36th Wisconsin Legislature

The Thirty-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature convened from to  in regular session.

This was the first legislative session after the redistricting of the Senate and Assembly according to an act of the previous session.

This session also saw the implementation of an 1881 amendment to the Constitution of Wisconsin. The amendment converted the Legislature from annual sessions to biennial sessions, and doubled the length of terms for legislative officeholders.

Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first two years of a four-year term. Assembly members were elected to a two-year term. Assembly members and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 7, 1882. Senators representing even-numbered districts had been elected in the general election of November 8, 1881, and their term was extended from two years to three years, with the end of their term coinciding with the end of this (36th) legislative term.

Major events

 * January 10, 1883: The Newhall House Hotel Fire in Milwaukee killed 73 people, including former Wisconsin state senator and judge George B. Reed.
 * January 20, 1883: The 1883 Tehachapi train wreck resulted in 15 deaths, including former Wisconsin congressman Charles H. Larrabee.
 * October 15, 1883: The United States Supreme Court decided the Civil Rights Cases, striking down parts of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 and permitting individuals and corporations to discriminate based on race.
 * November 8, 1883: The partially-constructed south wing of the Wisconsin State Capitol collapsed, killing six laborers and wounding 15 others.
 * November 15, 1883: The United States and Canada implemented five standard time zones for the North American continent.
 * April 20, 1884: Pope Leo XIII published the encyclical Humanum genus, denouncing Freemasonry and certain liberal beliefs which he considered to be associated with it.
 * May 1, 1884: The eight-hour workday was proclaimed by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in the United States. The date would later become recognized in nearly every industrialized country as May Day or Labour Day.
 * October 22, 1884: The International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C., established the Greenwich meridian as the prime meridian.
 * November 4, 1884: 1884 United States general election:
 * Grover Cleveland elected President of the United States.
 * Jeremiah McLain Rusk re-elected as Governor of Wisconsin.
 * December 6, 1884: The Washington Monument was completed in Washington, D.C., becoming the tallest structure in the world at that time.

Major legislation

 * March 9, 1883: An Act relating to electors and general elections, and amendatory of sections 12 and 14, chapter 5, of the revised statutes, 1883 Act 29. Established that eligible voters in Wisconsin can vote in any precinct where they had been residents for at least ten days prior to the election. It also established that a person could be disqualified from voting if they were convicted of bribery, or found to be gambling on election outcomes.
 * April 3, 1883: An act to create a bureau of labor statistics, 1883 Act 319.

Sessions

 * 1st Regular session: January 10, 1883 – April 4, 1883

Senate leadership

 * President of the Senate: Sam S. Fifield (R)
 * President pro tempore: George W. Ryland (R)

Assembly leadership

 * Speaker of the Assembly: Earl Finch (D)

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

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

Senate committees

 * Senate Committee on Agriculture
 * Senate Committee on Assessment and Collection of Taxes
 * Senate Committee on Education
 * Senate Committee on Engrossed Bills
 * Senate Committee on Enrolled Bills
 * Senate Committee on Federal Relations
 * Senate Committee on Finance, Banks, and Insurance
 * Senate Committee on Incorporations
 * Senate Committee on the Judiciary
 * Senate Committee on Legislative Expenditures
 * Senate Committee on Manufactures and Commerce
 * Senate Committee on Military Affairs
 * Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections
 * Senate Committee on Public Lands
 * Senate Committee on Railroads
 * Senate Committee on Roads and Bridges
 * Senate Committee on State Affairs
 * Senate Committee on Town and County Organizations

Assembly committees

 * Assembly Committee on Agriculture
 * Assembly Committee on Assessment and Collection of Taxes
 * Assembly Committee on Bills on their Third Reading
 * Assembly Committee on Cities
 * Assembly Committee on Education
 * Assembly Committee on Engrossed Bills
 * Assembly Committee on Enrolled Bills
 * Assembly Committee on Federal Relations
 * Assembly Committee on Incorporations
 * Assembly Committee on Insurance, Banks, and Banking
 * Assembly Committee on the Judiciary
 * Assembly Committee on Legislative Expenditures
 * Assembly Committee on Lumber and Manufactures
 * Assembly Committee on Medical Societies
 * Assembly Committee on Militia
 * Assembly Committee on Privileges and Elections
 * Assembly Committee on Public Improvements
 * Assembly Committee on Public Lands
 * Assembly Committee on Railroads
 * Assembly Committee on Roads and Bridges
 * Assembly Committee on State Affairs
 * Assembly Committee on Town and County Organization
 * Assembly Committee on Ways and Means

Joint committees

 * Joint Committee on Charitable and Penal Institutions
 * Joint Committee on Claims
 * Joint Committee on Printing

Changes from the 35th Legislature
New districts for the 36th Legislature were defined in 1882 Wisconsin Act 242, passed into law in the 35th Wisconsin Legislature.

