Biographies from The History of Columbia County,
Wisconsin, 1880 


Contributed by Carol carolann612@charter.net
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm


From The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin, 1880,
publ. by Western Historical Company, Chicago, Page
958-959

EMMONS E. CHAPIN was born in the town of Venice,
Cayuga Co., N.Y., July 14, 1829, and in 1837, with his
parents, removed to the town of Aurelius, near the
city of Auburn, in the same county, where he remained
until October 1854, when he came to Wisconsin, first
setting at Oconomowoc, and removed to Columbus in
January 1856, where he has since resided; he received
an academic education; he is a lawyer by profession.
For many years, he was a member of the Democratic
State Central Committee, and in that capacity has
frequently entered into State and national canvasses
with speech, pen and purse, to reclaim the State and
nation from the theories and aims advocated by the
Republican party as opposed to the broad Democratic
principles of government early established and
advocated by Jefferson and the fathers; he attended as
a delegate from Columbia Co., and participated in
every Congressional and State Convention from 1857 to
1879; his political course has been liberal and
progressive; in the convention held at Milwaukee in
1869, by which Hon. C. D. ROBINSON, of Green Bay, was
nominated for Governor, Mr. CHAPIN, in connection with
a number of other prominent Democrats, insisted upon
and succeeded in laying down a platform of principles
indicating the new departure that ultimately overthrew
the Republican party in Wisconsin, or, as Mr. CHAPIN
put it, "With these principles, and these alone,
Wisconsin must and shall be Democratic" - and it was
Democratic for the next four years.  During the war of
the rebellion he contributed time, money and efforts
to sustain the Government, and not the political party
in the ascendancy, firmly believing that military
force must be met by military force, and a rebellion
against the Government must be promptly met and surely
suppressed.  He was opposed to any act indicating a
repudiation of the national debt, or of an assumption
of the rebel debt, or any part thereof, by the United
States.  He has ever held an aversion to the present
mode of the few combined to run an "available" for
office, and he insists that the country wants and
demands intelligent, straightforward, honest good,
practical, common-sense business men for official
position - or that "the office should seek the man and
not the man the office."  Mr. CHAPIN has seldom
permitted his name to be placed upon a ticket for any
office, although often nominated and urged by his
friends to do so; yet he has held various local
offices of a non-partisan character, and was placed in
those positions by the aid of Republican; he was one
of the Trustees, and also Supervisor of the village
during the years 1872-73.  In the fall of 1873, when
it was determined to incorporate the city of Columbus,
he was appointed by the Trustees of the village to
draft a charter and procure the necessary legislation
for its enactment.  The city charter was drafted by
him, and it was passed by the Legislature and approved
by the Governor Feb.. 26, 1874, and Columbus thereby
became a city - but not without some opposition.  In
April 1874, he was appointed by Gov. Taylor as a
member of the State Board of Charities and Reform,and
was chosen by the Board its Vice President; he held
this office till May 1, 1876; he was chosen attorney
by that Board to conduct the examination of witnesses
in the investigation of the management of the State
Prison and the Institute for the Education of the Deaf
and Dumb, in behalf of the State.  He was one of the
Commissioners named by the Legislature of 1874-75 to
consider the feasibility of the removal of the State
Prison, and presented a report in opposition to such
contemplated change; he had much to do toward
inaugurating the present system of prison management
and discipline.  Mr. CHAPIN was appointed to and did
represent the State at the National Prison Reform
Congress held at St. Louis, Mo., May 13 to 16, 1874,
inclusive, and prepared and presented to the Governor
(of Wisconsin) a report of the proceedings to that
Congress, which report may be found on pages 54 to 78
of the "Fourth Annual Report of the State Board of
Charities and Reform of the State of Wisconsin."
March 5, 1875, the Legislature of Wisconsin enacted a
general law authorizing the establishment of free high
schools; the city of Columbus availed itself of its
privileges under the act, and the free high school
system was adopted Aug. 9, 1875, by a vote of the
electors of Columbus; Mr. CHAPIN was elected President
of the Board of Education, and in the month of
January, 1876, the Columbus Free High school was fully
organized and running under the new law to the
satisfaction of all.  The first class of seven young
ladies were graduated from the high school into the
university grade on the 21st day of Jun, 1878, as the
first-fruits of this system, and at this time, Mr.
CHAPIN, as President of the Board, in presenting the
diplomas, took occasion to make a brief speech, which,
as he says, was the best and happiest effort of his
life, for his heart was really in the work - and
having been a teacher in his early life, he was master
of the situation; he has been Corporation Counsel ever
since the city of Columbus was organized, and is now
City Attorney; he was appointed Dec. 24, 1870, United
States Court Commissioner, and still holds this
office; he has been a Free and Accepted Mason for over
a quarter of a century; he was one of the charter
members of the Columbus Accepted Masons for over a
quarter of a century; he was one of the charter
members of the Columbus Lodge, F & A.M., No. 75,
charted in June 1856, and subsequently its Worshipful
Master; in 1875, he was Deputy Grand Master of the
Grand Lodge of the State of Wisconsin, and in 1876 was
elected one of its Trustees for the term of three
years, and was re-elected in June 1879 for a second
term.

A writer for the "History of Wisconsin," in speaking
of Mr. CHAPIN, says: "He does not allow his public
duties to interfere with his professional labors, and
consequently he enjoys an extensive and lucrative
practice as a lawyer; he stands among the first of the
profession, and is held in high repute as a citizen." 
He is often invited to deliver lectures, orations and
speeches, both at home and abroad, and complies, if,
as he says, "any one can gather any comfort or
happiness therefrom."  Mr. CHAPIN was married Dec. 28,
1853, at Aurelius, N.Y, to Miss Emily J., youngest
daughter of Nathaniel and Mercy BLANCHARD.  Mrs. C. is
a sister of the late Col. H. W. BLANCHARD, a pioneer
of 1836 to Wisconsin, and late proprietor of the
Blanchard Mills at Watertown, Wis.; Mrs. C. has in her
parlors many pieces in oil, crayon and pastel - the
work of her own hands - which would do credit to a
more pretending artist.  They have two sons - Herbert
B., how in the employment of the C. M. & St. P. R.R.
Co., and Clarence E., at home attending school.

Submitted by Carol