Charles Billinghurst

Charles Billinghurst
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Wisconsin's 3rd district
In office
March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1859
Preceded byJohn B. Macy
Succeeded byCharles H. Larrabee
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Dodge 2nd district
In office
June 5, 1848 – January 1, 1849
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byHiram Barber
Personal details
Born(1818-07-27)July 27, 1818
DiedAugust 18, 1865(1865-08-18) (aged 47)
Resting placeJuneau Cemetery, Juneau
Party
Spouse
Hannah Barber
(m. 1853)
Children2
Parent
  • William Billinghurst (father)
ProfessionLawyer

Charles Billinghurst (July 27, 1818 – August 18, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district for the 34th and 35th congresses (1855–1859). He served in Congress as a member of the Republican Party; he had previously served in the 1st Wisconsin Legislature (1848) as a member of the Democratic Party, but split with the party over the slavery controversies of the 1850s.[1][2]

Early life and education

Billinghurst was born in Brighton, New York on July 27, 1818 to William Billinghurst.[3] He attended common schools and studied law.

Career

Billinghurst was admitted to the bar in 1847; he commenced practiced in Rochester, New York. That same year, Billinghurst moved to Juneau, Wisconsin, where he continued practicing law.

Billinghurst was elected to the 1st Wisconsin State Assembly in 1848.

Billinghurst edited and published the Juneau Burr Oak from 1853 to 1854.[4]

Billinghurst was elected a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1852.

Billinghurst was elected to the United States House of Representatives to represent the 3rd congressional district of Wisconsin, defeating incumbent Democrat John B. Macy in the general collection.

Billinghurst's time in office began on March 4, 1855 and concluded on March 3, 1859. He served in the 34th United States Congress as a member of the Opposition Party and the 35th United States Congress as a member of the Republican Party.

Billinghurst was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1858 to the 36th United States Congress, being defeated by Democrat Charles H. Larrabee in the general election. Following his tenure in Congress, Billinghurst resumed practicing law in Juneau, Wisconsin until his death there in 1865.

Personal life and death

In 1853, Billinghurst married Hannah Barber, with whom he had two children.[3]

Billinghurst died at the age of 47 in Juneau, Wisconsin on August 18, 1865. He was interred in Juneau Cemetery.[5]

References

  1. ^ "BILLINGHURST, Charles". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved July 9, 2007.
  2. ^ "Rep. Charles Billinghurst". GovTrack. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Hubbell, Homer Bishop (1913). Dodge County, Washington, Past and Present. Vol. 1. S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. pp. 185, 186.
  4. ^ "Billinghurst, Charles 1818 - 1865". Wisconsin Historical Society. 8 August 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  5. ^ "Bilandic to Billinghurst". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved June 10, 2023.

 This article incorporates public domain material from Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Federal government of the United States.