43rd Wisconsin Legislature
← 42nd 44th →
Wisconsin State Capitol, 1887
Overview
Legislative body	Wisconsin Legislature
Meeting place	Wisconsin State Capitol
Term	January 4, 1897 –January 2, 1899
Election	November 3, 1896
Senate
Members	33
Senate President	Emil Baensch (R)
President pro tempore	Lyman W. Thayer (R)
Party control	Republican
Assembly
Members	100
Assembly Speaker	George A. Buckstaff (R)
Party control	Republican
Sessions
1st January 13, 1897 –April 21, 1897
Special sessions
Aug. Special August 17, 1897 –August 20, 1897

TheForty-Third Wisconsin Legislature convened fromJanuary 13, 1897, toApril 21, 1897, in regular session. They also convened in a special session from August 17 through August 20, 1897.^[1]

This was the first legislative session after theredistricting of the Senate and Assembly according to an act of theprevious session.

Senators representing even-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first two years of a four-year term. Assembly members were elected to a two-year term. Assembly members and even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 3, 1896. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of a four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 6, 1894.^[1]

Thegovernor of Wisconsin during this entire term was RepublicanEdward Scofield, ofOconto County, serving a two-year term, having won election in the1896 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

• January 4, 1897: Inauguration ofEdward Scofield as 19thGovernor of Wisconsin.
• January 31, 1897:John Coit Spooner was electedUnited States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in joint session.
• March 4, 1897:Inauguration ofWilliam McKinley as 25thPresident of the United States.
• May 3, 1897: Wisconsin state legislatorWilliam A. Jones was confirmed by the U.S. Senate ascommissioner of Indian Affairs.
• November 25, 1897: TheSpanish Empire granted autonomy toPuerto Rico.
• January 1, 1898:New York City annexed territory from surrounding counties, becoming the second largest city in the world at that time.
• January 11, 1898: Wisconsin Supreme Court justiceAlfred Newman died in office.
• January 25, 1898: Wisconsin Governor Edward Scofield appointedCharles V. Bardeen to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to replace the deceased justice Alfred Newman.
• February 15, 1898: TheUSSMaine exploded in Havana harbor,Cuba, for reasons that are still not known. 266 died in the disaster, which would become the inciting event of theSpanish–American War.
• March 1, 1898:Vladimir Lenin created theRussian Social Democratic Labour Party.
• April 25, 1898: TheUnited States declared war against theSpanish Empire over the destruction of theMaine.
• July 7, 1898: The United States annexed theHawaiian Islands.
• November 8, 1898: general election
  • Edward Scofield wasre-elected asGovernor of Wisconsin.
  • Wisconsin voters rejected the new state banking law in a mandatory referendum.
• December 10, 1898: Representatives of the United States and Spain signed theTreaty of Paris, ending the Spanish–American War. Spain ceded the territories of Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to U.S. control.

• April 22, 1897: An Act to revise the laws authorizing the business of banking,1897 Act 303. Attempted to create astate department of banking. The Wisconsin Constitution required that any law which enabled the business of banking in Wisconsin had to be approved by a public referendum. This legislation went to the voters in the 1898 general election and was defeated.
• Joint Resolution that the foregoing proposed amendment to the constitution of the state of Wisconsin be and the same is agreed to by this legislature,1897 Joint Resolution 9. This was the second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to grant authority to the legislature to determine the appropriate number of circuit court seats for single-county circuits. The amendment would be ratified by the voters in the Spring 1897 election.
• Joint Resolution to amend article No. 11 of the constitution of the state of Wisconsin,1897 Joint Resolution 17. Proposed an amendment which would enable the Legislature to set limits on taxation enacted by counties and towns in the state. This amendment would not proceed beyond this step.
• Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to section 1, of article 10, of the constitution of the state of Wisconsin relating to education,1897 Joint Resolution 22. Proposed a constitutional amendment to move the election of Superintendent of Public Instruction from the Fall of even numbered years to the Spring of odd numbered years. This amendment also would not proceed, but the proposed change would be enacted by a later amendment.

