.[3] From there, he moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1865 and started a hardware business in 1870, which he maintained until 1907.[3]

He was elected the Brown County's 1st Wisconsin State Assembly District for the 1880 session and was re-elected in advance of the 1881 term.[2] Fontaine was one of the first Belgian-American immigrants to northeastern Wisconsin to serve in the Assembly; others included Joseph Wery, Constant Martin, John B. Eugene and Grégoire Dupont.[1] Immediately following his time in the Assembly, Fontaine served two terms on the Green Bay City Council.[3] In 1892, Fontaine was a founding member of the Belgian Republicans Club in Green Bay.[4]

Fontaine was married and had four children. He died on January 9, 1910, and was buried at Fort Howard Cemetery.[3]

References

Martin, Xavier (1895). Thwaites, Reuben (ed.). The Belgians of Northeast Wisconsin (13th ed.). Madison, WI: Democrat Printing Company. p. 19.
Biographical Sketches - 1881 Blue Book (PDF). Madison, WI: Wisconsin State Legislature. 1881. pp. 504–505. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
"Old Hardware Dealer Dies". Green Bay Semi-Weekly Gazette. January 12, 1910. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
"Enthusiastic Republicans: The Belgian Republican Club Organized". Green Bay Weekly Gazette. September 28, 1892. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

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[Belgians-1] Martin, Xavier (1895). Thwaites, Reuben (ed.). The Belgians of Northeast Wisconsin (13th ed.). Madison, WI: Democrat Printing Company. p. 19.

[Sketch-2] Biographical Sketches - 1881 Blue Book (PDF). Madison, WI: Wisconsin State Legislature. 1881. pp. 504–505. Retrieved September 22, 2020.

[Old-3] "Old Hardware Dealer Dies". Green Bay Semi-Weekly Gazette. January 12, 1910. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "Enthusiastic Republicans: The Belgian Republican Club Organized". Green Bay Weekly Gazette. September 28, 1892. Retrieved September 22, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.