Summary of changes

 * 23 Senate districts were left unchanged (or were only renumbered).
 * Dane County went from having 2 districts to 1 (26).

Partisan implications

 * Republicans had 18 safe seats, down from 20.
 * Democrats had 6 safe seats, no change from the previous map.
 * 9 seats were competitive, up from 7.

Summary of changes

 * 51 Assembly districts were left unchanged (or were only renumbered).
 * Adams and Marquette counties were combined into a shared district after previously being separate districts.
 * Brown County went from having 3 districts to 2.
 * Calumet County went from having its 1 district to having 1 whole district and 1 shared district with Outagamie County.
 * Chippewa County became its own district after previously having been in a shared district with Price.
 * Clark and Wood counties each became their own Assembly districts after previously having been in a shared district with Lincoln and Taylor counties.
 * Dane County went from having 3 districts to 5.
 * Fond du Lac County went from having 4 districts to 3.
 * Jefferson County went from having 3 districts to 2.
 * Juneau County went from having 2 districts to 1.
 * The northeast corner of the state, comprising Florence, Langlade, Marinette, Oconto, and Shawano counties, went from 1 shared district to 3.
 * Milwaukee County went from having 11 districts to 12.
 * Pepin County became its own district after previously having been in a shared district with Buffalo County.
 * Polk County became its own district after previously having been in a shared district with Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, and Douglas counties.
 * Walworth County went from having 3 districts to 2.
 * Richland County went from having 2 districts to 1.
 * Waukesha County went from having 2 districts to 1.
 * Winnebago County went from having 4 districts to 3.

Senate employees

 * Chief Clerk: Charles E. Bross
 * Assistant Clerk: J. W. Bates
 * Bookkeeper: Oliver Munson
 * Engrossing Clerk: Thomas Bright
 * Enrolling Clerk: James T. Greene
 * Transcribing Clerk: Samuel S. Lockhart
 * Proofreader: Willard W. Flinn
 * Clerk for the Judiciary Committee: A. T. E. Blessing
 * Clerk for the Committee on Enrolled Bills: Stephen Thomas
 * Clerk for the Committee on Engrossed Bills: E. S. Hotchkiss
 * Clerk for the Committee on Claims: J. H. Whitney
 * Document Clerk: Thomas Watson
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Adelbert D. Thorp
 * Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Charles A. Landridge
 * Postmaster: H. C. Spaulding
 * Assistant Postmaster: John J. Marshall
 * Gallery Attendant: Claus Johnson
 * Committee Room Attendant: A. A. Curtis
 * Document Room Attendant: Frank Hutson
 * Doorkeepers:
 * Joseph Granvogel
 * H. T. E. Tilleson
 * Jos. S. Adlington
 * Jos. W. Hodges
 * Porter: O. L. Wright
 * Night Watch: G. W. Churchill
 * Janitor: Owen Pritchard
 * Messengers:
 * Charlie Adamson
 * Lemuel R. Parry
 * Emile Forgeot
 * Fred. D. Irish
 * Elliot B. Davis
 * A. M. Kneeland
 * Dennie M. Wright

Assembly employees

 * Chief Clerk: Isaac T. Carr
 * 1st Assistant Clerk: James W. Murphy
 * 2nd Assistant Clerk: J. L. O'Connor
 * Bookkeeper: Clarence L. Clark
 * Engrossing Clerk: C. R. Blumenfeld
 * Enrolling Clerk: Charles N. Holden
 * Transcribing Clerk: James Douglas
 * Proofreader: George Stone
 * Clark for the Judiciary Committee: Joseph Roy
 * Clerk for the Committee on Enrolled Bills: W. C. Brawley
 * Clerk for the Committee on Engrossed Bills: J. C. Conners
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Thomas Kennedy
 * Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms: Bernard McGinty
 * Postmaster: T. W. Wiebold
 * Assistant Postmaster: William H. Fitzgerald
 * Doorkeepers:
 * Byron Abert
 * John D. Bradford
 * O. B. Phelps
 * Fireman: Frank Grams
 * Gallery Attendants:
 * T. F. McCarty
 * Michael Riedy
 * Engrossing Room Attendant: J. B. Rand
 * Policeman: John W. Liebenstein
 * Night Watch: A. H. Burns
 * Wash Room Attendant: Matthew Dunne
 * Messengers:
 * W. G. Kropf
 * H. Allman
 * J. F. Donovan