Governor Nelson
Dewey Chapter
National Society
Daughters of the American
Revolution
Maple Bluff, WI
Governor Nelson Dewey
Our chapter is named for the first Governor of Wisconsin,
Nelson Dewey. He held two consecutive terms that began in 1848 when he was 33
years old. During those years in office, using his profession as a lawyer, he
rewrote the early laws in correct legal language. Many of his terms are
still used today in the Wisconsin courtroom.
Nelson Dewey first arrived in Wisconsin the year it became
a territory, 1836. He went to work for Daniels, Denniston, and Co. as a clerk.
The New York company was speculating in land in Wisconsin and was pushing for
Cassville to become the territorial capitol. At that same time Dewey began
studying law. He passed the territorial bar after the company failed because
Madison was named as the capitol.
He made a fortune in land speculation and investments in
lead mining. During the 1840s he held a number of local and territorial offices.
When he attended the first State Democratic Convention in 1848 he was selected
as their candidate for Governor.
Establishing the new Wisconsin government was Dewey's primary
activity while in office. He also worked for navigational improvements of the
Wisconsin and Fox rivers. As a Liberal Democrat, Dewey opposed slavery in new
territories and supported the popular election of
Senators.
It is important to note that Governor Nelson Dewey
designed the original seal of Wisconsin so that the official documents would be
marked with the State's seal. He was also instrumental in the formation of the
University of Wisconsin. He believed that every citizen deserved the right to
further education and worked to see that these opportunities were afforded to
all.
After leaving the office of Governor, Dewey moved back to
Cassville and began working to establish Stonefield, the mansion on his 2,000
acre estate. Dewey employed all the local help he could get in building and
maintaining his home and grounds. This ready employment was largely responsible
for the large increase in the population of the area during his
residence.
Dewey lost everything in the Panic of 1873 and, in the
same year, the original house was lost to fire. He died in 1889 at the Denniston
Hotel in Cassville, which, during his more prosperous days, he had once
owned.
Governor Dewey was a man of integrity, respectability, and
sincerity--words interwoven into his life and which demonstrated how he
lived.
The estate was purchased by Walter Cass Newberry of Chicago and
the house was rebuilt on the original foundation in the 1890s. In 1936, 700
acres of the original estate was purchased by the State of Wisconsin for a state
park. The Department of Natural Resources and the State Historical Society began
restoration in 1948. The Legislature declared
Stonefield as the site of the State
Farm and Craft Museum in 1953.
- Bibliography: Nord, David Paul. "A Guide to Stonefield." State
Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1977
- Photograph, Nelson Dewey, Artist Unknown, Photo used with
permission of State Historical Society of Wisconsin Museum
#42.466.
Governor Nelson
Dewey Chapter Our chapter is named for the first Governor of Wisconsin,
Nelson Dewey. He held two consecutive terms that began in 1848 when he was 33
years old. During those years in office, using his profession as a lawyer, he
rewrote the early laws in correct legal language. Many of his terms are
still used today in the Wisconsin courtroom. Nelson Dewey first arrived in Wisconsin the year it became
a territory, 1836. He went to work for Daniels, Denniston, and Co. as a clerk.
The New York company was speculating in land in Wisconsin and was pushing for
Cassville to become the territorial capitol. At that same time Dewey began
studying law. He passed the territorial bar after the company failed because
Madison was named as the capitol. He made a fortune in land speculation and investments in
lead mining. During the 1840s he held a number of local and territorial offices.
When he attended the first State Democratic Convention in 1848 he was selected
as their candidate for Governor. Establishing the new Wisconsin government was Dewey's primary
activity while in office. He also worked for navigational improvements of the
Wisconsin and Fox rivers. As a Liberal Democrat, Dewey opposed slavery in new
territories and supported the popular election of
Senators.
After leaving the office of Governor, Dewey moved back to
Cassville and began working to establish Stonefield, the mansion on his 2,000
acre estate. Dewey employed all the local help he could get in building and
maintaining his home and grounds. This ready employment was largely responsible
for the large increase in the population of the area during his
residence. Dewey lost everything in the Panic of 1873 and, in the
same year, the original house was lost to fire. He died in 1889 at the Denniston
Hotel in Cassville, which, during his more prosperous days, he had once
owned. Governor Dewey was a man of integrity, respectability, and
sincerity--words interwoven into his life and which demonstrated how he
lived. The estate was purchased by Walter Cass Newberry of Chicago and
the house was rebuilt on the original foundation in the 1890s. In 1936, 700
acres of the original estate was purchased by the State of Wisconsin for a state
park. The Department of Natural Resources and the State Historical Society began
restoration in 1948. The Legislature declared
Stonefield as the site of the State
Farm and Craft Museum in 1953.
National Society
Daughters of the American
Revolution
Maple Bluff, WI
Governor Nelson Dewey
It is important to note that Governor Nelson Dewey
designed the original seal of Wisconsin so that the official documents would be
marked with the State's seal. He was also instrumental in the formation of the
University of Wisconsin. He believed that every citizen deserved the right to
further education and worked to see that these opportunities were afforded to
all.
