Randall Wilcox
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Randall Wilcox | |
|---|---|
 1856 portrait by Samuel Marsden Brookes | |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Brown 2nd district | |
| In office January 4, 1869 – January 3, 1870 | |
| Preceded by | David Cooper Ayres |
| Succeeded by | Michael Dockry |
| In office January 7, 1867 – January 6, 1868 | |
| Preceded by | William J. Abrams (whole county) |
| Succeeded by | David Cooper Ayres |
| 1st, 3rd, & 5th Village President of De Pere, Wisconsin | |
| In office April 1863 – April 1865 | |
| Preceded by | Dominicus Jordan |
| Succeeded by | Joseph G. Lawton |
| In office April 1861 – April 1862 | |
| Preceded by | Abiatha B. Williams |
| Succeeded by | Dominicus Jordan |
| In office April 1857 – April 1859 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Abiatha B. Williams |
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Brown–Door–Kewaunee district | |
| In office January 3, 1853 – January 2, 1854 | |
| Preceded by | District established |
| Succeeded by | Francis X. Desnoyers |
| Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Brown County, Wisconsin | |
| In office January 1, 1848 – April 1852 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Jonathan Wheelock |
| Member of the Council of the Wisconsin Territory for Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Manitowoc, Marquette, Portage, Sheboygan & Winnebago counties | |
| In office January 6, 1845 – January 4, 1847 | |
| Preceded by | Morgan Lewis Martin |
| Succeeded by | Mason C. Darling |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 9, 1793 Lee, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | October 18, 1872 (aged 78) De Pere, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery, Allouez, Wisconsin |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Lydia Colewell Field
(m. 1817–1872) |
| Children |
|
Randall Wilcox (November 9, 1793 – October 18, 1872) was an American businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the first village president of De Pere, Wisconsin, and played an important role in the early work to develop the Fox River system for navigability. He also served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly and—prior to Wisconsin statehood—he served two years on the Wisconsin Territory council during the 4th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly.
Randall Wilcox was born in Lee, Massachusetts, in 1793. As a child, he moved to Pennsylvania, with his parents, where he was raised and educated. He worked on many bridge and dam projects in Pennsylvania and Maryland.[1]
He moved west to the Wisconsin Territory in 1836, and settled on a plot of land along the Fox River, in the area that is now De Pere, Wisconsin. He quickly became involved in bridge and dam construction again, and became affiliated with pioneer John Penn Arndt as president of his De Pere Hydraulic Company, where he managed the building of the first lock and dam on the Fox River.[2][1] At the same time, Wilcox became entangled with the recently established De Pere Bank, and, in the midst of the Panic of 1837, attempted to backstop the bank with a $20,000 loan from his own savings (about $640,000 adjusted for inflation to 2023). His loan did not save the bank, so Wilcox became the owner of all the bank's assets, though this did not come close to covering his losses.[3]
In 1838, the territorial legislature named the area around their settlement as the town of "Wilcox", named for Randall Wilcox. The next year, however, that town was divided—the area east of the Fox River became the town of De Pere and the area west of the river was re-absorbed into the town of Howard.[4]
In 1844, Wilcox was elected to represent the northeast quadrant of Wisconsin on the council (upper house of the legislature). He served in the 3rd and 4th sessions of the 4th Wisconsin Territorial Assembly.[5]
After Wisconsin achieved statehood, Wilcox was the first chairman of the Brown County board of supervisors under state government, and remained in that office until 1852.[4]
In 1852, he was elected to his first term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, running on the Democratic Party ticket.[6] He served in the 6th Wisconsin Legislature and did not run for re-election in 1853.
In 1857, the Legislature passed an act incorporating the village of De Pere. At the charter election, Wilcox was chosen as the first president of De Pere. He was re-elected to another term in 1858 and subsequently won three more one-year terms in 1861, 1863, and 1864.[4] In 1864, Wilcox was also a Democratic candidate for presidential elector on behalf of George B. McClellan.
He returned to the Assembly in 1867, and again in 1869.
