William A. Barstow
| William Augustus Barstow | |
|---|---|
William A. Barstow in 1853
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| Born |
September 13, 1813 Plainfield, Connecticut |
| Died | December 13, 1865 (aged 52) Leavenworth, Kansas |
| Allegiance |
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| Service/branch | Union Army |
| Rank | Brigadier General |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
William Augustus Barstow (September 13, 1813 – December 13, 1865) was the third Governor of Wisconsin and a Union Army General during the American Civil War.
Barstow was born in Plainfield, Connecticut. He worked with his brothers in business in Norwich, Connecticut and Cleveland, Ohio, but moved to Waukesha, outside of Milwaukee, after the Panic of 1837, where he started a mill. He was active in local politics, serving on the Milwaukee County Board, and in 1846 led a movement to separate Waukesha County. [1] [2]
Barstow served as the Wisconsin Secretary of State from 1850 until 1852. He was elected the governor of Wisconsin as a Democrat, taking office on January 2, 1854. As governor, Barstow supported the railroad to the Pacific and stood against the attempts of the Know-Nothing movement to undermine the citizenship of the foreign-born. He opposed prohibition of alcohol sales, and vetoed a ban passed by the Legislature despite strong public support. However, allegations that his administration had misused public school funds and favored personal friends in state funded loans proved to have greater impact than his positions on issues. Although he was renominated by the Democrats, Barstow lost support within his party as well as in Wisconsin generally.
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