Charles H. Baxter

Charles Henry Baxter (November 15, 1841 – December 23, 1923) was an American businessman, banker, and progressive Republican politician. He served eight years in the Wisconsin State Senate, representing Grant County and neighboring municipalities, and was the 7th mayor of Lancaster, Wisconsin. He also served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War.

Biography Born in Stillwater, New York, Baxter moved to Grant County, Wisconsin, with his parents in 1857, where his father became a prominent physician. He was educated in public schools in New York and Wisconsin, and, in 1861, went to work as a clerk in the store of George Howe, in Lancaster, Wisconsin. Within a year, however, he decided to volunteer for service in the American Civil War.

Civil War service Baxter originally enrolled in Lancaster with Company C of the 25th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, composed mostly of volunteers from the counties of southwest Wisconsin. The regiment was organized at La Crosse, Wisconsin, and mustered into service on September 14, 1862. Before they could join the Civil War, they were ordered to proceed west to Minnesota to provide security for Minnesota settlers in the midst of an ongoing Sioux uprising.

In December 1862, the regiment concluded its business in Minnesota and returned to Wisconsin, with new orders to proceed south to attach to XVI Corps for service in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. They joined the Siege of Vicksburg from June through July 1863, and were then assigned to guard duty in eastern Kansas.

While serving at Memphis, Baxter was detached from the regiment and served as an adjutant to General Cadwallader C. Washburn. They proceeded to Louisville, Kentucky, in February 1865, and then to Nashville, Tennessee, and Tullahoma. The regiment was assigned to guard duty, and was often dispersed in small units around middle Tennessee, leaving Captain Baxter in command at the regimental headquarters.

He was the Republican candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly in Grant County's 2nd Assembly district in 1884, but fell 98 votes short of incumbent State Representative William John McCoy. Eight years later, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate, and was re-elected in 1896, serving from 1893 through 1900.

In the Senate, he was chairman of the Joint Committee on Claims from 1895 through 1900. He also served on the committees for state affairs, banking, insurance, and military affairs. In 1912, he became president of the bank, and continued in that role until his death in 1923.

Personal life and family Charles H. Baxter married Maria Howe, the daughter of his business partner, on February 20, 1865. They had three children together. At the time of his death, his wife and children were all still living, as well as three grandchildren.