Alexander Botkin was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician from Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

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Born in Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, he moved to Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, and then to Alton, Illinois

Alton, Illinois

Alton is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 27,865 at the 2010 census. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area in Southern Illinois...

, where he was a justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

. During that time, he was involved in events as a result of the murder of the abolitionist, Elijah P. Lovejoy

Elijah P. Lovejoy

Elijah Parish Lovejoy was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, newspaper editor and abolitionist. He was murdered by an opposition mob in Alton, Illinois during their attack on his warehouse to destroy his press and abolitionist materials.Lovejoy's father was a Congregational minister...

 trying to maintain peace during the riots. In 1841, he moved to the Wisconsin Territory

Wisconsin Territory

The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin...

, where he practiced law with Alexander Pope Field

Alexander Pope Field

Alexander Pope Field was a United State politician.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he studied law in Illinois and was admitted to the Illinois bar. From 1822 until 1828, he served in the Illinois House of Representatives. From 1829 until 1840, he served as Illinois Secretary of State...

, the Secretary of the Wisconsin Territory. During that time, he served in the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, in 1847-1848, as a Whig

Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...

. and in the first Wisconsin Constitutional Convention of 1846. In 1849, Botkin was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate

Wisconsin State Senate

The Wisconsin Senate, the powers of which are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate, is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature, smaller than the Wisconsin State Assembly...

, where he served for two years until his defeat. In 1852, he was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly. His son was Alexander Campbell Botkin

Alexander Campbell Botkin

Alexander Campbell Botkin was a United States politician from Montana.Botkin was born on October 13, 1842 in Dane County, Wisconsin....

, who was Lieutenant Governor of Montana

Lieutenant Governor of Montana

Lieutenant Governor of Montana is an official in the state of Montana that ranks just below the Governor of Montana. The current lieutenant governor is John Bohlinger.-List of Lieutenant Governors:* John E. Rickards, Republican,...

. He died of a stroke and was buried in Madison, Wisconsin

Madison, Wisconsin

Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

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