Walter Maxwell

Walter S. Maxwell (September 12, 1836 – August 17, 1895) was an American farmer, businessman, and Republican politician from Kenosha County, Wisconsin. He represented Kenosha County for four years as a member of the Wisconsin Senate (1885–1889) and served three years in the State Assembly (1877, 1881, 1883).

Biography Maxwell was born on September 12, 1836, in Jackson, New York. He was raised on his father's farm and attended common schools and the State Normal School. He taught school for a few years, then moved west to Wisconsin in 1860, settling in Kenosha County. He purchased a tract of unimproved land in what is now Somers, Wisconsin, and cultivated it into a productive farm.

He first ran for Wisconsin State Assembly in 1875, but was defeated by Democrat Frederick Robinson. He made another attempt in 1876—with higher voter turnout in a Presidential election year—and defeated Democrat Robert S. Houston. He did not run again in 1877, but was elected to two subsequent terms in 1880 and 1882. During these years, his Assembly district comprised all of Kenosha County.

Personal life and family Walter Maxwell was one of ten children born to Alexander Maxwell and his wife Jane ( Alexander). Walter's elder sister Mary married Robert Graham, the 12th Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction. His younger brother, Robert A. Maxwell, was New York State Treasurer during the 1880s.

Walter Maxwell married three times. His first wife was Anna A. Robinson, who he married at Easton, New York. They had one son, Elmer, before her death in 1874. He next married Anna A. Greenbaum ( Beach), who died just two years later, in 1878. He finally married Cornelia McLean in 1880, who survived him. Elmer A. Maxwell, from his first marriage, was his only known offspring.

Electoral history Wisconsin Assembly (1875, 1876)

Wisconsin Assembly (1880)

Wisconsin Assembly (1882)

Wisconsin Senate (1884)