Robert Macauley (Wisconsin politician)

Robert J. Macauley (February 18, 1838  March 17, 1904) was a Scottish American immigrant, lawyer, legislator, and judge. He was active for most of his adult life as a district attorney and county judge in Dunn County, Wisconsin. In some historical documents his name is spelled McCauley.

The Honorable

Robert J. Macauley
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Dunn district
In office
January 1, 1883  January 1, 1885
Preceded byEdward L. Everts
Succeeded byJohn M. Oddie
County Judge of Dunn County
In office
January 1, 1898  January 1, 1902
Preceded byJohn Kelley, Jr.
Succeeded byW. S. Swenson
In office
January 1, 1874  January 1, 1882
Preceded byP. C. Holmes
Succeeded byJohn Kelley, Jr.
District Attorney of Dunn County
In office
January 1, 1891  January 1, 1893
Preceded byR. D. Whitford
Succeeded byPeleg B. Clark
In office
January 1, 1869  January 1, 1871
Preceded bySamuel W. Hunt
Succeeded byR. C. Bierce
Personal details
Born(1838-02-18)February 18, 1838
Glasgow, Scotland, UK
DiedMarch 17, 1904(1904-03-17) (aged 66)
Resting placeEvergreen Cemetery
Menomonee, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
  • Cora Olson
  • (died 1906)
Children
  • John W. Macauley
  • (b. 1871; died 1942)
  • Martha (North)
MotherMargaret (Cavanaugh) Macauley
FatherRobert Macauley
Occupationlawyer, judge
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Union Army
Years of service1864-1865
Unit16th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Biography

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Macauley immigrated to the United States with his family in 1842.[1] They initially settled on a farm in Hancock County, Illinois, where his father died five years later. Robert worked on the farm and obtained a basic education until 1852, when most of the family moved north to another farm near Menomonie, Wisconsin. He worked on the new family farm until 1864, when he began studying law in the office of Judge E. B. Bundy, who was married to Macauley's sister, Reubena Hadlock Macauley.[2] But after six months of study, he enlisted for service with the Union Army in the American Civil War.[3]

He was enrolled as a private in Company G, 16th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The 16th Wisconsin was organized under General William Tecumseh Sherman's Military Division of the Mississippi. Macauley arrived with the regiment just after the Atlanta campaign, and participated in Sherman's March to the Sea and the Carolinas campaign.[1][3]

On July 1, 1865, Macauley returned to Menomonie and continued his studies under Judge Bundy, and, in January 1867, he was admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin at Eau Claire. Judge Bundy then took him on as a partner in his firm.[3]

Public offices

In 1868, he was elected district attorney of Dunn County; he served until 1873, earning re-election in 1870. In November 1873, he was elected County Judge for Dunn County and served two four year terms. The November after leaving office as County Judge, he was elected to represent Dunn County in the Wisconsin State Assembly as a Republican in the first election in the state for two-year assembly terms.[1] He did not run for re-election in 1884. He was City Attorney for Menomonie from 1882 until 1890, when he was elected to another term as district attorney. He served a final four-year term as County Judge from 1898 to 1902.[3]

Personal life and family

Judge Macauley married Cora Olson of Menomonie on May 9, 1869. They had one son and one daughter.[3]

Macauley was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic from the time of its organization, and a member of the Episcopal Church. His farm was approximately four hundred acres and was located about twelve miles outside Menomonie.[3]

Judge Macauley died in Menomonie, Wisconsin, on March 17, 1904.[4]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly, Dunn District Election, 1882[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 7, 1882
Republican Robert Macauley 1,553 67.32% +0.33%
Democratic Sever Severson 754 32.68%
Total votes '2,307' '100.0%' +15.35%
Republican hold

References

  1. Heg, J. E., ed. (1883). "Biographical sketches". The Blue Book of the state of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 490. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  2. Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services. Wisconsin Vital Record Index, pre-1907. Madison, WI, USA: Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Vital Records Division, Vol. 1, pg. 16.
  3. Berryman, John R., ed. (1898). History of the bench and bar of Wisconsin. vol. 2. Chicago: H. C. Cooper, Jr. pp. 311-313. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
  4. 'Proceedings of the State Bar Association of Wisconsin 1907,' Wisconsin Bar Association: 1907, Biographical Sketch of Robert Macauley, pg. 297-298
Legal offices
Preceded by
Samuel W. Hunt
District Attorney of Dunn County, Wisconsin
January 1, 1869  January 1, 1873
Succeeded by
R. C. Bierce
Preceded by
P. C. Holmes
County Judge of Dunn County, Wisconsin
January 1, 1874  January 1, 1882
Succeeded by
John Kelley, Jr.
Preceded by
R. D. Whitford
District Attorney of Dunn County, Wisconsin
January 1, 1891  January 1, 1893
Succeeded by
Peleg B. Clark
Preceded by
John Kelley, Jr.
County Judge of Dunn County, Wisconsin
January 1, 1898  January 1, 1902
Succeeded by
W. S. Swenson
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