Milton Howard Pettit (October 22, 1835 – March 23, 1873) was an American businessman, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the 11th lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, during the governorship of Cadwallader C. Washburn, and died while in office. Earlier, he had been mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and had represented Kenosha in the Wisconsin State Senate.[1]

Milton H. Pettit
11th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
In office
January 1, 1872 – March 23, 1873
GovernorCadwallader C. Washburn
Preceded byThaddeus C. Pound
Succeeded byCharles D. Parker (1874)
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 8th district
In office
January 1, 1870 – January 1, 1872
Preceded byAnthony Van Wyck
Succeeded bySamuel Pratt
8th, 11th, 13th, and 16th Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin
In office
April 1870 – April 1871
Preceded byFrederick Robinson
Succeeded byAsahel Farr
In office
April 1867 – April 1868
Preceded byDennis J. Hynes
Succeeded byIsaac W. Webster
In office
April 1865 – April 1866
Preceded byAsahel Farr
Succeeded byDennis J. Hynes
In office
April 1861 – April 1862
Preceded byIsaac W. Webster
Succeeded byFrederick Robinson
Member of the Kenosha City Council
In office
April 1864 – April 1865
In office
April 1859 – April 1860
Personal details
Born
Milton Howard Pettit

(1825-10-22)October 22, 1825
Fabius, New York, US
DiedMarch 23, 1873(1873-03-23) (aged 47)
Resting placeGreen Ridge Cemetery, Kenosha, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • Caroline Diana Marsh
  • (m. 1847; died 1902)
Children
  • Ossian Marsh Pettit
  • (b. 1854; died 1906)
  • Elizabeth Augusta (Mailer)
  • (b. 1857; died 1934)
  • Caroline Julia (Griswold)
  • (b. 1870; died 1934)
Parents
  • George Pettit (father)
  • Jane (Upfold) Pettit (mother)
Professionlawyer, politician

Biography

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He was born in Fabius, New York, in 1835, but moved to Somers, Wisconsin Territory, at the age of 11. As an adult, in 1854, he moved to the neighboring city of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and became a member of the Republican Party. In 1859 he was elected to the city council and, in 1861, he was elected to his first term as Mayor of Kenosha. He would be elected to three more one-year terms as Mayor, in 1865, 1867, and 1870, and was elected to represent Kenosha County in the Wisconsin State Senate for the 1870 and 1871 sessions of the Wisconsin Legislature. In 1871, he was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor, and won election, along with Republican gubernatorial nominee Cadwallader Washburn. Shortly after taking office in 1872, however, his health began to fail, and he died in the spring of 1873. He was the second Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin to die in office, after Timothy Burns.[1]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Senate (1869)

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Wisconsin Senate, 8th District Election, 1869[2]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 2, 1869
Republican Milton H. Pettit 1,172 59.22%
Democratic James M. Wilber 807 40.78%
Total votes 1,979 100.0%
Republican hold

Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor (1871)

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Wisconsin Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 1871[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 7, 1871
Republican Milton H. Pettit 77,751 53.05%
Democratic John A. Rice 68,807 46.95%
Total votes 146,558 100.0%
Republican hold

References

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  1. ^ a b c Turner, A.J., ed. (1873). "Official directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. p. 429. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  2. ^ "Official directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1873. p. 365. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
1871
Succeeded by
Wisconsin Senate
Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 8th district
January 1, 1870 – January 1, 1872
Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Isaac W. Webster
Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin
1861 – 1862
Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin
1865 – 1866
Succeeded by
Dennis J. Hynes
Preceded by
Dennis J. Hynes
Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin
1867 – 1868
Succeeded by
Isaac W. Webster
Preceded by Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin
1870 – 1871
Succeeded by
Preceded by Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
1872 – 1873
Succeeded by