• 1st Regular session: January 13, 1897 – April 21, 1897
• August 1897 Special session: August 17, 1897 – August 20, 1897

• President of the Senate:Emil Baensch (R)
• President pro tempore:Lyman W. Thayer (R)

• Speaker of the Assembly:George A. Buckstaff (R)

Members of the Senate for the Forty-Third Wisconsin Legislature:^[2]

Members of the Assembly for the Forty-Third Wisconsin Legislature:^[2]

• Senate Committee on Agriculture – McGillivray, chair
• Senate Committee on Assessment and Collection of Taxes – Woodworth, chair
• Senate Committee on Banks and Insurance – Davis, chair
• Senate Committee on Bills on Third Reading – Whelan, chair
• Senate Committee on Corporations – Mills, chair
• Senate Committee on Education – Stout, chair
• Senate Committee on Enrolled Bills – Phillips, chair
• Senate Committee on Engrossed Bills – Conger, chair
• Senate Committee on Federal Relations – Whitman, chair
• Senate Committee on the Judiciary – Austin, chair
• Senate Committee on Legislative Expenses – Conger, chair
• Senate Committee on Manufactures – Dennett, chair
• Senate Committee on Military Affairs – Welton, chair
• Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections – Roehr, chair
• Senate Committee on Public Health – Mailer, chair
• Senate Committee on Public Lands – Fisher, chair
• Senate Committee on Railroads – Withee, chair
• Senate Committee on Roads and Bridges – Peirce, chair
• Senate Committee on State Affairs – Putnam, chair
• Senate Committee on Town and County Organizations – Youmans, chair

• Assembly Committee on Agriculture – Barney A. Eaton, chair
• Assembly Committee on Assessment and Collection of Taxes – N. B. Treat, chair
• Assembly Committee on Bills on their Third Reading – Bernard C. Wolter, chair
• Assembly Committee on Cities – Frank Anson, chair
• Assembly Committee on Corporations – Charles A. Stanley, chair
• Assembly Committee on Dairy and Food – William Froehlich, chair
• Assembly Committee on Education – Frank T. Tucker, chair
• Assembly Committee on Engrossed Bills – George W. Latta, chair
• Assembly Committee on Enrolled Bills – Mark H. Barnum, chair
• Assembly Committee on Finance, Banks, and Insurance – William A. Jones, chair
• Assembly Committee on Federal Relations – Omar L. Rosenkrans, chair
• Assembly Committee on the Judiciary – Silas Bullard, chair
• Assembly Committee on Legislative Expenditures – A. L. Utt, chair
• Assembly Committee on Lumber and Mining – A. R. Hall, chair
• Assembly Committee on Manufactures – Joseph C. Marsh, chair
• Assembly Committee on Military Affairs – George W. Taylor, chair
• Assembly Committee on Public Lands – Andrew Jensen, chair
• Assembly Committee on Public Health and Sanitation – Jesse A. Clason, chair
• Assembly Committee on Public Improvements – William F. Sieker, chair
• Assembly Committee on Privileges and Elections – Herman C. Wipperman, chair
• Assembly Committee on Railroads – Emerson D. Hoyt, chair
• Assembly Committee on Roads and Bridges – James O. Davidson, chair
• Assembly Committee on State Affairs – Jesse Stone, chair
• Assembly Committee on Town and County Organization – Jonathan J. Smith, chair
• Assembly Committee on Ways and Means – William G. Wheeler, chair

• Joint Committee on Charitable and Penal Institutions – Stebbins (Sen.) & William T. Lewis (Asm.), co-chairs
• Joint Committee on Claims – Baxter (Sen.) & George H. Ray (Asm.), co-chairs
• Joint Committee on Fish and Game – Timme (Sen.) & Lester B. Dresser (Asm.), co-chairs
• Joint Committee on Printing – Munson (Sen.) & William M. Fogo (Asm.), co-chairs

New districts for the 43rd Legislature were defined in 1896 Wisconsin Special Session Act 1, passed into law in the42nd Wisconsin Legislature.

