Seth W. Button

Seth Windsor Button (May 23, 1836 – November 18, 1913) was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Trempealeau County during the 1873 session. He also served as a district attorney and county judge in Trempealeau and Monroe County, Wisconsin.

Early life

Seth Windsor Button was born in Pontiac, Michigan, in May 1836. As a child, he came with his parents to Illinois and then to the Wisconsin Territory in 1842, where they settled in Decatur, Green County. Soon after settling in Green County, his father died, and Button then resided with an older brother and worked on his farm. He had little formal education in his early years, and at age 16 he walked to the area of Whitewater, Wisconsin, and joined a work crew constructing the first state railroad from Milwaukee to . The regiment proceeded to Kentucky, in October 1861 and remained in that area into the winter.

They entered Tennessee in February 1862, where they were engaged in guard duty through the Spring and Summer. Button went on to win re-election as judge and served until January 1874.

While serving as judge, Button was the Republican nominee for Wisconsin State Assembly in Trempealeau County's Assembly district in 1872. He narrowly defeated his Liberal Republican opponent, Ole A. Hegg, and served in the 26th Wisconsin Legislature.

Personal life and family Seth W. Button was one of fourteen children born to Charles Button and his wife Cynthia (née Watson). Seth Button's older brother, Julius C. Button, also served as a district attorney in Polk and Trempealeau counties.

Seth W. Button married Martha A. Wheaton in 1858. They had at least one son.

Button was an avid hunter and participated in an annual deer hunt in the northern woods for more than 25 years.

Electoral history Wisconsin Assembly (1872)