Don Alonzo Joshua Upham (May 1, 1809July 19, 1877) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as the 4th Mayor of Milwaukee and was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in the 1851 election. He also served as President of the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention and was for Wisconsin during the presidency of James Buchanan. His name was often abbreviated as in historical documents.
Early life Upham was born in Weathersfield, Windsor County, Vermont in 1809."A Brief History of Weathersfield" Excerpted from Bicentennial Edition Gazetteer of Vermont Heritage 1974 Accessed July 15, 2006. After graduating from Union College in Schenectady, New York, in 1831, he taught mathematics for three years at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware.
He then studied law privately in Delaware under James A. Bayard, Jr. He practiced law after being admitted to the Delaware bar in 1835. That year, he was also elected the Wilmington City Attorney.Gregory, John. A New and Vastly Improved Edition of the Industrial Resources of Wisconsin. Milwaukee: See-Bote Job Print, 1870, pp. 118-119. Accessed February 3, 2018. He was the owner and editor of The Delaware Gazette for three years. In 1837, Upham traveled west, eventually settling in the village of Milwaukee in the Wisconsin Territory, where he continued to work as a lawyer. Among the prospective attorneys who studied under him was Ira S. Haseltine.
Political career Upham held various political positions and in 1840 he served as a member of the Territorial Council, the upper house in the territory's legislature. He served in the Territorial Legislature from 1840 to 1842. In 1843 he was the Milwaukee County Attorney, and in 1846 he served as president of the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention—though the constitution produced by this convention was not ratified by the voters.Forest Home Cemetery. "Self-Guided Historical Tour" . Accessed February 3, 2018. Upham served two one-year terms as Mayor of Milwaukee, for 1849 and 1850.
Upham was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Wisconsin in 1851, but fell 507 votes short of Whig candidate Leonard J. Farwell.Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. State of Wisconsin 1997-1998 Blue Book. Madison: Wisconsin Legislature Joint Committee on Legislative Organization, 1997, p. 680.
In 1858, President James Buchanan appointed Upham United States Attorney for the District of Wisconsin, where he served until his successor was appointed in 1861.Dictionary of Wisconsin History . Accessed July 15, 2006.
He died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 19, 1877, and is interred in Milwaukee's historic Forest Home Cemetery.
Family life Upham was the son of Joshua Upham and Phebe (Chamberlain) Upham. He married Elizabeth Smith Jaques October 20, 1836, and they were married until his death.Wisconsin Historical Society "Cool Breezes: Souvenirs from Near and Far." Accessed July 15, 2006. They had five children: John Jaques Upham, Adelaide Upham, Horace Alonzo Upham, Caroline Jaques Upham and Sarah Maria Upham.
Horace's former summer home, now known as Wawbeek-Horace A.J. Upham House, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Uphams were descended from Massachusetts Bay colonist John Upham, who arrived in 1680 and settled in Malden.
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