Leonard J. Farwell

Leonard James Farwell (January 5, 1819 – April 11, 1889) was an American politician and public administrator. He was the 2nd Governor of Wisconsin. Early life Farwell was born in Watertown, New York, the son of James and Rebecca (Cady) Farwell; both his parents died before his 11th birthday. He completed common schooling and apprenticed as a tinsmith until age 19. At that age, he moved west, settling briefly at Lockport, Illinois, where he established himself as a tinsmith. In January 1840, he sold his tinsmith business and moved north, to Milwaukee, in the Wisconsin Territory. He opened a wholesale hardware business there, which developed into one of the largest in the western territories at the time. He travelled extensively between 1846 and 1849, visiting Caribbean islands, Europe, and the near East. On his return, he settled in Dane County, Wisconsin, where he had invested in a great amount of property and owned roughly half the land of the village of Madison, the capitol of the new state. Farwell was active in building up the new capitol—he owned and operated half a dozen mills and shops, and was instrumental in laying out the streets and erecting the public buildings. He contributed to the establishment of the Wisconsin Historical Society, the state Agricultural Society, the public school system, and the University of Wisconsin. Public career Farwell was nominated by the Whig Party as their candidate in the 1851 Wisconsin gubernatorial election. He defeated his opponent, former Milwaukee Mayor Don A. J. Upham, and led the Whigs to a strong showing in the Wisconsin Assembly elections down-ballot, though they did not capture other statewide offices. Farwell's success was likely due to his personal popularity and the contributions he had provided to assist recent immigrants arriving in Wisconsin. He served one term and declined re-nomination in 1853. He was the first and only Whig Governor of Wisconsin.