34th Wisconsin Legislature

The Thirty-Fourth Wisconsin Legislature convened from to in regular session.
This was the first legislative session after the 1880 United States census, and—as prescribed by the Wisconsin Constitution—this legislature attempted to pass a redistricting law. For the first time, the legislature failed in this task due to a technical problem with the proposed legislation—they forgot to include the town of Ridgeway, in Iowa County. The Governor vetoed the legislation due to this technical fault. Since the legislature had already adjourned for the year, it was considered too late to complete redistricting before the 1881 election.
Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term. Assembly members were elected to a one-year term. Assembly members and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 2, 1880. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the second year of their two-year term, having been elected in the general election held on November 4, 1879.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican William E. Smith, of Milwaukee County, serving the second year of his second two-year term, having won re-election in the 1879 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

Major events

January 4, 1881: Joseph E. Darbellay was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Kewaunee County district to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of John Milton Read.
January 26, 1881: Philetus Sawyer elected United States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in Joint Session.
February 24, 1881: Wisconsin's senior United States Senator Matthew H. Carpenter died of kidney disease in Washington, D.C.
March 4, 1881: Inauguration of James A. Garfield as the 20th President of the United States.
March 13, 1881: Tsar Alexander II of Russia was assassinated in Saint Petersburg.
March 14, 1881: Angus Cameron elected United States Senator by the Wisconsin Legislature in Joint Session.
April 4, 1881: Wisconsin Governor William E. Smith vetoed the proposed legislative redistricting act due to a technical flaw in the legislation.
May 21, 1881: American Red Cross was founded at Dansville, New York.
July 2, 1881: U.S. President James A. Garfield was shot by an assassin in Washington, D.C.
September 19, 1881: U.S. President James A. Garfield died of an infected gunshot wound.
September 20, 1881: Inauguration of Chester A. Arthur as the 21st President of the United States.
November 8, 1881: Jeremiah McLain Rusk elected Governor of Wisconsin.
November 8, 1881: At the state's general election, Wisconsin voters approved an amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin. The amendment doubled the terms of Wisconsin legislators—Assembly terms went from 1 year to 2 years; Senate terms went from 2 years to 4 years. The amendment also adjusted the frequency of legislative sessions from annual to biennial, with new sessions beginning in odd-numbered years.

Major legislation

March 19, 1881: An Act to provide for more light on various subjects, . Directed the governor to implement electric lighting in the Wisconsin capitol building.
April 2, 1881: An Act relating to state officers and making the railroad commissioner and commissioner of insurance elective, as other state officers, and prescribing their duties and salary, and amendatory of sections one hundred and twenty-eight and one thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven of the revised statutes, and to repeal section one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two of the revised statutes, and amendatory of section six of chapter two hundred and forty of the laws of 1880, . Converted the offices of insurance commissioner and railroad commissioner to statewide elected offices, rather than gubernatorial appointees.
Joint Resolution amending sections number four, five, eleven and twenty-one, article four of the constitution of the state of Wisconsin, . This was the required second legislative resolution supporting the amendment to change the length of legislative terms. The amendment was ratified by voters in the November 1881 general election.
Joint Resolution proposing amendments to section four of article six, section twelve of article seven, and section one of article thirteen of the constitution of the state of Wisconsin, so as to provide for biennial general elections, . Proposed changes to the state constitution to bring all terms for county officers into uniformity, with elections taking place in even-numbered years. This was the first legislative approval for this amendment, a second legislative approval was passed in 1882, and the amendment was ratified by the voters in the November 1882 general election.