• 7 districts were left unchanged (1, 2, 3, 13, 15, 19, 32).
• Dane County became a single district again (26) after previously having been divided between two districts.
• Milwaukee County went from having 4 and a half districts to 5 districts (4, 5, 6, 7, 8).
• Fond du Lac County lost its single-district status and was combined with Green Lake County (18).
• Two counties were split in multi-county districts (Rock & Jefferson), down from seven under the previous map.
• Fond du Lac County became its own district (18) after previously having been split between two districts.
• Only three single-county districts remain (18, 19, 20).
• Seven counties are split between multi-county senate districts.

• 35 districts were left unchanged.
• Dane County went from having 4 districts to 3.
• Dodge County went from having 3 districts to 2.
• Douglas County went from having 1 district to 2.
• Fond du Lac County went from having 3 districts to 2.
• Milwaukee County went from having 14 districts to 15.
• Portage County went from having 1 district to 2.
• No district comprised more than three counties.

County	Districts in 42nd Legislature	Districts in 43rd Legislature	Change
Adams	Shared with Marquette	Shared with Marquette
Ashland	1 District	Shared with Iron	[note 2]
Barron	1 District	1 District
Bayfield	Shared with Burnett, Sawyer, & Washburn	Shared with Sawyer, & Washburn
Brown	2 Districts	2 Districts
Buffalo	Shared with Pepin	Shared with Pepin
Burnett	Shared with Bayfield, Sawyer, & Washburn	Shared with Polk
Calumet	1 District	1 District
Chippewa	2 Districts	2 Districts
Clark	1 District	1 District
Columbia	2 Districts	2 Districts
Crawford	1 District	1 District
Dane	4 Districts	3 Districts
Dodge	3 Districts	2 Districts
Door	1 District	1 District
Douglas	1 District	2 Districts
Dunn	1 District	1 District
Eau Claire	2 Districts	2 Districts
Florence	Shared with Ashland, Forest, Oneida, & Price	Shared with Forest & Langlade
Fond du Lac	3 Districts	2 Districts
Forest	Shared with Florence & Langlade	Shared with Florence & Langlade
Grant	2 Districts	2 Districts
Green	1 District	1 District
Green Lake	1 District	1 District
Iowa	1 District	1 District
Iron	Did not exist	Shared with Ashland
Jackson	1 District	1 District
Jefferson	2 Districts	2 Districts
Juneau	1 District	1 District
Kenosha	1 District	1 District
Kewaunee	1 District	1 District
La Crosse	2 Districts	2 Districts
Lafayette	1 District	1 District
Langlade	Shared with Florence & Forest	Shared with Florence & Forest
Lincoln	1 District	Shared with Taylor
Manitowoc	2 Districts	2 Districts
Marathon	2 Districts	2 Districts
Marinette	1 District	1 District
Marquette	Shared with Adams	Shared with Adams
Milwaukee	14 Districts	15 Districts
Monroe	1 District	1 District
Oconto	1 District	1 District
Outagamie	2 Districts	2 Districts
Ozaukee	1 District	1 District
Pepin	Shared with Buffalo	Shared with Buffalo
Pierce	1 District	1 District
Polk	1 District	1 District
Portage	1 District	2 Districts
Price	Shared with Oneida & Taylor	Shared with Oneida & Vilas
Racine	2 Districts	2 Districts
Richland	1 District	1 District
Rock	3 Districts	3 Districts
Sauk	2 Districts	2 Districts
Sawyer	Shared with Bayfield, Burnett, & Washburn	Shared with Bayfield & Washburn
Shawano	1 District	1 District
Sheboygan	3 Districts	3 Districts
St. Croix	1 District	1 District
Taylor	Shared with Oneida & Price	Shared with Lincoln
Trempealeau	1 District	1 District
Vernon	1 District	1 District
Walworth	2 Districts	2 Districts
Washburn	Shared with Bayfield, Burnett, & Sawyer	Shared with Bayfield & Sawyer
Washington	1 District	1 District
Waukesha	2 Districts	2 Districts
Waupaca	2 Districts	2 Districts
Waushara	1 District	1 District
Winnebago	3 Districts	3 Districts
Wood	1 District	1 District

• 1897: Related Documents fromWisconsin Legislature

• 1897 in Wisconsin
• 1898 in Wisconsin
• 1897 U.S. legislative sessions
• Wisconsin legislative sessions

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