WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1997 - 1998


Initially, Wisconsin Territory in-
cluded all of modem Wisconsin,
Iowa, Minnesota and the eastern
Dakotas. The first legislature met at
Belmont and the second at Burling-
ton, Iowa. Shortly thereafter, the
portion of the Territory west of the
Mississippi River became Iowa Ter-
ritory, and Madison became the cap-
ital of Wisconsin Territory. Wiscon-
sin was admitted to the Union as the
30th state on May 29, 1848.

Wisconsin was primarily controlled
by the Democratic Party until the


  Nelson Dewey, first governor of Wisconsin, which was founded in Ripon in
  1848-1852 (State Historical Society #WHi (X3)  1854. Republicans generally
domi-
  51207)                                    nated the political scene in
Wiscon-
                                            sin for the following century.
Ro-
bust Progressive and Socialist parties provided a multiparty political system
in the
first half of the 20th century. Since the 1950s, Wisconsin has seen fairly
even com-
petition between the Democratic and Republican parties.


u.en    Iuri t  aUUjumtuLce, Irt7tevltt    a ()tate -Hstorical society tW-Ji
(AX) J)1/42)


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