Sessions

1st Regular session: January 12, 1881April 4, 1881

Leaders

Senate leadership

President of the Senate: James M. Bingham
President pro tempore: Thomas B. Scott

Assembly leadership

Speaker of the Assembly: Ira B. Bradford

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Thirty-Fourth Wisconsin Legislature:

Dist.	Counties	Senator	Residence	Party
01	Door, Kewaunee, Langlade, Marinette, Oconto, & Shawano		Peshtigo	Rep.
02	Brown		Green Bay	Rep.
03	Racine		Racine	Rep.
04	Crawford & Vernon		Prairie du Chien	Rep.
05	Milwaukee		Milwaukee	Rep.
06	Milwaukee		Milwaukee	Dem.
07	Milwaukee		Milwaukee	Rep.
08	Kenosha & Walworth		Kenosha	Rep.
09	Green Lake, Marquette,		Hancock	Rep.
10	Waukesha		Lisbon	Dem.
11	Chippewa, Clark, Lincoln, Price, Taylor,		Grand Rapids	Rep.
12	Green & Lafayette		Shullsburg	Rep.
13	Dodge		Mayville	Dem.
14	Juneau & Sauk		Baraboo	Rep.
15	Manitowoc		Manitowoc	Dem.
16	Grant		Lancaster	Rep.
17	Rock		Janesville	Rep.
18			Ripon	Rep.
19	Winnebago		Neenah	Rep.
20	Sheboygan		Plymouth	Dem.
21	Marathon, Portage,		Wausau	Rep.
22	Calumet & Outagamie		Harrison	Dem.
23	Jefferson		Watertown	Dem.
24	Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Polk,		Ashland	Rep.
25	Dane		Madison	Rep.
26	Dane		Cross Plains	Dem.
27	Adams & Columbia		Lodi	Rep.
28	Iowa & Richland		Richland	Rep.
29	Buffalo, Pepin,		Fountain City	Rep.
30	Dunn,,			Rep.
31	La Crosse		La Crosse	Rep.
32	Jackson		Black River Falls	Rep.
33	Ozaukee & Washington			Dem.

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Thirty-Fourth Wisconsin Legislature:

Employees

Senate employees

Chief Clerk: Charles E. Bross
* Assistant Clerk: Charles N. Herreid
* Bookkeeper: Oliver Munson
* Engrossing Clerk: John P. Mitchell
* Enrolling Clerk: L. J. Burlingame
* Transcribing Clerk: C. Ingersoll
* Proofreader: Henry Eduard Legler
* Clerk for the Judiciary Committee: Charles Simeon Taylor
* Clerk for the Committee on Enrolled Bills: R. B. Blackstone
* Document Clerk: Frank Hutson
Sergeant-at-Arms: W. W. Baker
* Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles A. Langridge
Postmaster: J. L. Thwing
* Assistant Postmaster: L. E. Spencer
Gallery Attendant: J. J. Marshall
Doorkeepers:
* F. O. Janzen
* M. Quinn
* F. R. Sebenthal
* D. J. F. Murphy
Porter: O. L. Wright
Night Watch: A. J. Marsh
Janitor: Ole Stephenson
President's Messenger: Ralph Irish
Chief Clerk's Messenger: J. G. Hyland
Messengers:
* Perry Carrell
* William Burnett
* John L. Bohm
* Charles Bucey
* Albert Fontaine
* George Kinney

Assembly employees

Chief Clerk: John E. Eldred
* 1st Assistant Clerk: J. F. A. Williams
** 2nd Assistant Clerk: Peter Philippi
* Bookkeeper: J. T. Huntington
* Engrossing Clerk: P. H. Swift
* Enrolling Clerk: George E. Weatherby
* Transcribing Clerk: Francis Stirn
* Proof Reader: Fred W. Coon
Sergeant-at-Arms: George W. Church
* Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: J. B. Perry
Postmaster: W. W. Sturtevant
* Assistant Postmaster: George Slingsby
Doorkeepers:
* R. N. Potter
* Charles Rediske
* W. L. Peterson
* Darwin C. Pavey
Gallery Attendant: L. T. Stohland
Night Watch: Lonis J. Neiman
Wash Room Attendant: Frank Lynch
Messengers:
* Eddie Cavanaugh
* Thomas Gillespie
* Thomas Wilkinson
* William A. Price
* Hugh Edwards
* James Daley
* Fred Moll
* Hayes Selden
* Louis E. Bainbridge
* Thomas Bullock
* R. G. Thomas
* Frederick G. Isenring