Henry S. Baird | |
|---|---|
 Baird in 1861 | |
| Chairman of theBoard of Supervisors ofBrown County, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 1867 – April 1870 | |
| Preceded by | John Last |
| Succeeded by | Frederick S. Ellis |
| In office April 1861 – April 1864 | |
| Preceded by | John Last |
| Succeeded by | John Last |
| 7th Mayor ofGreen Bay, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 1861 – April 1863 | |
| Preceded by | E. H. Ellis |
| Succeeded by | Burley Follett |
| 1st Attorney General ofWisconsin Territory | |
| In office December 1836 – December 1839 | |
| Appointed by | Henry Dodge |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Horatio N. Wells |
| 1st President of the Council of theWisconsin Territory | |
| In office October 25, 1836 – November 6, 1837 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Arthur B. Ingraham |
| Member of the Council of theWisconsin Territory forBrown County | |
| In office October 25, 1836 – November 6, 1837 | |
| Preceded by | Position Established |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Dickinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henry Samuel Baird Jr. (1800-05-16)May 16, 1800 |
| Died | April 30, 1875(1875-04-30) (aged 74) Fontenoy, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery Green Bay, Wisconsin |
| Party | Whig |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
|
| Parents |
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| Occupation | lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  MichiganTerritorial Militia |
| Years of service | 1832 |
| Rank | Quartermaster |
| Battles/wars | Black Hawk War |
Henry Samuel Baird Jr. (May 16, 1800 – April 30, 1875) was an Irish Americanimmigrant,Wisconsin pioneer, lawyer, and politician. He was the firstAttorney General of theWisconsin Territory, appointed by territorial governorHenry Dodge. He is known as "Father of theWisconsin Bar," and was said to be the first practicing lawyer in the Wisconsin Territory.[1]
Born inDublin,Ireland, Baird moved with his family, at age five, toPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He worked in various law firms in Ohio and Pennsylvania—including the law firm of the future governor of OhioReuben Wood. Baird moved toMackinac Island, in theMichigan Territory, in 1822, where he became a teacher. He moved toGreen Bay in 1824, which, at the time, was also part of the Michigan Territory.
In Green Bay, Baird was admitted to the bar in a special ceremony in the courtroom of territorial judgeJames Duane Doty, and became the first practicing attorney in what would become the Wisconsin Territory. Baird was involved with Indian affairs, negotiating land transactions as a counsel for theMenominee andHo-Chunk tribes in 1830, he volunteered as a quartermaster with the militia during theBlack Hawk War in 1832, and was secretary to U.S. negotiatorHenry Dodge at theTreaty of the Cedars in 1836, and was secretary to the council atLake Poygan in 1848;[2] Baird also served in the Wisconsin Territorial Council, the upper house of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, and was the first president of the territorial council; he also served in the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention of 1846. After Wisconsin statehood, he was theWhig Party nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in1853, losing badly (this would be the last Wisconsin gubernatorial election in which there was a Whig candidate on the ballot). He served as mayor of Green Bay for two terms, in 1861 and 1862.[3]
On August 12, 1824, Henry Baird married the 14-year-oldElizabeth Fisher, who had been his favorite student. Elizabeth was born inPrairie du Chien in southwest Wisconsin and had moved with her mother to Mackinac Island as a toddler. She was the child of a British fur trader and a French-Ottawa mother and spoke several languages. Baird brought his wife from Mackinac Island, by ship, to Green Bay. Elizabeth's skill at translation and her family connections to the American Indian communities made their home a hub for social life in the territory and contributed to her husband's political success. Elizabeth later wrote of her life in the territory in "Reminscences of Life in Territorial Wisconsin."[4] Henry and Elizabeth had four daughters, with two surviving to adulthood.
Henry's law office, theBaird Law Office, is a smallGreek Revival building that he purchased in 1841. The building was moved and is preserved atHeritage Hill State Park.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, May 8, 1848 | |||||
| Democratic | James S. Brown | 17,788 | 56.00% | ||
| Whig | Henry S. Baird | 13,975 | 44.00% | ||
| Plurality | 3,813 | 12.00% | |||
| Total votes | 31,763 | 100.0% | |||
| Democraticwin (new seat) | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Election, November 8, 1853 | |||||
| Democratic | William A. Barstow | 30,405 | 54.60% | +5.24% | |
| Free Soil | Edward D. Holton | 21,886 | 39.31% | ||
| Whig | Henry S. Baird | 3,304 | 5.93% | −44.57% | |
| Scattering | 88 | 0.16% | |||
| Plurality | 8,519 | 15.30% | +14.15% | ||
| Total votes | 55,683 | 100.0% | +26.01% | ||
| Democraticgain fromWhig | Swing | 49.82% | |||
"Baird, Henry Samuel".The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1. 1906. p. 189.| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| New state | Whig nominee forAttorney General of Wisconsin 1848 | Succeeded by Moses B. Butterfield |
| Preceded by | Whig nominee forGovernor of Wisconsin 1853 | Party dissolved |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Mayor ofGreen Bay, Wisconsin April 1861 – April 1863 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| New territory | Attorney General of theWisconsin Territory 1836 – 1839 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
