Charles Durkee

Charles Durkee
6th Governor of Utah Territory
In office September 30, 1865 – January 9, 1869
Preceded by	James Duane Doty
Succeeded by	John Shaffer
United States Senator from Wisconsin
In office March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1861
Preceded by	Isaac P. Walker
Succeeded by	Timothy O. Howe
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 1st district
In office March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1853
Preceded by	William P. Lynde
Succeeded by	Daniel Wells Jr.
Personal details
Born	(1805-12-10)December 10, 1805 Royalton, Vermont
Died	January 14, 1870(1870-01-14) (aged 64) Omaha, Nebraska
Resting place	Green Ridge Cemetery Kenosha, Wisconsin
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican Free Soil (until 1854)
Spouses	Catherine Putnam Dana ​ ​ (m. 1836; died 1838)​ Caroline Lake ​ ​ (m. 1840)​
Children	Harvey Durkee (died 1858) Charles Durkee Jr. (b. 1843; died 1847)

Charles H. Durkee (December 10, 1805 – January 14, 1870) was an American pioneer, Congressman, and United States Senator from Wisconsin. He was one of the founders of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and was a Governor of the Utah Territory in the last five years of his life.

Early life

Durkee was born in Royalton, Vermont. He became a merchant and moved to the Wisconsin Territory in 1836. There he became involved in agriculture and lumbering, and was a founder of the town of Southport (later Kenosha, Wisconsin). Land he once owned in Kenosha is now part of the Library Park Historic District.

Career

He entered politics, serving two terms in the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature. Originally a Democrat, he became a member first of the Liberty Party and then of the Free Soil Party and was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1848 as part of Wisconsin's first full congressional delegation. He served in the House for two terms as part of the 31st and the 32nd Congresses from March 4, 1849, till March 3, 1853, representing Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. In 1854, he switched to the newly formed Republican Party and was elected to the United States Senate by the Wisconsin State Legislature. He served for one term, from 1855 to 1861. In 1865 he became governor of the Utah Territory, and served in that position until 1869 when he resigned because of ill health. He died in Omaha, Nebraska while returning home.

Tributes

A street in the city of Appleton, Wisconsin, is named for him. An elementary school in Kenosha, Wisconsin, bore his name for many years. It was demolished in 2008.

He gave a speech at the hammering of the Golden Spike in Promontory, Utah, on May 10, 1869, connecting the Union Pacific tracks to the Central Pacific Railroad.

His former home, which later became an Episcopal school for girls and is now known as Kemper Hall, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Electoral history

U.S. Senate (1855)

United States Senate Election in Wisconsin, 1855

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
Vote of the 8th Wisconsin Legislature, February 1, 1855
	Republican	Charles Durkee	54	50.47%
	Democratic	Byron Kilbourn	39	35.45%
	Democratic	Charles Dunn	5	4.67%
	Republican	James Duane Doty	4	3.74%
	Democratic	David Agry	2	1.87%
	Democratic	Harrison Carroll Hobart	2	1.87%
	Republican	James McMillan Shafter	1	0.93%
Plurality			15	14.02%
Total votes			107	100.0%
	Republican gain from Democratic

Further reading

• Wilson, James Grant; Fiske, John, eds. (1898). "Durkee, Charles". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. Vol. 2 (Crane–Grimshaw). New York: D. Appleton and Company. pp. 272–273.
• McMullin, Thomas A.; Walker, David (1984). "Utah: Durkee, Charles (1865–1869)". Biographical Directory of American Territorial Governors. Meckler Publishing. pp. 299–300. ISBN 9780930466114.

External links

• United States Congress. "Charles Durkee (id: D000573)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Charles Durkee Sr. at Find a Grave