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Winslow Bullen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Winslow Bullen
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the Columbia 2nd district
In office
January 3, 1870 – January 2, 1871
Preceded byThornton Thompson
Succeeded byThomas Sanderson
Personal details
Born(1826-04-27)April 27, 1826
Hannibal, New York, U.S.
DiedOctober 17, 1909(1909-10-17) (aged 83)
Poynette, Wisconsin, U.S.
Resting placeArlington Presbyterian Cemetery, Arlington, Wisconsin
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Selina F. Gilmore
(m. 1852; died 1898)
Children
  • Sarah Ellen Bullen
  • (b. 1854; died 1931)
  • William Kelsey Bullen
  • (b. 1855; died 1928)
  • David Murdie Bullen
  • (b. 1858; died 1922)
  • Mary E. Bullen
  • (b. 1862; died 1951)
  • Jennie E. Bullen
  • (b. 1867; died 1959)
Relatives

Winslow Bullen (April 27, 1826 – October 17, 1909) was an American farmer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing southeast Columbia County during the 1870 term. He was one of the founders of Arlington, Wisconsin.

Biography

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Winslow Bullen was born in Oswego County, New York, in 1826. He received his early education there, but came west with his parents in 1836.[1] In the Wisconsin Territory, he and his parents, along with extended family, became some of the founders of Kenosha, Wisconsin.[2]

In the mid-1850s, Bullen moved west to Columbia County, Wisconsin, and settled in the town of Arlington. He established a farm there and became active in local affairs. He was elected as one of two town treasurers in 1858, and was then elected town chairman for five consecutive terms, from 1865 through 1870. As town chairman, he was an ex officio member of the Columbia County board of supervisors.

Bullen was nominated for Wisconsin State Assembly in 1869, running on the Republican Party ticket.[3] He narrowly defeated Democrat John J. Sutton and went on to serve in the 23rd Wisconsin Legislature.[1]

During his term in the Assembly, Bullen was named a director of the Madison and Portage Railroad.[4] He remained a participant in the railroad company for at least the next decade. He did not run for re-election in 1870.

The following year, in collaboration with his father, Bullen platted what is now the village of Arlington, Wisconsin, and constructed the first building on that site. A few years later, he opened one of the first general stores in the village.[5] Bullen remained active in the Columbia County Republican Party through the 1870s, but moved into other interests in his later years. In the 1880s, he was an officer in the Arlington Farmers Mutual Insurance Company.[6]

In 1906, Bullen built a home in the village of Poynette, Wisconsin, where he resided with his three daughters until his death in 1909.[7]

Personal life and family

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Winslow Bullen was the eldest of seven children born to David Bullen and his wife Jane (née Murdie). David Bullen's brother, John Bullen IV, and John's sons John Bullen V and William Bullen, were also part of the family group which established Kenosha, Wisconsin. John Bullen V is the most well known of the family and the namesake of Kenosha's Bullen Middle School.

Winslow Bullen married Selina F. Gilmore in 1852. They had five children together.[7]

Electoral history

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Wisconsin Assembly (1869)

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Wisconsin Assembly, Columbia County 2nd District Election, 1869[1]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
General Election, November 2, 1869
Republican Winslow Bullen 698 53.04%
Democratic John J. Sutton 618 46.96%
Plurality 80 6.08%
Total votes 1,316 100.0%

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Official Directory". The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin (Report). State of Wisconsin. 1870. p. 358. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  2. ^ The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Western Historical Co. 1879. p. 349. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  3. ^ "Candidates for the Assembly". Wisconsin State Register. October 16, 1869. p. 2. Retrieved August 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Madison and Portage Railroad". Wisconsin State Journal. March 9, 1870. p. 1. Retrieved August 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Butterfield, Consul Willshire (1880). The History of Columbia county, Wisconsin. Western Historical Co. pp. 699–700. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  6. ^ "Insurance Company Meeting". Portage Daily Register. January 27, 1887. p. 3. Retrieved August 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Winslow Bullen". Portage Daily Register. October 21, 1909. p. 3. Retrieved August 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Preceded by
Thornton Thompson
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Columbia 2nd district
January 3, 1870 – January 2, 1871
Succeeded by