Charles H. Durkee (December 10, 1805January 14, 1870) was an American politician, activist, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Wisconsin as a United States senator from 1855 to 1861, and served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1849–1853). Later in life he was appointed governor of the Utah Territory, serving from 1865 to 1869. Before his political career, Durkee was one of the founders of Kenosha, Wisconsin; he was a vehement advocate for temperance and abolition, though he personally struggled with alcoholism.
He originally became involved in politics as a member of the Democratic Party, and was elected to the 1st Wisconsin Territorial Assembly on the Democratic ticket. In the 1840s he became a leader in Wisconsin of the short-lived Liberty Party, which advocated for the abolition of slavery. In 1848, the Liberty Party merged with other abolitionist and anti-slavery Democrats into the Free Soil Party, and Durkee was elected to his two terms in the U.S. House on the Free Soil ticket. In 1854, the Free Soil Party merged with much of the Whig Party to become the Republican Party, and a few months later Durkee became the first Republican U.S. senator from Wisconsin.
Early life
Durkee was born in Royalton, Vermont. He became a merchant and moved to the Wisconsin Territory in 1836. There he became involved in agriculture and lumbering, and was a founder of the town of Southport (later Kenosha, Wisconsin). Land he once owned in Kenosha is now part of the Library Park Historic District.
Career
He entered politics, serving two terms in the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature. Originally a Democrat,
[Smith, Theodore Clarke. The Free Soil Party in Wisconsin From. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1895; p. 136] he became a member first of the Liberty Party and then of the Free Soil Party and was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1848 as part of Wisconsin's first full congressional delegation. He served in the House for two terms as part of the 31st and the 32nd Congresses from March 4, 1849, till March 3, 1853, representing Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. In 1854, he switched to the newly formed Republican Party and was elected to the United States Senate by the Wisconsin State Legislature. He served for one term, from 1855 to 1861. In 1865 he became governor of the
Utah Territory, and served in that position until 1869 when he resigned because of ill health.
[ ] He died in Omaha, Nebraska while returning home.
Tributes
A street in the city of Appleton, Wisconsin, is named for him. An elementary school in Kenosha, Wisconsin, bore his name for many years. It was demolished in 2008.
He gave a speech at the hammering of the Golden Spike in Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, connecting the Union Pacific tracks to the Central Pacific Railroad.
His former home, which later became an Episcopal school for girls and is now known as Kemper Hall, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Electoral history
U.S. Senate (1855)
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8th Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, February 1, 1855
Further reading
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