Born in 1820 in
Bridport, Vermont, Eldredge moved with his parents to
Canton, New York, in 1825. He attended common schools there and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1846 and established a practice in Canton. In 1848, he moved to the new state of
Wisconsin, settling at
Fond du Lac, where he resumed his legal practice. From
Fond du Lac County, he was elected as a
Democrat to the
Wisconsin State Senate for the
1854 and
1855 sessions. In 1862, after
Wisconsin's congressional delegation was expanded from three seats to six, Eldredge was elected to the
38th United States Congress as the first representative of
Wisconsin's 4th congressional district, which at the time comprised the counties of Ozaukee, Washington, Dodge, Fond du Lac, and Sheboygan. In the midst of the
American Civil War, he ran as an
anti-war Democrat and defeated
War Democrat Edward S. Bragg. Bragg engaged in a years-long feud with Eldredge and challenged him in several Democratic
nominating conventions. Nevertheless, Eldredge was able to win reelection four times in the 4th congressional district, and won a sixth term in the
5th congressional district after redistricting. In 1874, however, Bragg was able to win enough delegates to prevent Eldredge from being renominated for a seventh term, though Bragg did not benefit, as the nomination instead went to
Samuel D. Burchard. Eldredge left office in March 1875 after twelve years in Congress. He resumed the practice of law. He died in
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, October 26, 1896, and was interred at Fond du Lac's Rienzi Cemetery. ==References==